# beneficial bacteria (Ammonia still at 0 ppm ???)



## naeco (May 8, 2007)

Hey guys, I'm not sure if I accidentally killed my beneficial bacteria by doing a gravel change/50% water change/cleaned the filter while having no fish in the tank for 2 weeks so I've decided to start from scratch just to be safe.

I now have 14 small fish to get the cycle going again. They have been in there for a week now and the *ammonia is still at 0 ppm*. Any chance I still had some bacteria in there and the tank is doing OK or how long should I wait for the ammonia to go up to confirm the beneficial bacteria where all dead ? (Of course, my *nitrate are also at 0 ppm*.)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

naeco


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

I would test for nitrates and see if that level remains consistent....or is rising. Depending on how you cleaned your filters...you probably didnt kill all the bacteria...and enough survived to handle the current bio-load. Also, any structure remaining from the original tank...including the tanks glass...will have bacteria on it. Not a ton...but certainly enough to seed a filter and quicken the cycle...so if you kept the decor and didnt scrub the glass...you will have more of a mini cycled to build the bacteria up to the level needed to handle the bio-load...but not like a full on cycle.

I would say that no fish for 2 weeks might be fine...there is generally something besides fish producing ammonia in a tank. Not enough to keep the entire colony you had alive...but certainly enough to keep the two forms of bactera alive and ready to multiply again.

Moved to water chem.


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## naeco (May 8, 2007)

10 days with the ammonia and nitrate still at 0 ppm. I think it's safe to say I still had enough bacteria in my tank and it's ready for new fish.

Any advice so I don't f*ck up again?


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

With your nitrates at zero......your tank isnt ready for fish yet. I would take a water sample into a lfs and have them test it for ammonia and nitrites. With zero ammonia and nitrates....you are probably in the nitrite phase of the cycle. Your tank isnt ready for fish until you are getting an increasing level of nitrates.


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## naeco (May 8, 2007)

Grosse Gurke said:


> With your nitrates at zero......your tank isnt ready for fish yet. I would take a water sample into a lfs and have them test it for ammonia and nitrites. With zero ammonia and nitrates....you are probably in the nitrite phase of the cycle. Your tank isnt ready for fish until you are getting an increasing level of nitrates.


If I don't get any ammonia increase after 10 days with 14 fish in the tank, doesn't this mean that the cycle was already up and running as you should get an ammonia increase first followed by the nitrite and than nitrate ???

I don't know much about this, I'm just following the info found on the internet and the picture I've included in my post.

What do you think ?


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

naeco said:


> If I don't get any ammonia increase after 10 days with 14 fish in the tank, *doesn't this mean that the cycle was already up and running* as you should get an ammonia increase first followed by the nitrite and than nitrate ???


Not if you dont have any nitrates. If you are in the nitrite phase of the cycle...you might not register any ammonia or nitrates. There are two different kinds of bacteria in the cycle...one that converts ammonia to nitrites and a different bacteria that converts nitrites to nitrates. You might just have the first bacteria and not the second. When your tank is cycled..and you have fish that are producing waste in the water...you will have nitrates (unless the tank is heavily planted).

You are right about the different phases of the cycle...but just because you are not registering ammonia doesnt mean the cycle is up and running....

If you look at the chart....you can see where the second arrow is pointing....that would be a reading of zero ammonia and zero nitrates.....but a heavy concentration of nitrites.


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