Confused on tank cycle

[TealStarlight]

Can anyone please help I’m very confused on how to ghost feed cycle and when it’s done?, cuz this video-

- says @ 2:27 it’s done when the nitrates are even zero.. But liquid ammonia or any other method says it’s done when the ammonia is zero nitrite is zero and you start to have nitrates in any amount. When is it safe? I have two Eco bio stones in a 125 gallon tank. My canister filter is a sunsun HW-3000. It has SEACHEM MATRIX in it, which does eliminate nitrates a little bit, correct? But i also have 2 eco-block bio stones. Which eliminate ammonia and create beneficial bacteria but would it ruin the cycle? 
 

125 gallon (tests below cycle description below in bold)

-Week 1:  I first started the cycle on 3/31/2024 by adding 125mL of API Quick Start and 1/2 cup+1 tsp as first of 3 double dose of API Stress zyme+ “sludge eating bacteria.

- Week 2: 4/9/2024 65mL of Seachem Stability to start 8 day stability cycle. Added pellets and flakes fish food. 33ml stability from 4/10/24 until 4/17/24
 

-Week 3-4 : 4/18/2024 added flakes and pellets. 4/27 more flakes and pellets 

TESTS

- Week 1 - 3/31/2024 

Ammonia- 0

Nitrite- 0

Nitrate- 0

- Week 1 - 4/9//2024 

Ammonia- 0.25

Nitrite- 0

Nitrate- 0

and every week after ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are 0 and never showed up. Has my cycle not started? The eco bio stones from onedersave.co do remove ammonia
 

PLEASE NOTE: I have been scooping out solid waste from my 75 gallon tank and putting them in the 125 gallon tank to help cycle it faster every day since week one literally. It even has bacterial bloom a lil bit of cloudy clear water now. (1x) 1’ piece of malaysian driftwood is in tank also. I’m moving one comic goldfish from a 75 gallon to the 125 gallon. I’m really worried about it.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1 by TealStarlight

[Airborne 82nd]

You need the ammo your BB need it to eat and grow. Take out that stuff that is removing it. READ this

https://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/

Edited May 1 by Airborne 82nd

[Lennie]

Ghost feed until you read around 1-2mg/l ammonia and let the bacteria populate and work their thingy. 

 

Once ammonia turns into nitrite and nitrite turns into nitrate and all ammonia and nitrite clears up and you only read nitrate, you can slowly stock the tank

[Airborne 82nd]

You had .25 ammo the first week and from then on nothing. I don't see where your feeding the bb. If the Eco bio stones are removing the ammo how will the bb grow? how will you get nitrItes?

[Lennie]

On 5/2/2024 at 12:37 AM, Airborne 82nd said:

You had .25 ammo the first week and from then on nothing. I don't see where your feeding the bb. If the Eco bio stones are removing the ammo how will the bb grow? how will you get nitrItes?

0.25 ammonia can be easily used by the plants/algae or can be a misreading

[Airborne 82nd]

On 5/1/2024 at 5:41 PM, Lennie said:

0.25 ammonia can be easily used by the plants/algae or can be a misreading

True So how is the bb being fed with no ammo or nitrite readings?

[Airborne 82nd]

Or is it just to soon?

[face]

Just keep adding food until you get a reading I used a piece of fish about the size of my thumb nail to cycle my 55 I don’t know about those blocks but they can’t just make ammonia disappear it has to go somewhere 

[Pepere]

I am not much a fan of ghost feeding myself as you have to wait until it decomposes to make ammonia. And you are left wondering how much to add…

The ammonia drops is simple.  Add the drops per gallon it states on the label.  You have ammonia…. Of a known amount…

Ammonia is the food the bacteria will need to grow to make nitrite, then you need to wait for nitrite to nitrate bacteria to establish and grow… and that one is slower to grow…

I personally do not have much confidence in Seachems nitrate reduction claims of their matrix. Product.  

My personal belief is you simply do not have sufficient “food” ammonia to start the cycle..

I dont have any confidence that bacteria in a bottle products do much more than lighten your wallet and enrich the marketers and sellers… but lots of people swear by them.  The most they will do is save a little time, the worse they will do is cost you money with no benefit..  I know Iwill never be spending money on them again….

Edited May 2 by Pepere

[Airborne 82nd]

Week 1:  I first started the cycle on 3/31/2024 by adding 125mL of API Quick Start and 1/2 cup+1 tsp as first of 3 double dose of API Stress zyme+ “sludge eating bacteria.

No you did not you did not feed the  nitrifying bacteria 

Week 2: 4/9/2024 65mL of Seachem Stability to start 8 day stability cycle. Added pellets and flakes fish food. 33ml stability from 4/10/24 until 4/17/24

How much ammonia did this give you

Week 3-4 : 4/18/2024 added flakes and pellets. 4/27 more flakes and pellets 

That is the problem with ghost feeding you don't know how much food = how much ammonia. The fish food will give you some nutrients and phosphates that is a good thing. Get a bottle of Dr. Tims or some other pure ammonia put in enough to get to 4 ppm then wait for the ammonia to start dropping this might take a few days then start testing for nitrItes. Don't let the ammonia drop below 1-2 ppm until you see nitrAtes

If you want to speed things up see if you can get a seeded sponge from someone and put it in your filter that way you know the bb is live and you can put a couple of fish in or you will need to feed it with Dr. Tims until you get fish. Don't put any fish in until you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrItes and some nitrAtes

Airborne

 

 

[Lennie]

 

I would also lean towards cycling the filter with bottled ammonia rather than fish food in a 125g. Thats big and would require dumping in so much fish food that would create a big mess. I dont like adding fish food directly to the tank anyway. I also dont like adding fish food directly to the tank as it is messy,so I would either add the fish food in a very fine purigen bag and add the food to the tank this way ( I cycled my reef tank this way by putting shrimp in a purigen level fine bag), 

or directly use bottled ammonia like Dr Tims.

Or, my fish food preferred method is, cycling the filters in a tub. Add bottled bacteria, squeeze filters in the tub and add fish food. Reaching wanted ammonia levels is much easier in a tub, and, you can just squeeze the nasty stuff before moving cycled filter to the actual tank

Edited May 2 by Lennie

[Tanked]

On 5/1/2024 at 4:46 PM, TealStarlight said:

 

PLEASE NOTE: I have been scooping out solid waste from my 75 gallon tank and putting them in the 125 gallon tank to help cycle it faster every day since week one literally. It even has bacterial bloom a lil bit of cloudy clear water now. (1x) 1’ piece of malaysian driftwood is in tank also. I’m moving one comic goldfish from a 75 gallon to the 125 gallon. I’m really worried about it

 

At 3:00 your video says that 0 ammonia, 0 NO2, and 0 NO3 = a cycled tank.    Fish don't need Nitrates, and Nitrate levels may be too low for your test kit.  If you are using liquid tests, there could be a problem with the kit or your testing procedure.  I would take a sample to the LFS for testing.  In the past I have successfully used water and gravel from an established aquarium to quick start a new cycle. This included whatever 'waste' was in the gravel.  

After visiting their website, I think that the eco-block bio stones are mostly a gimmick and wasted money.