65 gallon cycle help

[Fishyone2]

Good morning everyone. I started cycling my 65 gallon over 1 week ago and I don't know if I should use more ammonia or water change or just wait it out. My ammonia is disappearing in less than 24hrs and my nitrITes are about 2ppm. I'm just at a loss as to what to do next. Ive been told to wait it out and ive been told not to dose ammonia cause it will make nitrite higher and stall cycle and also been told to do water changed but nothing is off the charts..

 

[Fishyone2]

Good morning everyone. I started cycling my 65 gallon over 1 week ago and I don't know if I should use more ammonia or water change or just wait it out. My ammonia is disappearing in less than 24hrs and my nitrITes are about 2ppm. I'm just at a loss as to what to do next. Ive been told to wait it out and ive been told not to dose ammonia cause it will make nitrite higher and stall cycle and also been told to do water changed but nothing is off the charts..View attachment 359881

I'm also using DR. Tims ammonia with bacteria. It's a 65g tank but I used a whole bottle of Bacteria that treats 160g could that have messed it up having to much bacteria?

 

[MaloK]

Nope, It's going very well, next step nitrite is going to do the same as ammonia. You don't need to do any water changes at the moment. Even if nitrite rise a little more, just wait it out.

 

[Fishyone2]

Nope, It's going very well, next step nitrite is going to do the same as ammonia. You don't need to do any water changes at the moment. Even if nitrite rise a little more, just wait it out.

Okay, so just keep dosing ammonia. What about dosing less than 24hrs apart? I dosed ammonia to about 1ppm+ last night and this morning it read 0 ammonia. Should i add more or wait till the 24hr period?

 

[Essjay]

Don't dose ammonia regularly, that's what pushes nitrite beyond stall point. The method on here was written so that if followed to the letter nitrite can never reach stall point. With our method, ammonia is only added when specific test results have been reached.

I know you are not starting right now, but if you can work out where you would be if you had followed our method from the start and continue with the method from there, you'll feed the ammonia eaters without causing the cycle to stall.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

 

[MaloK]

You can slow down on ammonia a little to let the nitrite bacteria catch-up for a while. At the end of the cycle Ammonia you add will be turned to nitrates at the same pace as ammonia and readings for both ammonia and nitrite will fall to 0 rapidly.

At this point, you can do a growth test, by waiting to have 0 ammonia and nitrite, then add 2ppm of ammonia and check how fast both ammonia and nitrite drops. If it goes fast. You're ready to make your first water change to bring the nitrate a low as possible and introduce your full fish stock at once.

Monitor the nitrogen cycle the time the tank establish and intervene as needed.

 

[Fishyone2]

Don't dose ammonia regularly, that's what pushes nitrite beyond stall point. The method on here was written so that if followed to the letter nitrite can never reach stall point. With our method, ammonia is only added when specific test results have been reached.

I know you are not starting right now, but if you can work out where you would be if you had followed our method from the start and continue with the method from there, you'll feed the ammonia eaters without causing the cycle to stall.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

So I need to stop ammonia and let nitrite levels drop? If and when they drop i add more ammonia and wait for them both to drop again or until the disappear in 24hrs?

 

[Essjay]

No, don't stop ammonia, only add it when specific test readings have been reached.

You've added ammonia and now have zero ammonia and 2 ppm nitrite. That suggests you are at this stage

If at any time after the first ammonia addition (Dose #1) you test and ammonia is under .75 ppm and nitrite is clearly over 2 ppm, it is time to add more ammonia (Dose #2).

You now need to add more ammonia, enough to raise the tank ammonia level to 3 ppm (test half an hour after adding the ammonia to allow time for it to mix in thoroughly).

Then start testing every other day. You will be waiting until you have zero ammonia, then zero ammonia again 2 days later. At this point, the nitrite reading is not important.
Once you have zero ammonia and zero ammonia again 2 days later add a small dose of ammonia - enough to give a reading of 1 ppm in the tank, and a third of the amount used to get 3 ppm. This small dose is to feed the ammonia eaters without making a lot of nitrite.

Once this small dose has been added, test for ammonia and nitrite every day. Wait until ammonia is 0.25 ppm or lower AND nitrite is clearly under 1 ppm. Then add another dose of ammonia to get a reading of 3 ppm.

