# Possible cycling issue?



## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

So I have started a pool tank, a pool I turned into a fish tank. Got it set up on the 29th of April last month. 

No substrate, I want to put sand in one area later on. Not much, just a little and maybe pop a plant in it. lol 

I set it up with two fifteen gallon filters and a 50 gallon filter, adds up to 80 gallons in a 73 gallon pool. I used mature media in all of them. Also used about 20 gallons or so from an established tank. I believe the 15 gal filters whispers except the large is an aqueon brand. 

I also moved plants to it from my other tanks, crystalwort mostly, small anubias nana, and a few stem plants that slipped in. 

A few snails migrated with the plants, I'd say maybe six or so ramshorn snails. I've been feeding them too. 

I tested the water on the 30th and it said I had a little ammonia(less than .25ppm), zero nitrites and about 10ppm of nitrates. 

I tested it yesterday and today and got zero on all of it. No ammonia, no nitrites or nitrates at all...

So where are my nitrates? Did it fail on the cycle? And if so then where is my ammonia since I do have snails in there and feed them(though I admit they don't really amount to much in such a large tank, they should have something)? lol

Is it cycled or did I mess up? My other tanks all have zero ammonia and nitrites but always have around 5ppm of nitrates or so. 

This is my first fishless cycle. I've done several tanks, but all graduated from my first tank I set up several years ago not knowing what I was doing with fish in it...Usually I just move things over to bigger tanks and it stays stable, or mostly. The last one I set up only took three or four days to stable out.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Nitrate tests can be funny. If you transferred seeded filter media then I would not worry about the cycle. If you were to start dosing with ammonia I think you'd see that, but a little food for a few snails in a 73 gallon tank might not be easy to see.


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

I tested it four times in a row. It's all the same. 

I forgot to mention, my comp crashed while I was editing: I use the API Master Freshwater Test Kit. 

Perhaps it was enough with the plants I added in. I did dump just about all of my crystalwort in, which is enough to fill the top of a twenty gallon, and that's not much for a 73 gallon tank though. I'm hoping it'll grow as fast there as it did in my tanks. =) Along with java moss, few stem plants, a small anubias...

And if that's the case, would it be safe to put fish in? I got a ton of baby swordtails in my nursery that are a couple weeks old and really need the space(I have them split in my ten gallon and in a very large homemade net in my 55 gallon, it's just not enough space). So the quicker the better, which is why I used some pre-cycled water and mature media in all filters. Think it's ok? It's been the same for a few days now.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I would put fish in the tank, yes.


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