Question about fishless cycle

[golsama]

I checked tank readings tonight on my JD's soon-to-be home. I got 0.5ppm ammonia, 0.0ppm Nitrites, and 20ppm Nitrates.

This is my first attempt at a fishless cycle and it started off rocky as I followed some not so clear instructions. I've been at it for about 3 or 4 weeks now.

First question is, from tonight's readings am I getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel?

My second question is if the Nitrate reading is at a safe level (under 20ppm) is it necessary to do a large water change? Everything I've read has said to do a 50%-80% water change to bring the nitrate reading down to a safe level. If the nitrate is at a safe level wouldn't it be better to do a smaller water change?

 

[hurtmypony]

My fishless cycle experiment was never completed, so I don't know how much help I can be, but in the 3-4 weeks of cycling, did you track the amount of ammonia levels?

I assume you dosed to about 2ppm daily (some say to take it to 5ppm, but 2ppm seems to be the standard).

Did you see a spike in nitrites at some time in the process, and then see it drop to 0? That's the sign of the 2nd stage of the nitrogen cycle.

Generally, from what I read, when you are able to dose the tank up to 2ppm of ammonia, and have the ammonia reading become 0ppm within 24 hours after dosing, you are ready to start checking for nitrites. Once the nitrites drop to 0, and the nitrates increase, you are ready for the water change. And then the fish, should all the proportions remain stable.

Most people do a huge water change after this part, but there is a small number that claim an extreme change can trigger a second "mini cycle", lengthening the process a few days while everything quickly re-stabilizes. That is a minority, though. I was going to go with the masses and do the big water change, but I never got there.

OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER: The above is what I have understood to be the proper manner to execute the Fishless Cycle, but you best wait for that second opinion and a confirmation from my betters that I am indeed correct. Like I said, I never got to see it through (thanks to some seeded material condensing the whole process down to a few days), so all my information is secondhand from the experiences and guidance of the teeming, unwashed, anonymous masses of the various Internet sites.

I'll lurk around and shamefully wait to be schooled by some of the more experienced posters.

 

[golsama]

I checked the levels daily and did dose ammonia to between 2ppm and 5ppm. Yes, the nitrites did spike and are now at zero. I think I will do a 50% water change.

I did use seeded material at the beginning, but I made a rookie mistake and forgot to keep adding ammonia for the first week and killed off anything beneficial at the start. Lesson learned.

Once I'm completed the cycle I'm going to add either endlers or guppies to the tank for a few days and see how they fare. If they do well, then I'll add my JD. I got my JD when he was under an inch, so I'm paranoid/over-protective about putting him in his new tank without testing it with home-grown feeder fish first.