Test after 24 hours. If both ammonia and nitrite are zero, the cycle has finished. If one or both are not zero test every day until ammonia is less than 0.25 and nitrite is less than 1 ppm. Then add another 3 ppm dose of ammonia and test again after 24 hours. If both are zero, the cycle has finished; if one or both are not zero, repeat this step until they are both zero 24 hours after adding ammonia.


Then do a huge water change to remove the nitrate that has been made and get fish.

 

[Fishyone2]

No, don't stop ammonia, only add it when specific test readings have been reached.

You've added ammonia and now have zero ammonia and 2 ppm nitrite. That suggests you are at this stage


You now need to add more ammonia, enough to raise the tank ammonia level to 3 ppm (test half an hour after adding the ammonia to allow time for it to mix in thoroughly).

Then start testing every other day. You will be waiting until you have zero ammonia, then zero ammonia again 2 days later. At this point, the nitrite reading is not important.
Once you have zero ammonia and zero ammonia again 2 days later add a small dose of ammonia - enough to give a reading of 1 ppm in the tank, and a third of the amount used to get 3 ppm. This small dose is to feed the ammonia eaters without making a lot of nitrite.

Once this small dose has been added, test for ammonia and nitrite every day. Wait until ammonia is 0.25 ppm or lower AND nitrite is clearly under 1 ppm. Then add another dose of ammonia to get a reading of 3 ppm.

Test after 24 hours. If both ammonia and nitrite are zero, the cycle has finished. If one or both are not zero test every day until ammonia is less than 0.25 and nitrite is less than 1 ppm. Then add another 3 ppm dose of ammonia and test again after 24 hours. If both are zero, the cycle has finished; if one or both are not zero, repeat this step until they are both zero 24 hours after adding ammonia.


Then do a huge water change to remove the nitrate that has been made and get fish.

Okay I appreciate your information. I'm just trying to figure out why my ammonia is disappearing in less than 24hrs but nitrites haven't change and I started to have nitrates show up

 

[Essjay]

Nitrate testers work by converting nitrate to nitrite then testing that nitrite. If there's already nitrite in the water that's added to the nitrite from nitrate giving a higher reading than just nitrate alone. That's why the method on here does not mention testing nitrate.

 

[Fishyone2]

Nitrate testers work by converting nitrate to nitrite then testing that nitrite. If there's already nitrite in the water that's added to the nitrite from nitrate giving a higher reading than just nitrate alone. That's why the method on here does not

Nitrate testers work by converting nitrate to nitrite then testing that nitrite. If there's already nitrite in the water that's added to the nitrite from nitrate giving a higher reading than just nitrate alone. That's why the method on here does not mention testing nitrate.

Okay ill check when I get home. Will add to much beneficial bacteria cause any issues? I used Dr.Tims one and only enough treatment for 160 gallons and I poured that in my 65 gallon. Did that hurt anything?

 

[Essjay]

Bacteria are the one thing that can't be over dosed. All it hurts is your wallet if you use more than you need.

 

[MaloK]

Nitrate testers work by converting nitrate to nitrite then testing that nitrite. If there's already nitrite in the water that's added to the nitrite from nitrate giving a higher reading than just nitrate alone. That's why the method on here does not mention testing nitrate.

Am I right to think:

The nitrogen cycle is a 1 for 1 process (in exception of nitrogen that could escape the bacterial process, ex: used by plants etc.) 1 molecule of ammonia will produce 1 of nitrite then 1 of nitrate.

So theoretically the difference between nitrite and nitrate should reveal a good nitrate approximation even with the presence of nitrite in the test water.

Right ?!?

Or the sensitivity of the reagent would create further interference and falsify results ?

 

[Essjay]

The nitrate tester is only useful for ball park measurements. It's the least accurate of our testers. My younger son used to work for a water testing company and he was highly amused at our home nitrate tester.

But yes, in theory subtracting the reading for nitrite from the reading for nitrate should give a rough approximation of the true nitrite level.



There's also the possibility that there a few nitrite eaters in the tank; enough to make a bit of nitrate but not enough to reduce the nitrite level to zero yet.

 

[Fishyone2]

Okay I really appreciate your time and help

Bacteria are the one thing that can't be over dosed. All it hurts is your wallet if you use more than you need.

Okay thank you for your time and info I'll dona test when I get home and post it. I checked this morning and ammonia was 0, nitrite 2ppm and nitrates 5-10ppm