How long does it take to completely cycle a 55 gallon tank. I'm getting ready to set up my new aquarium after the construction is completed but I don't know what the cycling period is. Thanks.
Cycling
- Thread starter jaxmom293
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search cycle in the search bar to the left, and you will find a lot of good resources for information on cycling. The period can vary, depending on many factors.
As Hebily said the cycle period varies from tank to tank. The best way to speed up the cycle is to use established media from another tank.
I am currently cycling a tank and it took about a week for ammonia to drop from 8ppm (NOTE: this is too high a concentration - I made a mistake when dosing) to 0.25ppm. My nitrates, however are still high so the cycle is not complete.
I am currently cycling a tank and it took about a week for ammonia to drop from 8ppm (NOTE: this is too high a concentration - I made a mistake when dosing) to 0.25ppm. My nitrates, however are still high so the cycle is not complete.
Did you (ccla) mean nitrItes? NitrAtes will not go down because of bacteria - except under very specific, and often bad, conditions. To bring nitrAtes down, you do water changes.
I'd say 8 weeks or less for an unseeded tank to a fish-in cycle, i you do thing right. Seeded tank took about 3 week or less depend on how much old stuff you put in and some other few hundreds factors.
I have not do a fishless cycle so i can't say but 8 weeks is a pretty safe time for most cycle.
I have not do a fishless cycle so i can't say but 8 weeks is a pretty safe time for most cycle.
Using decorations from an established tank it took about a 1 week for nitrites to be present and then disappear to 0 and nitrates to reach a high of 80. Ammonia however did not go down as fast it should. I've been told that when a tank is fully cycled, it should be able to handle a dosing of ammonia to 2-3 ppm and bring it down to 0 within 24 hours. My tank only brought it down to .25 in 24 hours.
I got impatient and added fish along with the filter from my 10g tank and tested ammonia/nitrite/nitrate for the next three days. Water parameters turned up fine. My starter pack of plants arrived and I took out all the decorations and just left in the plants with driftwood and kept testing everyday. Parameters were still fine.
Two days ago I took out the filter from my 10g and moved the guppies from the 20g into the 10g and am testing daily to make sure my tank can handle everything without the 10g filter. So far so good.
It will be exactly three weeks since I set up my 20g tank this Sunday.
I got impatient and added fish along with the filter from my 10g tank and tested ammonia/nitrite/nitrate for the next three days. Water parameters turned up fine. My starter pack of plants arrived and I took out all the decorations and just left in the plants with driftwood and kept testing everyday. Parameters were still fine.
Two days ago I took out the filter from my 10g and moved the guppies from the 20g into the 10g and am testing daily to make sure my tank can handle everything without the 10g filter. So far so good.
It will be exactly three weeks since I set up my 20g tank this Sunday.
If you have media from another filter don`t use any ammonia just use that.The more the better.The tank can cycle in 24 hours but can only support a small amount of fish.
If you have an existing tank run a filter on it for 3 weeks (sponge filters are easy and good back up filters) you can add that to the new tank and add a small amount of fish right away.
If you have an existing tank run a filter on it for 3 weeks (sponge filters are easy and good back up filters) you can add that to the new tank and add a small amount of fish right away.