confused with cycling my tank

hey all.
wondered if someone could help me. started my tank cycling 10 days ago. i am using fish food as an amonia source and added stress zyme on the first and seventh day as per instructions on the bottle.
i have got some testing kits and at first i saw the amonia level rise as expected. now i still have a high amonia reading but no nitrite reading and the test shows a nitrate reading. this does not match with what i expected from the articles i have read. am i missing something? any thoughts guys and girls, please help as i dont have enough hair to be pulling it out!

Tank cycling can take a while and the nitrate level may take time to rise as the right sort of bacteria, which convert your ammonia to nitrate, have to colonise the tank.
What kind of testing kit do you have? If it is the kind with strips, they have a reputation of being unreliable, so the type with test tubes are much better.
I personally think that stresszyme isn't likely to aid tank cycling as I am personally doubtful that there is any live bacteria in the product by the time it reaches the consumer. But ive heared of other people swearing by it, so I guess the jury is out on that one!

You need to give it more time. Things will go up and down then down then back up again. Its just a matter of letting nature take its course. Cycling can take quite a few weeks and some people find it takes them longer before they are sattified with their results.

thanks for the input. will stay patient and see what happens. yes my tests are strips and can be hard to read.
now i just got a sudden bloom of algae to deal with. hopefully i will soon be able to get my first axies.

Hello there, when i cycled my tank, it took around 1-1 1/2 months to finally cycle. i used a frozen burger to get the ammonia levels up (haha - although it stunk the house out whenever the lid was lifted off!:lol. i would definately get the test tube kit to test the levels.

Good luck with getting the tank cycled :happy:

mimozine said:

hey all.
wondered if someone could help me. started my tank cycling 10 days ago. i am using fish food as an amonia source and added stress zyme on the first and seventh day as per instructions on the bottle.
i have got some testing kits and at first i saw the amonia level rise as expected. now i still have a high amonia reading but no nitrite reading and the test shows a nitrate reading. this does not match with what i expected from the articles i have read. am i missing something? any thoughts guys and girls, please help as i dont have enough hair to be pulling it out!

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I find the two best products for quick cycling are stability by seachem or bio spira by marine land. If you use these products your biological filter should start up within a week!

minozine said:

this does not match with what i expected from the articles i have read

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You have to keep in mind that these articles are based on theory. Practically speaking, however, the results of cycling will vary with each tank. For instance, I got readings of ammonia, nitrite, and nirtate; but after three weeks, I never got nitrate readings again.

Most people are fixated on the 'nitrite-spike', but to be honest, it doesn't seem to be all that necessary- according to me, that is. The 'nitrite-spike' appears to be nothing more than a lack in production of nitrite-metablosing bacteria. In your case, I think it's the fact that you have a larger population of ammonia-metabolising bacteria, which can hinder the activity of the nitrite-metablosing bacteria. That's not rigid, of course.

now i just got a sudden bloom of algae to deal with.

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The sooner you eliminate this problem, the better. Algae can compete with nitrifying bacteria for the available food resources and, most cases, algae comes out the winner, which can lead to the starvation of the nitrifying bacteria and prevent the tank from cycling. A good way to get rid of algae is to use an algae scrubber. It is good for removing algae from the glass. Another method is to reduce the amount of light that is directed onto the tank. So, if your tank is being exposed to direct sunlight, close the blinds or try relocating the tank.

Jay.

What type of bio filter are you using? This can make a huge difference to how your tank cycles.