New 29Gal Glass Aquarium.

[Snype2live]

No I didn't let it set I tested it right out of the faucet with Api Liquid Freshwater Master Test kit. I also tested the tank water it's been setting for almost 2 weeks with nothing added (or removed) besides ammonia, aquarium salt, declorinator (aqua safe) is the brand I think.

Oh and liquid bacteria (start-zyme) was also added to water.

 

[Snype2live]

Okay so i just tested my water parameters and got 2ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, and 8ph. So something I did before i got the ammonia(monday) is helping serverly cause it dropped from 4.5ppm to 2ppm in 48 hours(maybe less). Maybe I had some bacteria built up from feeding the tank for a week or maybe the start zyme working. I don't know any suggestions?? I'm excited to actually see a change and what about my ph any hints as to why it dropping?? I haven't done anything to the tank , I mean its a good thing i just like to have idea of whats going on.

 

[Snype2live]

I just bought a 10 inch air stone from wal-mart, and a Aqua-culture (20-60) air pump that puts our 2800cc or air a minute. I hope this will help with something besides decorations?? But I do have a problem my air-stone I have a hole 2 inches of it that are not pumping our air bubbles.
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[Snype2live]

Okay so water test showed 1ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite( shouldn't it be showing trace amounts by now??), 0ppm nitrate, and 8.0ph.

I also added a bubble stone today with a pump, that's pumping out at around 2800cc a minute.

So for stocking options I'm thinking 8 Cory's (Panda, Starbi, Emerald, Skunk). 1 male and 1 female of each species, and then 8 Guppies (or 12 if everyone thinks my 2 tetra internal whisper 10-30 can handle bio load with cory's cleaning some to). I wanna go with 4 Blue Cobra Guppies (1 male, 3 females), 4 Green Cobra Guppies (1 male, 3 females) and 4 Endler's Livebearers(1 male, 3 females). I think my ratio to males to females is correct??

Also on a different note ( and probably a stupid question). Could my tank take a full live stock as soon as I'm done cycling it with ammonia???

 

[Snype2live]

Just a look at what I got going for me right now. Any suggestions

Well i tried to attach photo...it not showing (

 

[gdoggy1678]

^ If you upload your photos online it will give you multiple codes, just copy and paste the code that starts with

 

[the_lock_man]

Okay so i just tested my water parameters and got 2ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, and 8ph. So something I did before i got the ammonia(monday) is helping serverly cause it dropped from 4.5ppm to 2ppm in 48 hours(maybe less). Maybe I had some bacteria built up from feeding the tank for a week or maybe the start zyme working. I don't know any suggestions?? I'm excited to actually see a change and what about my ph any hints as to why it dropping?? I haven't done anything to the tank , I mean its a good thing i just like to have idea of whats going on.

That 2.5ppm drop should have given you 6.75ppm of nitrite. There's only one place the nitrite could be going, and that's nitrate, but you don't have any of that either. The most logical conclusion is that your nitrite test is faulty - I'd suggest taking a water sample to a LFS and getting them to test it as well, see if they detect any nitrite.

I can't remember the science behind why your pH drops during a fishless cycle, but it does. Add some bicarbonate of soda, little by little, until your pH is raised to around 8.2. I can't remember if you've got the temperature up at around 80F, but if not, then I'd suggest you do so.

 

[Snype2live]

could it also be that the bacteria has not had time to fully metabalize the nitrite?? I'm testing with the api liquid master test kit?

and i meant fully metabolize the the ammonia

 

[Snype2live]

okay I think I got it to attach

and I keep my temp at around 76 cause I don't have heater that adjust it keeps it at 78+/- 2 degrees

And I just tested for nitrates sorry for misleading i didnt test for them last night, my wife just informed me of that, it is showing somewhere between 0ppm and 5ppm on api master test kit, cause its not bright #16##### yellow but its not the orange either.

 

[the_lock_man]

could it also be that the bacteria has not had time to fully metabalize the nitrite?? I'm testing with the api liquid master test kit?

and i meant fully metabolize the the ammonia

Don't worry, I understood you.

I must admit that I don't know how long it takes a bacteria cell to convert ammonia to nitrite, but I've always assumed it to be instantaneous (in terms of the individual cell taking an individual ammonia molecule and converting it). Even if there was a delay, there would not be the capacity to stow 2.5ppm.

The nitrate reading may or may not be a good thing - I have about 30ppm nitrate in my tap water, so you need to take a reading from your tap water as well, to give a baseline.

 

[Snype2live]

i have and it shows zero.

 

[the_lock_man]

Fair enough.

It still doesn't make sense. The 2.5ppm ammonia that you've lost would have converted to about 9ppm nitrate, assuming you had enough N-bacs to cope with all the nitrite being produced. That said, the API nitrate test isn't that good, so maybe.....

To be doubly sure, I'd still say to get a LFS test the water, and see if they detect nitrite.

If they don't, then I guess the only logical explanation is that you do have enough N-bacs, but not A-bacs. Certainly not what you'd call textbook bacteria growth patterns, but I don't know what else would explain what you're seeing.

 

[Snype2live]

well I have a slight problem with the lfs, she only has the quick dip test strips (i would guess that's worse then mine), and there isn't that many pet stores around here. The closest petsmart is almost hour drive away

 

[the_lock_man]

well I have a slight problem with the lfs, she only has the quick dip test strips (i would guess that's worse then mine), and there isn't that many pet stores around here. The closest petsmart is almost hour drive away

Ordinarily, I'd say you were right, but in these circumstances, we're only trying to see if there is "some" or "none", so the test strips would be better than nothing.

 

[Snype2live]

Should I also mention that this is day 4 of fishless cycling... this is only the first I have gotten it up to 4ppm with pure ammonia...idk if that is important or not so i might not have no a-bacs built up idk im lost

well i have some test strips at the house, should i doble check with those