Ask Questions About Cycling

[TwoTankAmin]

Be aware that when nitrite gets really high it can test at 0 on our hobby kits. this is true for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. I have posted this vid here a few time.
 
[media]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPiDRid_Km8[/media]

 

[orangegecko]

Just tested and got .5ppm ammonia and 5ppm nitrite!  added ammonia for first feeding!  woohoo!  finally!!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

 
Do you still recommend a full water change? Will I be starting over then?
Did I just waste 30 days?

 
yes I did and no you didn't.
 
A big water change is used to let one reset the tank. You kill no bacteria, and since you redose ammonia, you basically lose no time. What you do is regain control over the cycle.

 

[jlw]

I think I am near the end of my cycle. I just tested and the tank is at 0 ppm for ammonia and nitrite but seems to be around 80 ppm on nitrates. Do I just need to do a water change to fix the nitrates or is that exceedingly high?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

yup, water change (as much water as you can remove) will deal with the nitrates, and you will continue this process with routine (25-35%) water changes after the fish are added.

 

[jlw]

Thanks eagle. I'm stoked. Ready to add some fish!

 

[cormack12]

Is this looking healthy so far? Seems to be taking ages for nitrite to go up. Added bacteria and dechlorinator before adding ammonia
 

 

[madfrog2000]

Can we add more water to the tank during the cycle? my water level has dropped a fair bit over 2 weeks.
Thanks

 

[daizeUK]

Yes, topping up with dechlorinated water won't cause any problems.

 

[madfrog2000]

Awesome thanks

 

[daizeUK]

Is this looking healthy so far? Seems to be taking ages for nitrite to go up. Added bacteria and dechlorinator before adding ammonia

Cormack12 - The 8ppm ammonia on day 8 doesn't look healthy, did you do a water change to reduce this to 4ppm?
How did you calculate how much ammonia to add (what is your tank capacity and the strength of ammonia you are using)?
What brand of bacteria starter did you use?

 

[tito206]

Can anyone help with this. On 3/3/2014 I started a fishless cycle with ammonia on 3/3/2014 the ammonia levels went down to 1ppm I checked for nitrites and had a level of 0.25 checked the nitrates and had a level of 1ppm I added ammonia to get back to the 4ppm I checked the ammonia levels in 12 hours the ammonia had dropped back to 1ppm and the nitrite levels and the nitrate levels had dropped too the nitrites went to zero ppm and the nitrates went down to 20 ppm is it possible to get through the cycle without having high nitrites and nitrates?yesterday I dosed the ammonia levels back to 4ppm after the ammonia went down to .50 ppm in 12 hours after dosing the ammonia I then checked it 9 hours later the ammonia level was .25ppm

 

[Dandx13]

Hi,
 
im new to fish keeping and have started cycling my 20 gallon tank. I only have Drift wood and Java fern in the tank with a 12" air stone.
In the past month my reading of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates have been consistent with those I've read online. At one point i was having to dose my tank with ammonia 2 times a day because it would read 0ppm. In the past week, my ammonia levels have stayed at about 1.5ppm and very slowly dropped while my nitrites have been at 0ppm and nitrates are sky high. I was wondering if I did anything wrong because my ammonia isn't dropping as quickly as it was. 
 
Thanks,
Dan

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yes.  It sounds like you are adding WAY more ammonia than necessary.
 
Ammonia should be added only every few days, not multiple times a day.
 
 
Generally, a cycle will stall when too much ammonia is added or when the nitrates get too high.
 
 
What is your pH?  What WAS your pH at the beginning?
 
 
I'd suggest you do a 90% water change.  Then dose up the ammonia to 3ppm.  Test it 24 hours later.  Also test the nitrite.  Report your results here and we can advise further.

 

[Dandx13]

Thank you so much I had suspected that...My pH was around 7-7.5 throughout the entire cycle. I just did a 90% water change. After the water change my levels were:
 
Ammonia:0ppm
Nitrite:0ppm
Nitrate:10ppm
pH:7.6
 
I then dosed with ammonia to 3ppm. Will post again tomorrow