Where is my cycle?

[Whisker Wrangle]

Ok.. brand new 36 gallon.

Started cycling 2 weeks ago today. Dosed ammonia to 5 ppm... Ammonia stayed at this level for a little over a week then it finally dropped. I checked the water conditions yesterday and they were:

Ammonia -- 0 ppm
Nitrite -- 2 ppm
Nitrate -- 20 ppm

So I redosed the ammonia to 3 ppm and retested today and the conditions are:

Ammonia -- 2 ppm
Nitrite -- 0 ppm
Nitrate -- 40 ppm

So is that really enough nitrate (40 ppm) this early in the cycle to be fully cycled??

Never got a huge spike in nitrites.. I am just kinda lost now as to where I am in my cycling process...

Sorry for making another thread about this... :wall:

Thank you so much for yalls help!

 

[Mgamer20o0]

you seed the tank with anything?

 

[SumTinsFishy]

IMO your best bet is to wait til your levels all go back down to zero. Then add in a couple starter fish, and keep an eye on your levels. You might go through the cycle again or you might not or you might just have another really quick one.

 

[Whisker Wrangle]

you seed the tank with anything?

No... everything is brand new. I would not assume that the cycle would have gone this fast, but it is looking pretty good thus far... I think?

There are 5 marimo balls in there.

 

[Whisker Wrangle]

Oh and a quick update... I just rechecked the water conditions again (I checked earlier today at about 10 am, 11 hours ago) and here are the results:

ammonia -- 0.5 ppm
nitrite -- 0 ppm
nitrate -- 40 ppm

 

[GuppyGirl1230]

Plants will always help with a cycle, so maybe you just got very lucky!!!

 

[KarlTh]

IMO your best bet is to wait til your levels all go back down to zero. Then add in a couple starter fish, and keep an eye on your levels. You might go through the cycle again or you might not or you might just have another really quick one.

Point of fishless cycling is to create a sufficient bacterial colony to fully stock from the outset.

 

[coach_z]

IMO ammonia should go away in 24 hours. and by go away i mean gone.

If you think its cycled, do a water change to lower your nitrate. dose ammonia to 5PPM, check again 24 hours and see what you are at.

 

[pam916]

What kind of filtration are you using?

 

[Whisker Wrangle]

What kind of filtration are you using?

I have two HOB's. Aqueon quietflow 30 and a Penguin 150 biowheel.

I guess what I will do is check the levels when I get home. Do a large water change (75%??). Add new water with dechlorinator. Redose ammonia to 5 ppm. Then recheck levels in 24 hours. If ammonia is 0 after this time do another large water change, add water then add fish. Does that sound right? Is a 75% change too much or about right?