Cycling question

[nlifs]

Hello all!

Newbie question ...

I've had my tank for a few tanks now and was trying a fish-in cycle with a few platys.  Unfortunately, looks like they came sick from the store and all three passed this week.

Here is my question - all dead fish have been removed and the latest measurements are as follows:

Ammonia - 0 (been zero for a few days already)

Nitrites - seems like between 2-5 ppm (hard to tell exactly).  I did a water change before the last two fish died which brought the nitrites down to 2 but it looks like they're creeping up

Nitrates - looks like 5 ppm but I realize that may be a false positive

I am planning on going to my LFS on Sunday (it's not so close and I don't have too many options to go during my schedule) to get a few more fish (likely 3 more platys) and some live plants.

What can I do to try and make the cycle move faster (and possibly even finish?) to be as safe for the new fish when I get them?

I called the LFS and they recommended adding a pinch of food (which I've done), and add SeaChem stability every day until Sunday.

Is this good advice?  I was thinking of adapting this slightly, as follows:

- do a large water change to get the nitrite level down Thursday (add Prime during the water change)
- Sunday morning, before going to the fish store, add a bottle of Tetra SafeStart Plus

And then go and get the plants/fish.

Thoughts?

[Scapexghost]

Maybe have just plants for a week or so and then add fish. Floaters will eat up nitrogen real fast same with stems. The week will give them time to get established b4 you add fish

[ange]

The cycle adjusts to the amount of nitrogen compounds in the system. No fish = no nitrogen compounds being input. Even if your cycle progressed to the point that it converted your compounds into nitrate, do you think that it would adjust to the increased input as a result of new fish? I think that you're doing the right thing given your current limitations. If it doesn't work, we've learned something that we can apply to plans for next time.

A few common suggestions for new tanks are products like Seachem Stability or Fritz Zyme (beneficial bacteria!) or even dosing Seachem Prime or Fritz Complete (ammonia binders!). Personally I would suggest a little of each. If you do choose to dose with Prime or Complete, make sure that you have an air stone or sponge filter operating as the same chemical reaction that temporarily neutralizes the ammonia will also reduce the dissolved oxygen in your aquarium.

Personally I am not a fan of Tetra products but other people have had success with them so I am not going to knock what has clearly worked for others.

Some good news for the future: should you ever get a second tank, you can use some substrate or seed a sponge inside of your established tank and use that to jump-start your nitrogen cycle! The bacterial colonies on those media are awesome. Depending on your LFS, you may be able to ask them to seed a sponge or give you some gravel in order to help your nitrifying bacteria grow in population. These colonies live on the overall surface area of the tank instead of the water column and can go a long way.

[Galabar]

On 11/8/2023 at 7:32 PM, nlifs said:

...

I've had my tank for a few tanks now and was trying a fish-in cycle with a few platys.  Unfortunately, looks like they came sick from the store and all three passed this week.

...

While that's possible, it's usually the ammonia (or nitrite).

[Lennie]

If your nitrite is potentially up to 5 ppm, and theyve been exposed to ammonia before that, very likely they just died to due toxicity and not because they were sick.

 

I would not recommend buying a fish again until you complete your cycle and offer a healthy environment, as it is likely the water parameters lead to deaths. Nitrite to nitrate phase takes even longer for me. Please just do a fishless cycle instead.