Brand New Tank, Bacterial Bloom?

[TheRandomHero]

Hey all, Just a little update wanting an experienced opinion seeing as I'm still new to this
 
27/01 - Dosed tank to 5ppm Ammonia.
28/01 - Tank still at 5ppm.
29/01 - Tank still around 5ppm, slightly under.
30/01 - Tank 4ppm.
31/01 - Tank 4ppm, Minimal Nitrites.
01/02 - Tank 3.5ppm, 0.25 Nitrites.
02/02 - Tank 3ppm, 0.5 Nitrites.
03/02 - Tank 3ppm, 1ppm Nitrites.
04/02 - This is where things go wrong...
Ammonia 2.5ppm in the morning, Nitrites still just over 1ppm. Went to redose Ammonia to 5ppm and must have miscalculated horribly, but because I had to go to work I didn't retest until the evening. Ended up around the 12+ mark im guessing judging by the colour (API Master), with 5+ppm Nitrites
Immediately did a 60-80% WC and got the levels to just over 2ppm before bed, figured I didn't wanna keep it too high too long after that mishap... naturally re-treating the water I added with dechlorinator.
05/02 - Ammonia 2ppm, Nitrites 0.25ppm
06/02 - Ammonia 1ppm, Nitrates 0.50ppm
07/02 - Ammonia 0.75ppm, Nitrites 0.5+ppm
08/02 - Ammonia 0.75ppm Nitrites just under 1.0
09/02 - Ammonia 0.75ppm Nitrites over 1.0 but not quite 2.0
 
PH Constantly 7.6.
 
Now Nitrates are constantly rising, but are harder to monitor because according to my supplier my tap water is 32.4ppm. As this is a fishless cycle I'll keep on top of that in future with bi-weekly WC's, but for now I want to establish the bacterial colonies without juggling WC's too...
 
I just wanted to know is this normal, that my ammonia is 'stuck' while Nitrites are rising?
Will my tank be cycled once Ammonia & Nitrites hit 0 or do you recommend inducing another cycle via ammonia?
Any advice is appreciated and sorry for sounding newbie, I just want to be sure before adding my lil fishy friends

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I think things are going just fine.  The key to a fishless cycle really is to stay patient.
 
 
The cycle is done when both ammonia and nitrite hit zero in 12-24 hours.  Some say 12, some say 24.  I'd bump the ammonia back up to about 2-3 ppm.  Stay patient, and keep an eye on pH.  If it starts to drop, a WC is necessary to deal with that.

 

[TheRandomHero]

Thanks, I'll redose it tonight to 3ppm. I was worried the 8 hours it spent at 12+ had crashed my cycle.... so basically I should aim to keep it at 3ppm until it drops to 0 within 24 hours? and then it's cycled....
 
sorry for all the questions but it seems my original plan went out the window so im treating your reply as a tailor made manual

 

[eaglesaquarium]

No problem.  3ppm is a good target, because if you overshoot a little... you still aren't in the way crazy zone.
 
The issue with a super high ammonia level is just a matter of encouraging the wrong bacteria a bit.  The others should bounce back nicely soon enough.
 
 
If both the ammonia and nitrite both hit zero in 24 hours, but I'd feel better if it were closer to 12.

 

[TheRandomHero]

thanks for the help, I've just dosed it as close to 3ppm as i could (the colour chat only does 2 and 4).
 
I'd be happier too if it was 12 hours but i'd settle for 24 because in all honesty I have a 35L tank (9-10g) and I'm only planning adding 2 Guppies initially, then a few weeks later 2 more, and eventually something like a bristlenose to finish it off providing there's space, rather have a few happy fish than a lot of sad ones

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Bristlenose are far too big for a 10 Gallon.  And rather than the guppies, I'd suggest endlers... say a group of 6-8.

 

[TheRandomHero]

Me again
 
I dosed from 1ppm back up to 3ppm a week ago, after fears i'd stalled my tank. Well it's still 3ppm, so it hasnt gone down at all in the last week, i still have nitrite readings and higher nitrates than last time, but the ammonia is just not budging.... any tips/advice to try and revive it?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

When in doubt, water change is the easiest way to go.   What's your pH?

 

[TheRandomHero]

PH is 7.6 and never changed since the initial fill
 
how much of a water change do you reckon?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

50% should be enough.

 

[TheRandomHero]

Sorry for the late reply, but I did the water change this morning and I will check the levels in a few h
ours once its settled down

 

[rossyk]

Hi Random - love the avatar! Just thought I'd say well done on going the fish-less cycling way. As an un-read newbie I was persuaded to have fish from the start and am currently fighting a battle with ammonia - no fatalities yet, but I feel for my little fish
Anyways, you found a great place for advice - hope it all goes well for you and your future aquarium inhabitants!

 

[TheRandomHero]

Thanks dude, It's long and annoying but It's a fun learning curve I guess.
 
Anyways, I did the 50% WC about 10 hours ago, and now my readings are:
Ammonia 0.1 (not quite 0 but definately not 0.25 which is the first reading box)
Nitrites 5
Nitrates 45-50
PH - 7.5
 
Am I right in thinking that even though I've done a 50% WC, my Nitrites/rates must have been a LOT higher and therefore inhibiting my ammonia breaking bacteria? In theory the WC should have brought my ammonia down to 2ppm from 4ppm, but as im getting a reading of 0 it's possibly breaking it down as normal again? This is getting tedious

 

[TheRandomHero]

Also, after further thought, isn't this a sign my tank is nearing the end of it's cycle? as my tank is clearly turning Ammonia to Nitrites, and Nitrites to Nitrates?
 
Although am I right thinking I'd need a 100% WC and a small dose of ammonia to test it can convert ammonia > nitrates within 12-24hours?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You don't need to do the 100% WC until the very end...  Just wait for the ammonia and nitrite to both hit zero after your daily dose, then you will know that you are fully cycled.  It looks like the WC has kick started things again.  Keep an eye on things and do another WC if you notice another stall (2 days with no drop in ammonia or nitrite).  Patience is the key.  Rushing in to getting fish can be very tempting, but its not worth it in the end.