Total beginner first time ever tank cycle - HELP!

[Alex Burgess]

So this is my first ever aquarium, and I am just getting into the hobby after spending a lot of time reading and watching videos on how to set up a tank.
The tank is now 7 days old, and I am cycling the water without fish, by adding ammonia when needed to keep it around 4 ppm.
Yesterday I did my first nitrite test and had a reading of 0.25 ppm, I tested again this morning and had a reading of 0.5 ppm. 
In my excitement I did a test for nitrate as well and had a reading of 10 ppm. 

So I’m hoping that I’m doing this right so far, but I would like some guidance on when to do my first water change, and what I need to do next. 

My setup is a 55 gallon tank, my hard scape is with natural wood and rocks, Fluval plant substrate and gravel base. I have used a variety of “easy” plants which have been growing steadily since planting 7 days ago. Temperature is 77 degrees and the tank is getting 8 hours of light a day from a Fluval LED light, set at 50% white, 40% pink, 3% blue. 

Any and all help and guidance is welcome 👍🏻

[Widgets]

It sounds like you are doing it right. There is no need for water changes for a fishless cycle. Just keep dosing the ammonia and doing your water tests. Your cycling will be complete when the ammonia and nitrite levels are zero 24 hours after dosing.

[Alex Burgess]

On 3/19/2022 at 11:03 AM, Widgets said:

It sounds like you are doing it right. There is no need for water changes for a fishless cycle. Just keep dosing the ammonia and doing your water tests. Your cycling will be complete when the ammonia and nitrite levels are zero 24 hours after dosing.

What do I do about nitrate levels?

[Katherine]

On 3/19/2022 at 7:12 AM, Alex Burgess said:

What do I do about nitrate levels?

You'll want to water change that to a low enough level before putting fish in, but not until after your cycle finishes.

[Widgets]

On 3/19/2022 at 8:36 AM, Katherine said:

You'll want to water change that to a low enough level before putting fish in, but not until after your cycle finishes.

You will need to base your water changes on the bio-loadin your tank, and keep monitoring it. If you change anything, the frequency and amount of water changes could need to change. Here is an ACO guide on water changes.

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/water-changes

 

[AndreaW]

@Alex Burgess ~ As others have mentioned, Nitrates are removed from the water through water changes, but the plants also use nitrates as fertilizer. You want to have at least 20ppm Nitrates for plants to grow, and less than 40ppm for your fish to be healthy.

If you haven't yet, check out the many blog articles ACO has put out here: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium

And here's one specifically about Cycling with Plants (scroll down) https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/fish-tank-cycling?_pos=6&_sid=e71acdb5c&_ss=r

There's an infographic put out by ACO that shows when/how much to change water based on your nitrate levels but I can't seem to find it. I'll keep looking. (ETA: Just saw @Widgets posted it above)

Edited March 19, 2022 by AndreaW

[Wrencher_Scott]

On 3/19/2022 at 2:34 AM, Alex Burgess said:

So this is my first ever aquarium, and I am just getting into the hobby after spending a lot of time reading and watching videos on how to set up a tank.
The tank is now 7 days old, and I am cycling the water without fish, by adding ammonia when needed to keep it around 4 ppm.
Yesterday I did my first nitrite test and had a reading of 0.25 ppm, I tested again this morning and had a reading of 0.5 ppm. 
In my excitement I did a test for nitrate as well and had a reading of 10 ppm. 

So I’m hoping that I’m doing this right so far, but I would like some guidance on when to do my first water change, and what I need to do next. 

My setup is a 55 gallon tank, my hard scape is with natural wood and rocks, Fluval plant substrate and gravel base. I have used a variety of “easy” plants which have been growing steadily since planting 7 days ago. Temperature is 77 degrees and the tank is getting 8 hours of light a day from a Fluval LED light, set at 50% white, 40% pink, 3% blue. 

Any and all help and guidance is welcome 👍🏻

Funny how no one ever mentions what filter they have or what's in it. It is the most important thing!

Check this out for HOB and apply it to canisters too. Use course foam only.