Fish Tank Cyling, post #4?

Question

My fish tanks problems, have spanned several weeks and questions here, and therefore the whole story is rather long, all the details I have posted here for reference:

http://bbb.quadratec.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=46;t=000221

The bulk of my new question is here:

Finally getting smart, I figured maybe my tank was never cycling as much as I was changing the water, so I've just left it alone for about a week now. (I haven't done any water changes since the change to the 20 gallon tank). It’s been a little over a week so I had the water checked today:

Chlorine - 0
Ammonia - 0.5
Nitrate - 20
Nitrite - 10
Hardness - 75
Alkalinity - 80
pH - 7.8

Since my Nitrate and Nitrites are finally testing something other than zero, I assume this means my tank is finally beginning to cycle? How do these levels look for week and half old tank roughly? Should I do anything, or wait it out longer and see what the water checks in another week?

Thanks in advance!

-20 gallon tank
-2 Dwarf Frogs
-2 Small Algae eaters, roughly 1" long.
-2 X-Ray Tetras roughly 1" long
-2 Mollies of some sort, roughly 1.5" long
-1 Spotted Cory Catfish 1" long

I'm using the largest bio wheel filter PetSmart had, which I believe filters 200 gallons per hour which should be more than plenty of filtration for a 20 gallon tank. Since I switched the new/larger bio-wheel filter, I have been using a product from SeaChem called Stability which is supposed to promote the growth of bacteria in the bio wheel.

Tommorow I will get the water tested again and post back the results, if the ammonia is still climbing I will change some water out.

Can I add some stress coat (to make sure the fish don't stress) stuff in the mean time without hurting the cycling process?

Answer 1

That's looking really good, you're almost home free. I would say if the fish are showing no distress, wait it out. But at the first sign of distress change water! It's a careful balancing act, you want ammonia to get things going and to some extent the more the better, however too much kills the fish, so as long as the fish are ok, it's going fine.

Personally I am no fan of any of the cycling assistance stuff that is sold on the market with one exception and that is Amquel. It will greatly reduce the toxicity of the ammonia but leave it in a state that the bacteria can still use. Most don't do this. Most of those materials in my personal opinion are there strictly as money makers and do not give much benefit for the money, if any at all.

I personally advise a natural method of cycling a tank but acknowledge that it takes knowing what you are doing and being very careful.

MM

Answer 2

The first thing I would suggest is to stop using Stability ASAP. I have heard too many stories about that product messing things up. Don't use distilled water either. It does not have minerals and stuff that a tank needs.

How long has this process been going on? This process usually takes 4-6 weeks, and sometimes can go on longer.

When nitrates start to show, you are nearing the end of the cycle, don't be afraid to change water, any time it gets above .25 you should change water, otherwise you are going to cause damage to your fish's skin and gills.

Answer 3

You're actually not too bad. Ammonia should be 0 ppm and you're almost there. Nitrites should be 0 ppm and that's getting there and your nitrates are great; under 40 ppm. Stop using the distilled water because it has no minerals. If you want to use bottled water, use spring water. It's without chlorine, etc., but still has the minerals. Your water is a little hard, but whether that matters depends on what kind of fish you have. Just keep it going with what you're doing. It think you're just getting impatient and want this thing to be over, which no one blames you for!

Answer 4

it is going to take about 30 days for tank to cycle if tank is small 10-20 gallom you should only have 5 or so fish it will get cloudy and you will have some fish die do not worry after the 30 days do a 25% water change and you should be good to go remember the small the tank the harder to cycle

Answer 5

you're doing great.
just remember to change 25% of water monthly- no more. siphon water from lower 1/4 of tank. ammonia is heavier than water and sinks to the bottom. if there is a pet shop in your area that sells a product called CHEMI-PURE, it's great stuff and will last approx. 6 months. glad to see someone that is patient to wait and do things RIGHT, instead of buying a tank and filling it with fish the same day. i use chemi-pure in all my tanks.