Cycle Complete!

[Amy86]

I think my cycle has stalled, it was going ok as follows:

Day 1:
Ammonia- Added 8ppm
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm

Day 2:
Ammonia- 8ppm (None Added)
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm

Day 3:
Ammonia- 8ppm (None Added)
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm

Day 4:
Ammonia- 4ppm (None Added)
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm

Day 5:
Ammonia- 0ppm (Added 4ppm)
Nitrite- 10ppm+
Nitrate- 250ppm+

Day 6:
Ammonia- 0ppm (Added 8ppm)
Nitrite- 10ppm+
Nitrate- 250ppm+

Day 7:
Ammonia- 4ppm (None Added)
Nitrite- 10ppm+
Nitrate- 250ppm+

Day 8:
Ammonia- 0ppm (Added 4ppm)
Nitrite- 10 ppm+
Nitrate- 250ppm+

Day 9:
Ammonia- 0ppm (Added 4ppm)
Nitrite- 10 ppm+
Nitrate- 250ppm+

it has continued like this, exactly the same readings as day 9 and i'm now on day 15. BUT ive noticed the ph slowly dropping and its now crashed from around 7.4 to 6.2. My ammonia has also now stopped being processed !!!! what can i do??

 

[Miss Wiggle]

40% water change. don't panic though as nitrite takes twice as long to go as the ammonia does.

 

[Squid]

The nitrate readings are a little odd. Readings don't normally go from 0 - 240ppm + when the nitrite hasn't yet been converted. Or at least thats what i thought. Is yor test kit ok?

Squid

 

[Amy86]

i have an api ammonia liquid test but was using tetra test 5 in 1 strips so ive been told to ignore my dodgy readings. i have an api master test kit in the post. so if i do a 40% water change with declorinator it will kick start it again ??

 

[Squid]

Difficult to say exactly if the test kit is not so accurate, but when my cycling stalled, a large water change (dechlorinated as you said) put things back on track. I use the API test kit, its a good one .

 

[Barb82]

Why are you adding up to 8ppm of ammonia? I'm doing as it says in the fishless cycle thread and it says 5/6ppm to start with then 4ppm once it hits 0

 

[Amy86]

i only added 8ppm when i first started it as i didnt kno how much to use and overdosed. once that went ive been using a capful which is 4ppm.

 

[Maxta]

Im doing the same as Barb. However i think my cycle has stalled too, the pH is now around 6.0 again or lower. But could also be because i changed my media Only top it upto 4 ppm

 

[Amy86]

im sure i read somewhere that once the ph drops too low the ammonia is turned into ammonium and not processed because it needs diff bacteria to process ammonium. the ammonium is still readable on the test kit so could that be why mine seems to have stalled?? and therefore a large water change to raise ph would start it off again !?!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

im sure i read somewhere that once the ph drops too low the ammonia is turned into ammonium and not processed because it needs diff bacteria to process ammonium. the ammonium is still readable on the test kit so could that be why mine seems to have stalled?? and therefore a large water change to raise ph would start it off again !?!

yes in theory that's right, but thats talking about a pH of 5 or lower, around 6 you should still be fine, however a water change isn't going to hurt anything so try it and see what happens.

 

[scorphonic]

How do you guys do a water change using dechlorinated water? I know how to rid the water of chlorine using Aquaplus etc....but how do you physically set up the necessary amount of water required for a 50+ water change if using a 180L tank??

I've got a 45L dust bin (brand new!! haha) which I can use but its a bugger to lift up!!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

just don't worry about it, in a mature tank dechlor works pretty much straight away, we put the dechlor into the tank then run the hose straight from the tap into the tank.

 

[Amy86]

For me, one pipette of declor treats 9 litres of water. so i put a pipette full in the bottom of my 10 litre bucket and use my jug to measure out 9 litres then add it to the tank. it takes a while but my tank is nowhere near a sink so i couldnt fill it straight from the tap anyway

 

[rdd1952]

im sure i read somewhere that once the ph drops too low the ammonia is turned into ammonium and not processed because it needs diff bacteria to process ammonium. the ammonium is still readable on the test kit so could that be why mine seems to have stalled?? and therefore a large water change to raise ph would start it off again !?!

yes in theory that's right, but thats talking about a pH of 5 or lower, around 6 you should still be fine, however a water change isn't going to hurt anything so try it and see what happens.

From what I found in this thread, it appears that bacteria developement basically stops at a pH of around 6.0. The change over from ammonia to ammonium is somewhere in the range of about 6.0 but I cant find an exact number. In any case, it sounds like metabolism and reproduction all but stops as the pH gets to the 6.0 mark and under.

 

[Amy86]

HELP!!!! ok so i get home last night and test the water. hallelujah the nitrite has disappeared!!! so in theory i should be celebrating the fact that my cycle is nearly complete, but no The ammonia was still at 0.50ppm meaning none has been processed at all for 2 days now. My bacteria is going to die off because there will be no nitrite to feed it all that hard growing for nothing!!! why has my ammonia stopped being processed!! i carried out a small water change which raised the PH slightly and then i added ammonia to take it up to 4ppm, in hope the water change might kick start some action. what happens if it doesn't?? Am i going to end up back at square one after nearly 3 weeks