Here we go...first 30gal planted tank

[kevinly]

Cyno has cleared which is a relief.

However, ammonia is still pretty high, about 2.0ppm. I have no levels of nitrites or nitrates.

Guess I gotta keep up with my water changes to keep the ammonia levels down for the tank to fully cycle.

I even got some bacteria from a sponge filter and added it to my tank to help cycle quicker.

It's only a matter of days before my tank is fully cycled.

[Complexity]

With ammonia at 2.0, you could do a 50% water change to bring it to 1.0. Then leave it there. You need ammonia in the tank for it to cycle. And without any fish in the tank, you can allow the ammonia to raise higher than you could if fish were in the tank.

Once you see the first nitrites show up, it will then be a matter of days for the tank to cycle. I would think by seeding it with bacteria from the sponge filter should help move things along.

Thanks for the reports of the water parameter readings. I think I'm almost as anxious for your tank to cycle as you are!

[kevinly]

I haven't updated in awhile but, here goes:

Ammonia is at 1.0ppm
Nitrite is at .50ppm
Nitrate is around 5.0ppm and under

So I have finally been able to detect nitrite in my tank. So that should mean my tank will be fully cycled in a few days.

[Mzungu]

Great news! :)

[Complexity]

This is fantastic! Keep testing daily, and you should see the ammonia and nitrites drop off to 0ppm each while the nitrates continue to rise. Then perform water changes to keep the nitrates in check.

Once your ammonia and nitrites reach 0ppm, you can finally put your molly back in the tank.

If you continue to test the nitrates each day, you'll start to get a feel for how quickly they rise. That will tell you how often to change the water and how much to change. Weekly 50% water changes should work well, but testing the water will confirm this to be sure.

It looks like you're over the worst part finally. Congratulations and enjoy!

[Mzungu]

So what happened? :(

[kevinly]

So what happened? :(

School just started and some unexpected expenses came up. I had to borrow money to pay for classes and books, so I made the hard choice of shutting down this tank, even though I just had it up for a month.

[Complexity]

I'm sorry to hear that, but I definitely understand. It's not just the expense, but also the time requirements. Planted tanks require more time to maintain than any other type of tank.

Too bad you had to let it go, though. You finally got through the most difficult part, and the real fun was just around the corner. Maybe you can try again some day.