i cant take the wait any longer

[katuuuz]

Ok, so it has come to this:

Went the the LFS and had my water tested to show no ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. (We're talking 1 and a half months now people).

Tests on my 3 gallon (fishless ammonia dose) are now showing off the chart nitrites (2 maybe 3 weeks after initial setup) so my theory of letting ammonia be present and linger proves true through my expirements. fact of the matter is, my 46 g fish cycle never even cycled in the first place because i was removing ammonia through water changes at every hint of it. Going this route will get you nowhere. Maybe if i continue doing what I am doing it will cycle in like 2 years, but I am not willing to do this. I've decided I will return all fish in my 46 and 20 gallons at my next convenience, and I will be doing ammonia doses to those tanks as well. Took a long time going the "fast way" and I'm here to inform you all you are right in going the "fishless" route... unless you don't care about torturing fish. I will be back after the tanks go through their new cycle. Thank you, and for god's sake go fishless because removing ammonia will be deathly slow, and basically doesn't produce.

 

[hoofadoo]

i actually just got a fishy cycle complete after 3 weeks. it was tough, lost some fish, but i kept the ammonia in the .25 to .75 range, using the ammonia detoxifier at high points.... i also used gravel from my lfs... i agree that you really need to keep the ammonia higher than you were, but it really is a delicate balance when you are trying to not kill your fish. i really hope you get those tanks cycled soon and start to enjoy the better side of fishkeeping, just watching, instead of test after test after waterchange, etc. good luck

 

[tekonus]

Hehe. I find it funny that Katuuuz thusly ends his fishy-cycling bible with the words "for gods sake go fishless" :rofl:

 

[Hooked Newbie]

Hehe. I find it funny that Katuuuz thusly ends his fishy-cycling bible with the words "for gods sake go fishless" :rofl:

Now... that is funny! (Sorry Mike)

 

[Kashta]

There's no real benefit putting fish through such horrible agony just to set up a fish tank. It's just done that way (still) after all these years because that's "how it was done" years ago and the general public doesn't know how a nitrogen cycle works. AND because fish stores who give out advice either don't know or don't care about the fish or the people buying them.

 

[b.greene]

Ok, so it has come to this:

Went the the LFS and had my water tested to show no ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. (We're talking 1 and a half months now people).

Tests on my 3 gallon (fishless ammonia dose) are now showing off the chart nitrites (2 maybe 3 weeks after initial setup) so my theory of letting ammonia be present and linger proves true through my expirements. fact of the matter is, my 46 g fish cycle never even cycled in the first place because i was removing ammonia through water changes at every hint of it. Going this route will get you nowhere. Maybe if i continue doing what I am doing it will cycle in like 2 years, but I am not willing to do this. I've decided I will return all fish in my 46 and 20 gallons at my next convenience, and I will be doing ammonia doses to those tanks as well. Took a long time going the "fast way" and I'm here to inform you all you are right in going the "fishless" route... unless you don't care about torturing fish. I will be back after the tanks go through their new cycle. Thank you, and for god's sake go fishless because removing ammonia will be deathly slow, and basically doesn't produce.

Hold off Katuuz!!! I will let a moderator step in here, but I think you have already cycled and your plants are just eating up the nitrates. You are no longer even showing amonia. Why would you assume you aven't even begun the cycle yet?
Don't jump the gun on this one!!!
Coler, you around?

 

[shawnhu]

It's obvious that something is eating up the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

Here are some senarios, all of which have great outcomes.

1) The ammonia is being consumed by bacteria and turned into nitrites. The nitrites are then consumed by bacteria and turned into nitrates. The nitrates are in turn used as food for the plants. The final outcome is that you have no detectable ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

2) The plants are consuming the ammonia, skipping the entire nitrogen cycle. The outcome is no ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

3) It's a combination of both working together, leaving no tracable ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

It's really that simple. You have yourself a tank that most other people, can't produce.

 

[katuuuz]

It's obvious that something is eating up the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

Here are some senarios, all of which have great outcomes.

1) The ammonia is being consumed by bacteria and turned into nitrites. The nitrites are then consumed by bacteria and turned into nitrates. The nitrates are in turn used as food for the plants. The final outcome is that you have no detectable ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

2) The plants are consuming the ammonia, skipping the entire nitrogen cycle. The outcome is no ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

3) It's a combination of both working together, leaving no tracable ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. you NEED ammonia.

It's really that simple. You have yourself a tank that most other people, can't produce.

*puts the fish net down*
well in that light, my LFS guy did say "either you haven't cycled at all or you have perfect water". i thought while he said perfect water he was being sarcastic. ...could have sworn actually. then maybe i'll keep these little b****rd fish i've been treating like premature infant babies since they day they arrived in my home. i just flipped the F out when i saw my 3 gallon fishless showing definite changes in ammonia/nitrite and soon to be nitrate so i figured it couldn't have gone without a hitch. cycling a tank is like the age old question "what happens when you die". there just is no answer. i will say, if you are going to do a fishy cycle, be real... black tetra are like 2 bucks a pop if that. let them die if need be, babysitting them doesn't work. you NEED ammonia present in the tank to cycle.

 

[dirtydawg10]

I agree that your plants could be using the nitrates. My only question would be why weren't they using the nitrates before when you were getting nitrate readings? Have you added more plants to the tank?

Your 0 ammonia readings is a good sign that you are cycled if you are still keeping fish in the tank and still show no traceable amount of ammonia. Have you tested recently?

 

[katuuuz]

I agree that your plants could be using the nitrates. My only question would be why weren't they using the nitrates before when you were getting nitrate readings? Have you added more plants to the tank?

Your 0 ammonia readings is a good sign that you are cycled if you are still keeping fish in the tank and still show no traceable amount of ammonia. Have you tested recently?

yes recently tested, and i have added somewhere around 4 more plants within the past few days. wysteria is the only species i can recall the name of.