People without basic test kits often have a poor time cycling tanks, and it is because water parameters are like air and food quality to humans. This includes pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Test strips are often vague/unclear, so many people use test kits like the Freshwater Master Test Kit (for freshwater) and other kits involving glass tube and water samples. Too high levels of ammonia can be overwhelming for the bacteria to eat. High levels of nitrite and nitrate may slow the bacteria's work down.

Fishless cycling: Tanks should have no more than 4 ppm ammonia and no less than 2 ppm. Nitrites and nitrates that are unreadable (a shade of color above the highest color on the chart) are too high.
Fish-in cycling: Tanks should have no more than 0.25 ppm of ammonia. Nitrites over 0.5 ppm are too high. While many people keep it at 0.25 ppm, others prefer to have 0 ppm (like for saltwater tanks). Nitrates over 20 ppm are too high and around 10 ppm is considered the safe range.
During a new cycling process it's usual for your tank water to become cloudy at first. Beneficial bacteria digest fish waste but the cloudiness in the water is an initial bacteria bloom that you'll see as the growing colonies start to establish while they get suctioned into your tank filter where they stay and do their work. Do not panic and try to get rid of it with chemicals/UV sterilizer, you'll just slow the beneficial cycling process down.
pH levels need to be treated (with buffers) if it is over 8 or under 6. Bacteria have different pH requirements, but too acidic or basic water can create an inhospitable environment. If you are doing a fish-in cycle, the pH should be at the level where your fish can live comfortably.;
, The tank should be around 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit (about 21-27 Celsius). Too cold or hot temperatures will slow down or kill beneficial bacteria. Plus, if you decide that your future fish need another type of environment, you could shock your bacteria by changing the temperature suddenly., A visually pleasant amount of algae and slimy growths (these are not your beneficial bacteria but other aqua creatures) are probably fine, but too much can crowd out the beneficial bacteria. They can also consume nitrites and ammonia, which are needed to feed your beneficial bacteria. Cleaning out the entire tank should not be done except yearly, but instead scrape off or pick off pieces of algae/bacteria without draining all the water., The filter media (substance in the filter cartridges) is where most of the beneficial bacteria resides. This means that the filter is the most important tank apparatus to be given care. If there is algae or other substances clogged in there, it can disrupt the natural environment. Remove the cartridge from the filter unit; rinse and squeeze the cartridge in tank water for a short time, then immediately place it back into the filter.


Never use unconditioned tap water or any soap to clean the cartridge or tank.
 Choose a product that instantly detoxifies both chlorine and chloramine as well as binding up any heavy metals. Chlorine/chemicals in tap water will kill any beneficial bacteria in an instant., Oftentimes, poor environments even by bacterial standards will provide poor results. Some people use BIO-Wheel filters in their tanks, which supposedly has more surface area and oxygenation capacity. Any filter that breaks the surface of the water will do, since this introduces oxygen into the water. An air pump is recommended. If you can, a warm environment in the high 70s to low 80s Fahrenheit (20s Celsius) is good. Again, check for water parameters and continually be on top of them.

Live plants will absorb nitrates and reduce them to a lower level, so if you can, add some in.
 This can be a slight but important difference between clean, quick cycling and slow, smelly cycling. If you used fish flakes (which is a slow process) to cycle your tank, you only have to clean them out if they clump up and stick to surfaces. If you have chunks of food like shrimp laying around, that will invite non-beneficial bacteria. Only leave big food items in the water for a day and thoroughly clean up all the pieces afterwards., For example: if you see quick conversion from ammonia to nitrite between day 12 and 13, but you are stuck at nitrite to nitrate, that is normal. People can panic over normal, but slow, results, and they tend to forget the water parameter levels from day to day without recording them. Comparing ammonia levels daily will give you a sense of whether or not your tank is cycling. From about day 15 and onward, ammonia levels should be slightly decreasing and nitrites slowly increasing. If you can't see that (with the power of your records), you know you need to improve your environment.

If you are weeks into your cycle and still have not seen ammonia decrease, plus your environment is ideal for bacteria, start your tank over again. Thoroughly clean it without soap or chemicals. You may have had soap or chemicals contaminate your tank.
Sharp increases in nitrates and decreasing nitrites indicate that the cycle is almost done.
Test your tank water parameters.
Check the water temperature.
Scrape off excess bacteria and algae.
Check the filter.
Renew the water with a liquid water conditioner, from online, an aquarium store or pet store.
Create an ideal environment for the beneficial bacteria.
Clean out rotting chunks of food daily.
Record the daily water parameter levels (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) to compare.
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