Hello all. Just trying to figure out my cycling situation

[roundroads]

This is my first tank - biocube 29, and I think everything is coming along well. I've been doing the - add ammonia approach fish less cycle and my tank is now cycling ammonia within 18 hours. It may be faster, but I haven't yet tested after 12. However my nitrites are still high. And while I think I expected this, I'm confused about adding ammonia now. For example, I keep adding it when it gets to zero because I assume the bacteria have to eat. Should I keep doing this or am I messing up the nitrite situation. Additionally, if I am suppose to keep adding it, how can I adjust to something live when the time is ready. For example if I am adding ammonia to get to 3ppm, but I add a cleanup crew who only produces 1 ppm will I be limiting myself? Also how do you know how much ammonia any given animal produces? Thanks all. These are my most crucial missing pieces.

 

[laga77]

At this point you only need to add a drop or two per day to your tank, just enough to keep things going. Others will say the bacteria can live up to a month without adding anything. I do not agree with this. The last three tanks i have cycled, have done it in 3 weeks or less, and all have had no problems with adding livestock right after completion. Your nitrites will come down and probably very quickly when they do. Then you can test for nitrates and do a WC to bring them down depending on what you are going to put in the tank.

 

[thegrun]

I would stop adding ammonia at all. "Some may say that the bacteria lasts a month" but it has been proven to last a year without additional ammonia, so there is no reason to continue to add ammonia, all that that does is prolong the cycle and leave you with higher nitrates at the end of the cycle. When you start to stock your tank after the cycle you want to do so slowly, no more than one fish a week for your tank so the bacteria can adjust to the new bio-load.