A week is not excessive at all. Many people find that the first stage of a cycle can take 2-3 weeks; 4-6 weeks total for a cycle (without seed bacteria) is typical.
HTH,
Jim
HTH,
Jim
problem cycling
- Thread starter blankenship
- Start date
Yeah, don't lose hope! I have been cycling for about 9 days now and my ammonia is still thru the roof but yesterday was my first sign of nitrite, 0.25ppm! I am SOO EXCITED! LOL, my wife keeps laughing at me, says I am like a little kid! Anyway, I hear the nitrite will spike sometime soon down the road and the ammonia will start disappearing like it skipped bail or something!
these bacteria occur everywhere in nature, just not in significant quantites (enough to handle a tank full of fish waste). As long as they have a constant food source, they will multiply.
well, I took some readings today....and it looks like amonia is down ever so slightly, and nitrites are up ever so slightly. So, looks like things are progressing.l
That's good news blankenship, Just fair warning I find the second stage of the cycle process to be more frustating than the first. Nitrites will climb and climb with little or no visible change, and then one day they just go away quickly. the ammonia stage once started seems to show more visible progress as it developes so be prepared. Also watch you KH levels. The one thing that can really go wrong is a ph crash due to Kh consumption during the cycle. Baking soda is the easy way to counteract this, But I wouldn't add it unless KH level is known.
Most of us do beleive in bottled bacteria if it is the correct kind, and live when we buy it. it is just really hard to find a product that works. Most of them contain nitrifiers that won't live long term in the tank, and althought they eat ammonia when added initially they don't hold up long term. Secondly very few if any of these products contain bacteria that eats Nitrite, and almost all of them contribute greatly to Nitrates in the tank without helping a lot otherwise. Please share with us what product you used, and what your test numbers were through the cycle. I'm sure many would be glad to know of a product other than Bio-spira that works if it's out there.
Dave
Most of us do beleive in bottled bacteria if it is the correct kind, and live when we buy it. it is just really hard to find a product that works. Most of them contain nitrifiers that won't live long term in the tank, and althought they eat ammonia when added initially they don't hold up long term. Secondly very few if any of these products contain bacteria that eats Nitrite, and almost all of them contribute greatly to Nitrates in the tank without helping a lot otherwise. Please share with us what product you used, and what your test numbers were through the cycle. I'm sure many would be glad to know of a product other than Bio-spira that works if it's out there.
Dave
