[zapkin]

I've seen conflicting information floating around about how long it takes ADA aquasoil to finish leeching ammonia. I have a 5 gallon heavily planted desk tank, using aquasoil for the first time, and after about three weeks, my ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings are all off the charts high. in about 12 years of aquarium keeping, I've never had a cycle last this long. Anyone have any idea how long it will take for my aquarium to finish cycling? Thanks for any help you guys can give me! Looking forward to posting more!

 

[geekindenial]

When I did it in a 10 gal 6 months ago it took ~4 weeks, with aggressive cycling (old filter media, added live Tetra safe start for additional bacteria etc....)

 

[somewhatshocked]

Information isn't really conflicting because the amount of time it takes for the process to complete is tank-specific. It may take 4 weeks for me but 9 for you. Depends on a ton of factors.

As long as you follow the instructions provided by ADA, you should be able to get through it in about a month. Extreme water change regimen to start. Then it tapers off. Did you follow their recommended schedule?

 

[zapkin]

Aha... I think my instruction packet was buried in my soil. I just went digging through my bag and found it right at the bottom, so I missed their recommendations! Thanks for pointing it out! Gonna start my water changes today.

 

[somewhatshocked]

It always feels like a hassle at first. Then I remember there's an added bonus: all the ammonia helps get the tank going.

My ADA shrimp tanks always end up being the healthiest (among my tanks) because of the lengthy cycling necessary.

 

[Nature Freak]

Late to this but yeah, follow the water change schedule. The massive water changes in the beginning are a pain, but I had a fully cycled tank in 21 days (with a seeded filter).

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk