Is my tank cycled?

Hello all!

I just took my tank parameters and they are: ammonia 0mg/L nitrite 0mg/L & Nitrate in between 0mg/L & 5mg/L.

Last time i tested the water (about 3 or 4 days ago) the tank parameters were: Ammonia 3mg/L nitrate 0mg/L & nitrate 0mg/L.

Is it possible that in a couple of days of not testing the tank, i totally missed the nitrite rising?

&

Isn't my nitrate reading a bit low for a developed/cycled tank?

What do you all think?
All ideas welcomed and respected!!

Moony

Hi Moony,

Do you have any live animals in the water? If not, then it is possible that cycling has not even begun yet. The cycle begins with ammonia, which comes from, e.g. animal waste or rotton food. I waited a week with all values at 0 and figured, heck, the cycling must be gong really well! And added fish and axolotl larvae. The nitrite came, indeed, about a week later and I lost one guppy and one larvae. I'm new to all of this, you see.

-Eva

p.s. I loved the "and respected" part of this:

moony1988 said:

All ideas welcomed and respected!!

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blueberlin said:

p.s. I loved the "and respected" part of this:

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hehe... well what can i say, it is true! I think other peoples experiences are the best to learn from!

I had my two baby axolotls in there for about a month and a half, but i couldn't control the ammonia and as a result they were eating off and on (even though i had been doing 20% water changes each day). So i thought i would take them out of the tank, and do the whole cycling thing properly. I left some feces in there, as well as some food.

In about a month and a half, i never actually seen a nitrite reading in my tank. I thought my testing kit may have been bogus, so brought another... but still no nitrate. Damn lucky axolotls, i have spent over $120AUD just on testing kits alone (not good on a university students wage)... all well i love them sooo much!

Considering i haven't changed the water, and the ammonia just seemed to drop by itself, i just thought (or hoped) that I had just missed the nitrate rise and my tank had been cycled already.

Do you think i should put some more waste in the tank and check again soon?

Or should i just clean up the remianing waste in there & do a 20% water change and put my axies back in the tank?


Moony

I don't really know what's best. I mean, from reading here, the best is to cycle the aquarium without animals in it, because the animals are then not subjected to the toxins. On the other hand, I couldn't get they cycle to begin, even with poopy water and plants from the other tank etc. There never was a nitrIte reading, but occasionally I would get a slight nitrAte reading. So I figured the cycling just went really well (duh). I put some guppies in to give it a go and still nothing. I added my axolotl (adult) and still everything fine. I added babies (in nursery nets) and still fine until this past weekend, when for the first time in my life I saw a nitrIte reading (of around 2) (I just use the dip strips for testing). Quickly and daily doing massive water changes and I still have a slight reading of both nitrite and nitrate but it's better (and as soon as I've got enough coffee in me, it's back to schlepping more water buckets). On the flip side, I know that the cycling has begun. I just keep changing the water and adding seeder bacteria (I know someone out there is going to fuss me for doing that, but there it is). I keep reading that cycling can take months but I didn't have the time for that; I have a male and a female adults and the poor girl kept laying eggs every three weeks, so I only had three weeks to order a new tank and get them separated before the next eggs were due to start.

And believe me, I know what you mean about the expense. My husband is tolerant and supportive but I'm not sure he knows quite how much I've spent so far...

moony1988 said:

I had my two baby axolotls in there for about a month and a half, but i couldn't control the ammonia and as a result they were eating off and on (even though i had been doing 20% water changes each day). So i thought i would take them out of the tank, and do the whole cycling thing properly. I left some feces in there, as well as some food.

In about a month and a half, i never actually seen a nitrite reading in my tank. I thought my testing kit may have been bogus, so brought another... but still no nitrate. Damn lucky axolotls, i have spent over $120AUD just on testing kits alone (not good on a university students wage)... all well i love them sooo much!

Do you think i should put some more waste in the tank and check again soon?

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Hello Moony,

When I first established my tank I had a very high ammonia reading which I managed to reduce after numerous water changes. However, after I lowered the ammonia level I never got any nitrite or nitrate readings. It has been well over 6 months and I have never taken a single nitrite/nitrate reading. This itself isn't a problem.

So to answer your question, yes your tank may have completed the nitrification "cycle" already. If you want to be sure of this you could add some platies to the tank because these fish tend to tolerate swings in pH and other water parameters and help "cycle" your tank. The only thing that concerns me about this method is the process of quarantine. I'll have to get back to you on that one and it does seem a tad inhumane.

There are sevel factors that hinder/slow down the nitrification "cycle", these include:

- Insufficient oxygen supply for the nitrifying bacteria to do their work
- pH is either too acidic/basic
- Too much ammonia inside the tank

I can empathise with you when it comes to spending $120 on testing kits. However, there is alternative that will save you at $60. All you have to do is purchase a Freshwater Master Testkit, which includes all the tests required- except GH (vide infra)

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Aquarium-Pha...ryZ20754QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

All the best with you axolotls.

