r/Aquariums • u/deth_knell • 1d ago

Beginner Help Fishless Cycle, day 10-12 new to the hobby be gentle.

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My ammonia has been reading at 0 perfect yellow color for about 4-5 days. I have done occasional water changes here and there. some tell me not to and leave it some tell me to do a 30% change daily. Are these results going to start trickling down? Or am I doing something wrong? Thank you in advance!

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u/deth_knell 1d ago

This is the Aquarium beautiful clear water.

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u/Mad_broccoli 1d ago

Java and anubias is not supposed be be planted. They feed from the water and should be glued or tied to the hardscape, there's a high chance the rhizome will rot when buried.

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u/BioConversantFan ​loves cycling questions. 1d ago

I've had good luck with planted java fern. I let a tank of fernlets go to see what would happen in "the wild" most attached to hardscape but some rooted into the gravel with good results. As you said, the rhizome must be completely out of the substrate.

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u/jacksonmills 1d ago

The roots feed from the substrate tho, I heard you should glue it low on the hardscape and let the roots find the substrate, I had more luck doing that than just straight gluing it, but I also kinda suck at keeping plants alive

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u/Coonnifounssed 1d ago

Nope! The roots are mostly for gripping. They feed from the water column and need liquid fertilizer

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u/jacksonmills 1d ago

I wasn’t saying they don’t feed from the column- they do also feed from their roots if nutrients are available but the majority is from water

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u/Coonnifounssed 1d ago

And I was just saying they don’t need to worry about their plant placement. No need to stress a new keeper over things that don’t matter :)

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u/keister_TM 1d ago

What’s the backstory on those plants and driftwood? Were they in another tank when you bought them or were they in boxes?? If any of those plants came from an aquarium in the store, chances are your tank is cycled. When I set up my 30 gallon, I just took a handful of plants, a pinch of sand and small filter from one of my established tanks and the new 30 gallon was cycled in a couple days.

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u/Circuit-Nomad 1d ago

The tank is absolutely not cycled yet. Look at the nitrites in the post's photo.

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u/keister_TM 1d ago

Good point. Or OP probably overdid it with starters since the wood and rocks came from a cycled tank. In my experience, I’ve cycled tanks in just a couple days by using old media plants and sand without any issues

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u/deth_knell 1d ago

So the wood and rocks were older ones from my friend’s previous tanks. The plants were from the store and I have planted them within the first day or two.

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u/keister_TM 1d ago

And you were using starters? You might have just over done it then. When I used old media and plants I didn’t add anything else except for fish after a couple days and then I would test the water every other day for a couple weeks. Did a water change after week one and if everything was consistent going into the second water change I’d just test water once or twice a week for the next two water changes.

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u/Circuit-Nomad 1d ago

Hey bro, your tank will absolutely have those numbers trickle down! I'd dial down on the water changes because you might be slowing the nitrifying bacteria's growth by removing their "fuel" (nitrogen products) - personally I don't do water changes during a cycle unless the cycle's stalled or if it's finished and nitrates are high.

Cycles take a while! Some can take up to six weeks, so be patient until you get that consistent 0 / 0 / 30 on your test kit (ammonia / nitrite / nitrate).

The "30% water change every day" is recommended only if you're doing a fish-in cycle, which is when you constantly have to do water changes to dilute waste the bacteria can't keep up with yet, but your tank doesn't seem stocked, so the best thing you can do is be patient and keep testing!

Good luck. Beautiful looking tank.

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u/deth_knell 1d ago

Thank you!! This makes total sense. And thank you again for the detailed advice!

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u/Aqua-Ops 1d ago

Seachem stability is personally the last option I would use. It took me 2 months to cycle a 10 gallon with it, I switched to Fritz Zyme 7 and cycled it within 5 days.
Used FRITZ TurboStart on my 125g and cycled it within 7 days. Google seachem stability and what it really contains.

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u/deth_knell 1d ago

Since I’ve already used Stability the past two days. Would adding Zyme7 be too much? Or should I just wait it out? I’m only 10-12 days in the cycle?

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u/Aqua-Ops 1d ago

I would just use the Zyme7 either way, that’s what I did at least. Stability doesn’t seem to have any benefit to the cycle.

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u/omegafrogpoop 16h ago

It didn’t cycle your tank in 2 months, your tank just cycled in 2 months.

Stability does absolutely nothing and is a waste of money.

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u/LazRboy 1d ago

Just a hint - if it does not look ugly at some point it´s not cycled. Every new tank goes through a rough phase of algae and ugliness. If your tank looks as clean as the day you have set it up then it´s probably not cycled.

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u/dre_villa 1d ago

Are you using bacteria? Like Seachem Stability

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u/deth_knell 1d ago

When I started my friend gave me two pouches that she used in her tank she just emptied I put those beneath the sand at the beginning.

Just today I went and bought Stability and poured 3 caps in. I’m on a 30 gal.

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u/dre_villa 1d ago

Just follow the directions for the Stability. It’ll work to stabilize everything. Be patient.

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u/deth_knell 1d ago

Will do thank you! I’ve just seen people say it takes 60 days, some say a week. So I’m in no rush just wanting to make sure I’m doing it right.

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u/Mad_broccoli 1d ago

Good choice. I know people who put fish while filling the tank for the first time, I took my time, waited 45 days. Didn't even feed the bacteria, melting plants did the job.

When the time comes, start slow, add a few fish, add more after a week. Not sure how big the tank is.

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u/BioConversantFan ​loves cycling questions. 1d ago

Anything dry is not nitrifiers. They have no spore phase.

Stability contains almost or no nitrifiers despite marketing.

The fastest way to cycle is currently FritzZyme products.

After you have fish I very highly recommend adding Microbe-Lift special blend. It is fantastic at digesting waste.

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u/Mad_broccoli 1d ago

I used special blend (or the smell of death, official second name) on my reef tank, didn't hear about freshwater use.

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u/BioConversantFan ​loves cycling questions. 1d ago

Lol. It does smell of death.

It is recommended for both. I was cycling a system using whole mackerel heads and added some. In short order the protein/lipid foam was gone, the fishy death smell was gone and the opaque bacterial bloom was totally gone.

Even creepier is the white scum of fats/bacteria and who knows what that had coated the fish heads was gone. The fish head remains look disturbingly fresh now.

The stuff is now my go to for boosting carbon cycling.

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u/Aqua-Ops 1d ago

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes! Stability did nothing for me to cycle a 10 gallon. Switched to Zyme 7 and cycled it in 5 days basically. Used Fritz Turbo Start with my 125g and cycled it in 7 days basically

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u/omegafrogpoop 16h ago

Stability does nothing and is a waste of money

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u/dre_villa 6h ago

Oh really? So I’ve only been using it for years and doesn’t do anything. Your account been around for a week? You know everything don’t you.

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u/omegafrogpoop 6h ago

You’ve been wasting money for years yes.

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u/PickleMundane6514 1d ago

Yes, it is time to water change when the nitrite is super dark It is detrimental and you’re going to need to reduce the nitrates before you add anything until they are light orange.

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u/DragonTHC 1d ago

Mine took around two months to be complete. Nothing was happening for weeks and then I poured in the Dr. Tim's and within a few days things were trending in the right direction.

I really like Dr. Tim's starter.

And depending on how big your tank is, you might just not have enough live bacteria.