Fishless Cycle

[WetWork]

It has been a week since adding my pure ammonia to about 5 ppm. I have also been dosing seachem stability just to see if it would speed it up. I checked ammonia yesterday and it had decreased quite a bit in a 24 hour period. I checked today and it looked like it was about .25 ppm. I checked Nitrite and it was about 5 ppm. I dosed more ammonia up to 4 ppm to keep the bacteria fed. I am actually showing about 40 ppm nitrate as well. Since I am showing nitrate does this mean I am getting close to my cycle being complete?

[MrKrabs]

How big is your tank and what fish are you getting?

[emc7]

Yes, seeing nitrate usually means you are close to "cycled". There are things that can mess up the readings (additives with nitrate in them, etc.).

You are cycled when the ammonia and nitrite readings stay or quickly drop back to 0 and the nitrate climbs when you add ammonia.

Test it several times (add ammonia, test) over at least a day, maybe 2 or 3 to sure the bacteria are living in your filter and not dying off. Sometimes "bottle" cycles don't "take" and you go back to reading climbing ammonia or nitrite.

But if ammonia & nitrite quick drop to 0 after you add 4 ppm dose, you are "cycled" and then you do a huge water change (to get rid of all the nitrate) and you can add fish the next day. Don't forget to dechlor. Anything that kills your filter bacteria will send you back to "new tank" status.

[WetWork]

emc- Thanks for the info.

MrKrabs- My tank is 50 gallons.. I will be going with a cichlid tank, I have pretty soft water so I will be getting ones that can handle soft water like Jewels and Kribs.