Jay.

Thanks Blueberlin,

i might leave the axolotls out of the tank for a bit longer and maybe get a couple of guppies or something to swim in there for a bit and see if my tank parameters change. However because i don't have guppies or other fish for that matter, at my disposal. So will it be safe to buy a fish and put in in the tank even though it hasn't been quarantined for 30 days, considering my axolotls wont be in there with them, ever?

Moony

I don't understand, why won't the axolotls be in there, ever?

-Eva

Thanks very much Jay, u must have posted as i was writing my reply to blueberlin!

Like what i said in my above post, do the newbie fish have to the quarantined first?
Can a parasite from a fish stay in my tank, and then be transfered to my axies?


Moony

Blueberlin,

Sorry for being confusing, the axolotls wont be in with the guppies or other fish just in case they nibble at their gills.

Moony

Yes, the fish can contaminate the aquarium. A quarantine would be in a different tank.

I have guppies and platys in my aquarium with my axolotl. They don't nibble and they are supposed to be food, if he ever figures out how to catch them.

moony1988 said:

Like what i said in my above post, do the newbie fish have to the quarantined first?
Can a parasite from a fish stay in my tank, and then be transfered to my axies?
and what kind of fish tolerate PH swings... guppies?

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I'm not so sure as to what pH range platies can tolerate. However, I did have platies at one stage and the ammonia level within their quarantine tank was off the chart and I'm quite certain that the pH was very acidic as well. Oh! That makes me seem like a bad fish keeper...mind you, this was when Melbourne had those extreme heat waves so I wanted to direct my attention towards my axolotl.

The purpose of quarantining is to ensure that the newly acquired fish do not have parasites/pathogens that can be transmitted to your axolotl. Thus, if you go through with quarantine and do not note any wrong with the fish, then it is more than likely that these fish are healthy and will not pass anything onto your axolotl.

Another thing about purchasing platies is that they can look like tetras. Do not purchase tetras because these fish are the first to succumb to poor water quality. They will then break out with all sorts of diseases which will reside inside your tank.

Jay.

Platies prefer pH levels between 7.0 and 8.0. So too acidic would have done 'em in, I'm afraid. I'm sure you're still a good fishkeeper.

-Eva

Yesterday I placed some extra ammonia causing objects (mostly axie poo and food) in the tank to see if my levels would change... &

Today i tested the tank and the ammonia levels went through the roof (3mg/L).

All well i guess I'm back to waiting for some nitrite to appear! Thank goodness i didn't put anything in the tank, only to see them suffer inhumanely ..
pffft *shaking head * cant believe i actually thought the tank was cycled already, must of just been false hope!

I feel sorry for my axolotls being in Tupperware containers.

I wonder if it was just a false reading that made my ammonia drop?

Moony

moony1988 said:

I wonder if it was just a false reading that made my ammonia drop

Moony

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Hi Moony,

What sort of test kit are you using?

Are you using the test strip test kit or the liquid test kit?

Hey Jacq,

I went all out and brought a liquid test kit (I knew from reactions on the forum that the test strips seemed unreliable). Its a Tetratest Laborett test kit and payed I $70 for that kit alone... i just keep questioning the validity of the test results, because the lady who sold it to me said "if there is anything wrong with it, just bring it back"... which made me think.. What could be wrong with it, is she hinting that its may be a reject or something???

Or maybe the paranoia is taking over.. hehe

Moony

I'd say it's the paranoia

Liquid test kits are the best by far.

Test Strips are notorious for giving woefully inaccurate readings, and you really do need accuracy in the readings.

Just bear with your cycle - it will happen. :happy:

Thanks Jacq, will do!

I just have to dismiss my impatience, by remembering that producing a full biological filter will save me daily water changes

Moony

moony1988 said:

...because the lady who sold it to me said "if there is anything wrong with it, just bring it back"... which made me think.. What could be wrong with it, is she hinting that its may be a reject or something???

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Just check the expiry date for the chemical solutions. If they are out of date, they will provide inaccurate test results.

Jay.

moony1988 said:

Thanks Jacq, will do!

I just have to dismiss my impatience, by remembering that producing a full biological filter will save me daily water changes

Moony

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You're saving yourself more than that. Last night and this morning I murdered a total of 3 guppies and 3 axolotl babies because I had them in a tank that wasn't (and possibly still isn't) cycled. Nitrite spike Saturday and drastic daily water changes killed my little ones.

Today I "went all out", too, and bought a big testing set. I've never seen a dip strip that tests ammonia. This thing even tests iron (isn't Fe iron?). Might try a bit of my blood in that one hehe