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Old 01-22-2016, 04:14 PM
 
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Once your tank gets murky and stays murky for few days and all the sudden, it clears. Does that mean the cycle is complete?
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Old 01-22-2016, 04:44 PM
 
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No. Get a test kit and test for everything. Then you know.
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Old 01-22-2016, 05:47 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murk View Post
No. Get a test kit and test for everything. Then you know.
Usually how long after the water clears, after being murky for few days, is the tank ready for fish? I am going through some serious winter storm and don't have access to some test kit. Plus, I am not in the mood to spend $$$ on some test kit.
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Old 01-23-2016, 03:46 PM
 
Location: North Western NJ
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you need a test kit...even once a tank is cycled it should be regularly tested, every time you add new fish the tank will go through a mini cycle, every time you do a water change the tank will go through a mini cycle...you may over feed and start your tank recycling, you may get a bacterial bloom...

Ive cycled thousands of gallons worth of new tanks in my life, ive never had a new tank go murkey, that's usually more of a bacterial bloom, it could mean your nitrates are wacky, it could mean you've got something odd in your water, it could mean anything, without a test kit you wont know.

generally it takes up to 2 months for a fishless cycle to complete...youll need to regularly be checing your ammonium, nitrates and nitrites with a API LIQUID test kit (test strips are notoriously inaccurate)
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Old 01-23-2016, 08:35 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by foxywench View Post
you need a test kit...even once a tank is cycled it should be regularly tested, every time you add new fish the tank will go through a mini cycle, every time you do a water change the tank will go through a mini cycle...you may over feed and start your tank recycling, you may get a bacterial bloom...

Ive cycled thousands of gallons worth of new tanks in my life, ive never had a new tank go murkey, that's usually more of a bacterial bloom, it could mean your nitrates are wacky, it could mean you've got something odd in your water, it could mean anything, without a test kit you wont know.

generally it takes up to 2 months for a fishless cycle to complete...youll need to regularly be checing your ammonium, nitrates and nitrites with a API LIQUID test kit (test strips are notoriously inaccurate)
My new tank was set up more than one week ago. I put my fish in there and they are happy and healthy.
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Old 01-24-2016, 09:40 AM
 
Location: North Western NJ
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good for you Quack...good for you...
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Old 01-24-2016, 12:06 PM
 
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Originally Posted by foxywench View Post
good for you Quack...good for you...
It's not Quack. It's Quacker15!
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Old 01-24-2016, 12:26 PM
 
Location: ☀️ SFL (hell for me-wife loves it)
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Foxy's right Quaker. You may think the tank has cycled through, but it hasn't. Like she said, it takes around 60 days for the nitrosomonas and nitrobacter bacteria to fully establish. First you have high ammonia, which the fish pee is deposting in the tank every day. The nitrosomonas bacteria will 'eat' it, and when they 'poop,' the nitrobacter bacteria levels rise, because they now have something to eat. That takes about 60 days.

You can do what you're doing, but again, as she said; the process cannot be sped up. And every fish added places a larger burden on the bacteria. (and the fish)

I hope they are not expensive or rare fish.
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Old 01-24-2016, 02:13 PM
 
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Nobody got 60 days for "the cycle to complete." I got the new tank set up for about a week, and I got my fish in there for about 2 days. Everyone is happy and healthy.
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Old 01-24-2016, 03:10 PM
 
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Gotta wonder why people ask for advice and then disregard everything everyone says.
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