Help with cycling new tank

After finding this group and reading lots of different websites, I figured
out that keeping my three goldies (common,fantail, and redcap oranda) in a
10 gal tank wasn't going to work long term. So I got a 46 gal bowfront tank
for them. Read up on various sites about cycling the tank and decided that
"fishless cycling" was the way to go. After hitting several differnet stores
found clear ammonia (no perfume, surfacants, etc) and started the process.
Took about 2 gal out of the 10 gal tank (which has always read 0 ammonia, 0
nitrite, 40-80 nitrate), rinsed the 10 gal tank fiter in the 46 gal and
moved a driftwood/plant thing from the 10 gal to the new tank. Added the
suggested amount of ammonia, waited an hour and tested-0 ammonia. Added some
more ammonia and tried again-0 ammonia. Then thought about it and took the
carbon out of the filter, added some more ammonia and tried again. Now have
trace ammonia--.25 to.50 ppm. Tested for nitites-0 ppm Tested for
nitrates-5-10 ppm.This all took place over about 8 hours. Am I missing
something here? From what I read on the websites I would have expected-high
ammonia, then less ammonia but some nitites,high nitrites and almost no
ammonia (with some nitrates), then 0 ammonia,0 nitrites, and very high
nitrate levels (requiring a massive water change). Could it be that there
was enough "good bacteria" in the water and on the driftwoor/plant thing
from my healthy 10 gal tank to have changed the cycling process? I'm really
new at this and would very much appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks in advance,
Ken

"Ken Smith" wrote in message
...
After finding this group and reading lots of different websites, I figured
out that keeping my three goldies (common,fantail, and redcap oranda) in a
10 gal tank wasn't going to work long term.

That's much to small a tank for goldfish.

So I got a 46 gal bowfront tank
for them. Read up on various sites about cycling the tank and decided that
"fishless cycling" was the way to go. After hitting several differnet
stores found clear ammonia (no perfume, surfacants, etc) and started the
process. Took about 2 gal out of the 10 gal tank (which has always read 0
ammonia, 0 nitrite, 40-80 nitrate), rinsed the 10 gal tank fiter in the 46
gal and moved a driftwood/plant thing from the 10 gal to the new tank.
Added the suggested amount of ammonia, waited an hour and tested-0
ammonia. Added some more ammonia and tried again-0 ammonia. Then thought
about it and took the carbon out of the filter, added some more ammonia
and tried again. Now have trace ammonia--.25 to.50 ppm. Tested for
nitites-0 ppm Tested for nitrates-5-10 ppm.This all took place over about
8 hours. Am I missing something here? From what I read on the websites I
would have expected-high ammonia, then less ammonia but some nitites,high
nitrites and almost no ammonia (with some nitrates), then 0 ammonia,0
nitrites, and very high nitrate levels (requiring a massive water change).

But it doesn't happen in a few hours. Since you already had a cycled filter
all you had to do was move the goldfish into the new tank and the filter
with them! That's how I do it and it works almost every time. Don't clean
the filter... just move it to the new tank. You can't do that now until the
ammonia and nitrites are gone. Or do a massive water change to speed the
process along.

Could it be that there
was enough "good bacteria" in the water and on the driftwoor/plant thing
from my healthy 10 gal tank to have changed the cycling process?

You can't cycle a tank in hours.

I'm really
new at this and would very much appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks in advance,
Ken


--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~ }(((((o

it will take your filter something around 4 weeks or more to cycle.
FISHLESS CYCLING OF TANKS
rather than getting the RIGHT kind of ammonia and getting the RIGHT amount in the
tank, a pinch of Hikari Gold fish food for a small tank up to a tablespoon in a 75
gallon can be tossed into the tank, the heat set to 82oF and plenty of aeration. In
3 days or so watch the ammonia. If no ammonia is seen add more food. be sure you
got a large filter on that for 3 GF. Ingrid

"Ken Smith" wrote:
Now have
trace ammonia--.25 to.50 ppm. Tested for nitites-0 ppm Tested for
nitrates-5-10 ppm.This all took place over about 8 hours. Am I missing
something here? From what I read on the websites I would have expected-high
ammonia, then less ammonia but some nitites,high nitrites and almost no
ammonia (with some nitrates), then 0 ammonia,0 nitrites, and very high
nitrate levels (requiring a massive water change). Could it be that there
was enough "good bacteria" in the water and on the driftwoor/plant thing
from my healthy 10 gal tank to have changed the cycling process? I'm really
new at this and would very much appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks in advance,
Ken




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan

I started cycling exactly 3 weeeks ago. Was doing 25-30% water changes daily
as ammonia was spiking. # days ago I finally had trace nitrites and today,
had 0 ammonia 0 nitites. Didnt do a fishless cycling but had 1 medium sized
comet gf. He/She did Ok until yesterday when I noticed stress signs in the
form of fin rot. Slightly white edges of the tail fin. i am hopeful this
will clear up on its own with keeping the water changes up.

Thanks to the group for your assistance.


wrote in message
...
it will take your filter something around 4 weeks or more to cycle.
FISHLESS CYCLING OF TANKS
rather than getting the RIGHT kind of ammonia and getting the RIGHT amount
in the
tank, a pinch of Hikari Gold fish food for a small tank up to a tablespoon
in a 75
gallon can be tossed into the tank, the heat set to 82oF and plenty of
aeration. In
3 days or so watch the ammonia. If no ammonia is seen add more food. be
sure you
got a large filter on that for 3 GF. Ingrid

"Ken Smith" wrote:
Now have
trace ammonia--.25 to.50 ppm. Tested for nitites-0 ppm Tested for
nitrates-5-10 ppm.This all took place over about 8 hours. Am I missing
something here? From what I read on the websites I would have
expected-high
ammonia, then less ammonia but some nitites,high nitrites and almost no
ammonia (with some nitrates), then 0 ammonia,0 nitrites, and very high
nitrate levels (requiring a massive water change). Could it be that there
was enough "good bacteria" in the water and on the driftwoor/plant thing
from my healthy 10 gal tank to have changed the cycling process? I'm
really
new at this and would very much appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks in advance,
Ken




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up:
http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no compensation for running the Puregold list or Puregold
website.
I do not run nor receive any money from the ads at the old Puregold site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zone 5 next to Lake Michigan