10g Cycling question.

[Arcsis]

At least now I have an idea of how this should go. I've been checking the lvls every /every other day & have been getting the same result. 0's across the board. I'll keep an eye out for ammonia like usual.

Once I start seeing more nitrates, that's when it's cycled right?

 

[jaylin]

Once your amm and nitrites go to 0 and you're seeing nitrates build, it's cycled. It is possible to see nitrates while still building amm and nitrites. That means you have some of the good bacteria, but there are not enough bacteria to handle the amount of waste going into the system. The good news is that once you see nitrates at all, the good bacteria will be faster at keeping up with an increased bioload.

Now that's all true unless you've got live plants. In which case, you might not see the nitrates building. If that's the case, you still need to do at least a 25% water changes weekly to replace the micronutirents in the water for the plants. But I didn't see if you said you had live plants or not ...

 

[Arcsis]

Nope no live plants. I posted this question on a few other forums, so I've forgotten what extra information I've responded with.

 

[67chevelle]

100% water changes can be VERY stressful to you fish as well as the bacteria needed to keep it cycled.

Bacteria does not live in the water,it lives in the filter.If there is an underground filter it lives in the substrate.100% water changes will stress the fish,but as long as the filters media does not dry out,this will do nothing to the bacteria that live in them.Just make sure to add a chlorine remover to the water before you start the filter,and you will be fine.