fishless cycle check

[keithg]

Hi all. tried to post this on chit chat but wasnt allowed?

Thanks for previous advice on fishless cycling.
I startedmy cycle 10 days ago, here is an update.
Started with 180l (45usgal)0 conditioned water, sand with some mature gravel, a few plants, some mateure sponge in new filter with some cycle (bacteria).
Added 9ml ammonia to get 6ppm test, 6 days dropped to 0. Now adding 4ml/day to test 2ppm, which drops to 0 in24hrs. testing nitrite and nitrate now day 10.
Ammonia 0, nitrite 100, nitrate 5, ph 6.8, gh 5, kh 3, temp 28.
How do you think its going?
Confused with nitrite readings some kits only check uptp 5 others to 250, is ppm = to mg/l ? as far as i can see it is.
Should I continue as above or chenge somthing. Got the following waiting to be introduced. 4 small discus, 2 corys and 10 neons. How long do you think it will take and am i right in saying wait 4 nitrite 0 reading the a big water change.

Some advice in return..
If you only have 2 fish call them 1 and 2.
If one dies you will still have 2 and if 2 dies you will still have 1

 

[daza]

Sounds like it is going okay keithg...I would keep doing what you are doing. Nitrites should fall to zero soon enough, but nobody can say exactly when, it differs every time.

yeah, 1 mg/l = 1 ppm.

Once nitrites fall to zero, do a large enough water change to bring the nitrates down. Your nitrates are low at 5 now so they might rise a lot before the cycle finishes.

Some advice in return..
If you only have 2 fish call them 1 and 2.
If one dies you will still have 2 and if 2 dies you will still have 1

I asked one of our friends little daughter if she wanted to name my fish once. She named them "fish 1, fish 2, fish 3..." She reckons she can tell them apart, but I certainly can't! I ask her which one is fish 1 - "that one" she says.

 

[rdd1952]

I thiink you may have your nitrIte and nitrAte reversed. NitrAte at 100 and nitrIte at 5 sounds more reasonable. If your ammonia dropped to 0 in 6 days, the full cycle should be around 18 days. It generally takes the nitrite about twice as long as the ammonia. Since your nitrates are so high though, your's may be going a little quicker. Once you finish and do the big water change, remember that if you don't add fish right away, you will need to continue adding ammonia to feed the bacteria until the day before you get your fish. Also, remember that you will need to add at least 75% of your fish or they won't produce enough waste to keep the bacteria alive either.

 

[keithg]

Hi Again
Thanks for the response both. Im sure i've got my nitrites and nitrates correct.
Added my normal 4ml ammonia (enough to raise from 0 to 2ppm ) last night and tested after 12 hours finding 0ppm. I'm now considering adding 2ml in the morning and 2 in the evening to simulate a more constant source, i'm also considering adding some food to create a more natural source.
What do you think, am i just meddeling needlessly?
Being impatient.

 

[IMCL85]

put in a few feeder fish for testing tank. If they r ok then you r good to go.

 

[rdd1952]

Im sure i've got my nitrites and nitrates correct.

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Maybe you do have them correct but I have never hear of nitrites at 100 ppm. If that is in deed correct, you will have a very, very long wait for them to drop to zero. Most nitrite test kits only go to 6 or 8 pm. Nitrates on the other hand usually run 10 to 20 ppm as a nornal amount in most tanks and 80 to 100 ppm or even higher during the later stages of a fishless cycle are very normal and expected.