My progress with the cycle

[Thumpah]

Ammonia down to 0
Nitrite still 2 or 5 or more?

Do i add more ammonia or just keep that at 0 till nitrite drops abit?

Cheers

 

[Thumpah]

Just tested my PH straight from the tap and its 7.2

Whyyyy is it so low in the tank?

 

[Essjay]

Just to check where you are:
Have you added a 3 ppm dose and are now testing every second day? Is this the first zero ammonia or the second?

If it's the first, test again in 2 days and if ammonia is still zero, add 1 ppm ammonia. Then wait until ammonia is below 0.25 and nitrite is below 1.0 ppm.

 

[Thumpah]

Just to check where you are:
Have you added a 3 ppm dose and are now testing every second day? Is this the first zero ammonia or the second?

If it's the first, test again in 2 days and if ammonia is still zero, add 1 ppm ammonia. Then wait until ammonia is below 0.25 and nitrite is below 1.0 ppm.

I dosed upto 3ppm after 2 days it was 0.25 then two days after that (today) was 0

I've just dosed back upto 1 ppm ammonia so will test again Monday hopefully nitrites have come down

So confused why my tap water is 7.2 pH but my tank water is 6.6

 

[Essjay]

Have you left a sample of tap water to stand overnight? You may find that tap water which has been allowed to stand also has a lower pH than freshly run tap water.
Testing water that has stood will either confirm that it changes or it will eliminate it as a possible reason.

 

[Thumpah]

Aaah okay ill re do it then and test tomorrow thankyou

 

[Thumpah]

Okay left tap water overnight and the pH is 7.8 so I'm confused why it's so low in the tank?

 

[Essjay]

What do you have in the tank besides water? Substrate, decor etc.

 

[Thumpah]

The pH was fine and havnt changed anything after that. only the last 7 days or so its dropped.

Just substrate which is only thing it could be as its maturing. Its tropica aquarium soil powder

 

[Essjay]

It's the substrate.

From here https://tropica.com/en/plant-care/aquarium-soil/aquarium-soil/ (my bold highlight)

Aquarium Soil is further an active bottom layer that lowers the pH value and slightly affects the water chemistry.

If you are fighting the pH lowering nature of the substrate, you have two choices -
plant the tank now, and wait for the plants to start actively growing before adding fish slowly a few at a time
or remove the substrate, continue cycling, then put the substrate back after the cycle has finished.

 

[Thumpah]

Thankyou very much!! I best get buying plants then!!

 

[Essjay]

If you plant the tank, you can do a plant/silent cycle instead of fishless, but it would mean doing a water change if there is any nitrite. Ammonia in the water isn't a problem as that will feed the plants.

Planted/silent cycling

So ya got yourself a fish tank, and now you're wondering how to cycle it. You have a few options: 1) Fishless cycle: Set up your substrate and filter (decorations and plants are optional), buy pure ammonia, add enough to your tank to read 3ppm, wait. Full instructions here...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Thumpah]

3 days after dosing upto 1ppm ammonina

ammonia 0
nitrite 0

should i re dose ammonia and test after 2 days?

 

[Thumpah]

nitrate 10 ppm

 

[Essjay]

I would add 3 ppm and test 25 hours later. If both ammonia & nitrite are zero, the cycle has finished. But if either are not zero, continue testing until ammonia is below 0.25 and nitrite below 1.0 ppm then add 3 ppm ammonia and test next day. Continue doing this until they are both zero 24 hours after adding 3 ppm.