What does it mean....(cycling)

invisible1130

invisible1130

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Feb 18, 2006
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What does it mean when my ammonia is down to 0 but my nitrites and nitrates are up a little bit. Nitrites read .25 and nitrates were at .5. Does this mean that I am establishing a bit of bacteria, finally? I have a 10 gallon with 6 zebra danios and 3 cory catfish. I do a 25-30% water change daily. I hope I am finally establishing some bacteria in my tank. Even if it takes me several more weeks to get it fully cycled I will feel a bit better!!
 
it means that your ammonia eating bacteria are established and now the nitrite eating bacteria have some food and are getting to work multiplying to take care of those and creating nitrates.
 
So it does sound like my tank is progressing...yiiippeee!!! I know I'm not out of the woods yet BUT its a start! Thanks!! :-)
 
I can tell ya right now...the NEXT time I get a new tank I will definately be doing a FISHLESS cycle!!!
 
I was one of those people that buy the tank and the fish on the same day. I sure wish I would have come to this forum before I made my purchases! I have learned SO much just from this forum in the past 2 weeks. I am so worried about my fish in the tanks that I'm driving myself nuts testing the water 500 times a day!! lol I think I'm more stressed then they are!! (that's okay with me though) :)
 
I Have A Question About Cycling..i Started My Cycle About A Week Ago With 4 Black Skirt Tetras And 1 Common Pleco Ina 10 Gallon Tank. I Didnt Clean It The First 3 Days And The Last 3 Days I Use My Gravel Cleaner To Do Water Changes Of About 50%. Im Not The Best At Using The Gravel Cleaner Just Yet, When I Use It Im Guessing Its The Fish Waste And Non-eaten Food Starts To Float Around Everywhere And Its A Lot All Over The Tank The Fish Try To Eat It, Im Not Sure If Thats Bad. But Anyway Back To The Cycling, Will My Tank Cycle If I Use The Gravel Cleaner Everyday And Do A 50% Water Change? And If I Do This Way Is It Necessary To Test The Water Everyday? I Dont Like Using The Strips And Try To Match The Color.. I Dont Know If Im Doing It Right. Well I Just Rambled On A Few Things I Was Worried About If Anybody Understood All That Can U Please Help? Thanks
 
Not the best fish choices for a 10 gallon tank. Your common pleco will grow over 2 feet large and weight 20+ pounds when it is fully grown. In essence the fish will be bigger than the tank. When you clean the gravel with the gravel vacuum work it like you are mowing the lawn. Go up and down so you get every spot not just guess where you think the waste is. I would still test the water daily and if I see ammonia or nitrites 0.5 or higher, do a 50% waterchange. Please next time don't capitalize every first letter of a word, it just makes it a pain to read.
 
I have the Aquarium Pharmacueticals Master Test kit. I LOVE it! I am also doing a fishy cycle and I change my water about 30% every day. I have done up to 50% when the nitrites spiked. To change the water I use the siphon hose with the gravel cleaner on it. (I have two 10 gallon tanks by the way) I cannot wait until this dang tank is cycled!!!
 
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