can a Cycling tank stop ?

[razzle]

Hi, My tank has been cycling for 27 days now, I test the tank every 3 days. The last 3 times i tested the tank, the levels have been the at the same level. nh is at .25, no3 1.0 no4 25-200, ph 8.2, alk 1.022. My questions are is this normal ? Can a cycle stop ? Oh yeah its a 15g, with one damsel and four snails due to high levels of brown algea.
Thanks
Ray

 

[saltcreep]

Cycles can differ from tank to tank... are you doing water changes? This can slow it down.

 

[razzle]

No, i haven't done any water changes yet, just topping off when water gets low, right now i'm just using distelled water, till i get an r/o

 

[saltcreep]

Give it a little more time. The nanos are hard to stableize due to the small water volume. If you know some one with an established tank, borrow some of their used filter media and " wash " it out in your tank. It will add tons of bacteria in the tank and help out the cycle. my wife did this with her 15g with filter media from my 55 and it cycled in two weeks.

 

[saltcreep]

On a side note:
Do not feed the damsel very much. The more you feed it, the more the tank will have to catch up on breaking down the uneaten food and fish waste. only feed it a tiny amount every few days. This is why people are starting to cycle tanks with dead shrimp instead of live fish.

 

[razzle]

thanks, saltcreep
Good side note, that could be my problem, i've noticed food sitting on the bottom after i feed, i will reduce the amount of food

 

[saltcreep]

Def keep the feeding to a min even after it cycles. The small tanks are a bear to keep stable. we do a 5g water change a week on my wifes to keep it stable. and feed every other day.
You are welcome! Keep us posted on progress