question!! is 5 gallon tank already cycled?

evangelin7

evangelin7

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Jun 15, 2005
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i got a lil 5 gallon tank on the weekend, set up it, and added some filter floss from one of my other tanks. the filter floss had been in the other tank about 2 weeks. i was intending to leave it for a week or two but then i got impatient, and added a few leopard danios. i added a heater and turned it up to 75 (even though im planning on removing the heater later i read someone it cycles faster when it is heated?)
i also put in a fairly large decoration (tree stump) from my other tank, and a few plant cuttings...ive been watching and not noticed any ammonia/nitrites at all..the danios look fine, in fact i added a ghost shrimp (yeah i like to push my luck) and some pond snails (i keep pond snails for my puffer, i love the lil guys) and everyone looks just fine.
is that i added enough to seed the tank? im wondering why im not seeing any ammonia yet in such a small tank. anyone have any thoughts on this?
the tank is for my pregnant guppy, btw..just in case anyone is wondering that such a tiny lil thing is for.

thanks!
sara
 
hi there

sorry, i should have posted that.
according to my test kit last nite, ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0..unfortunatley i have no test kit for nitrate (its on my shopping list)
i had to take the heater out today, earlier than planned for some reason it stopped working..so the water temp is back at 65.
it seems to me it should have *some* ammonia and nitrite after a week if it is going through a cycle?
i added some more plants today:-)
anyway, with this added info..any ideas?
i would love to take out the danios, and put my pregnant guppy in there, but i dont want to stress her out by adding her too soon.
thanks
Sara
 
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I'd love to say yes, but it's the presence of nitrates that tell you if the tank is cycled or not.

Take a sample of the water to your LFS and ask them to test it for nitrates. Post the exact number.

If there are nitrates of ~10ppm or greater and 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, then yes, it is cycled. If not, then it hasn't even started yet.

Roan
 
unfortunatley...

im boycotting the lfs, so i cant take my water in there.
i already went to the pet store in the next town over today, so chances are my husband isnt willing to bring me back there for at least a week or me (he hates going to the pet store, lol-hes not a fish person)
i think ill wait til next week and buy the nitrate testing kit, im having algae issues in my other tank, so its something ive been wondering about anyway...
im the meantime ill just keep watching what i can test for..
just tested again, btw, and ammonia/nitrites were still both 0--last nite i swapped the sponge from the other tank so hopefully that will help it along, if it hasnt started yet.
thanks for the input!
sara
 
evangelin7 said:
im boycotting the lfs, so i cant take my water in there.
Click to expand...
Heh :)

What you could do is pay someone, a kid even, $5 to take it down there for you :) Or send yer non-fishy husband. Tell him either he takes the sample to the shop, or you'll force him to drive you to the other store :D

I won't tell anyone you used the store if you won't ;)

Roan
 
hehe

i live out of town, or i would consider it..

stupid pet store. i probably get too offended by bad service at stores, but this one pushed me a bit too much (on top of the bad advice, and sick fish they sold me, they ripped me off by charging me twice as much for one of the sick fish..grr-i didnt notice in time to do anything about it)
unfortunatley i made the mistake of telling my friend with a big mouth about my irritation and my boycott, lol, so being chummy with the owner i have no doubt she passed it along..so with my boycott being public and all, id look like an idiot walking in now (rather, id feel like an idiot)
so yeah, i think ill just wait til friday, then pick up a nitrate test kit. how comes its always the test kit i don't have that is the one i need? probably when i get the nitrate test kit ill decide i need a phosphate test kit...and so on..
you know, boycotting the lfs certainly has been saving me alot of money, anyway:-)
 
5gs seem to cycle really fast , ot at least mine did . coud be the fact there aint a whole lot of water in them
 
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