New Tank, Nitrite Spike, No Nitrates..

[Dwest24]

Just keep adding until your nitrites drop to zero and the 3ppm ammonia you are adding goes away in 12 or less hours.
Then you will see your Nitrates spike, and then you are ready to do a big water change to lower the nitrates down to safe levels, I am 38 days into a fishless cycle and its almost complete, give it time and let things stabilize before adding fish, I had a couple false spikes, it all depends on your scheduling ad conditions.

Also, just to be sure, you are using 10% pure ammonia with no additives correct?

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Just keep adding until your nitrites drop to zero and the 3ppm ammonia you are adding goes away in 12 or less hours.
Then you will see your Nitrates spike, and then you are ready to do a big water change to lower the nitrates down to safe levels, I am 38 days into a fishless cycle and its almost complete, give it time and let things stabilize before adding fish, I had a couple false spikes, it all depends on your scheduling ad conditions.

Also, just to be sure, you are using 10% pure ammonia with no additives correct?

Indeed i am, i have just double checked.

This mornings reading showed 1-2ppm Ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 nitrAte...PH has gone down to 6.4...


My nitrAtes were sky high yesterday and have fallen to 0 within 24 hours...this concerns me, should it?

Any help highly appreciated.

 

[kporteo]

hmmmm, the only way to remove nitrates is by water changes? Have you performed a w/c?
K

 

[The Taffy Apple]

hmmmm, the only way to remove nitrates is by water changes? Have you performed a w/c?
K

Good afternoon Kporteo.... no, i have not done any water changes since last wednesday... the sudden drop in nitrAte really was a surprise to me this morning, but i aim to do a test this evening with the possibility of a partial wc should i see anything i am not happy with.

Thanks for your reply, Terry.

 

[kporteo]

While youre fishless cycling your nitrate levels can go through the roof and its absolutely fine, they will only affect your fish not bacteria, and your final thing you do before adding your fish once your all cycled is a HUGE water change to remove all your nitrate. So just keep on cycling the way you are, adding ammonia once a day if you get a 0ppm reading. You dont need to bother testing your nitrate till you have fish in your tank, just test nitrite and ammonia.
K

 

[waterdrop]

At a pH of 6.4 your bacterial growth is going to be so slow that you might as well plan now on a full down-to-the-substrate gravel-clean-water-change. Then carefully recharge the ammonia back to the 5ppm level and anticipate that it will take a day or two to settle from that. WD

 

[OldMan47]

It is time to try adding some baking soda, not baking powder, to that tank. A pH of 6.4 is very close to a value that will stall your cycle completely. Be generous with the soda since it simply cannot raise the pH much above 8.0. and the cycle will progress just fine at that level. There is a degree of patience involved in getting a good fishless cycle but tolerating a low pH is not a part of that picture.

 

[endlessendlers]

Hi Terry. Croeso. Welcome to the world of tropical fishkeeping and Tropical Fish Forums of course. A fellow "Taff" from Cardiff here. No practical help from me im afraid (i'll leave that to the experts lol). Just good luck with the cycle and hope you have fish soon

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Hi Terry. Croeso. Welcome to the world of tropical fishkeeping and Tropical Fish Forums of course. A fellow "Taff" from Cardiff here. No practical help from me im afraid (i'll leave that to the experts lol). Just good luck with the cycle and hope you have fish soon

Bora Da endlessendlers...ble rwt ty'n byw?


I thought as much, a low PH would stall my cycle, so i done a big water change yesterday to bring it back up, which it did, but it's falling slowly again...i shall purchase some baking soda this afternoon..thans.

My filter is now converting 4ppm of ammonia to 0 within 24 hours, my nitrItes are also falling to 0, but as of yet i still have no nitrAte...i'm presuming this has something to do with my falling rate in PH?

Thanks again,
Terry.

 

[waterdrop]

There can be a period around the end of the nitrite spike when nitrates still don't show up much even though nitrite is being processed, but at some point one usually sees a sharp increase in nitrate(NO3). With nitrate tests there is also always the possibility of precipitate getting stuck in the second reagent bottle and leading to no result. A sharp whack and lots of shaking usually helps with this particular problem.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[The Taffy Apple]

There can be a period around the end of the nitrite spike when nitrates still don't show up much even though nitrite is being processed, but at some point one usually sees a sharp increase in nitrate(NO3). With nitrate tests there is also always the possibility of precipitate getting stuck in the second reagent bottle and leading to no result. A sharp whack and lots of shaking usually helps with this particular problem.

~~waterdrop~~

Thank you water drop...my NitrAtes have finally started to show at aroiund the 40-80ppm at a consistent level..

I added a teaspoon of Bicarb Of Soda this evening, which quickly raised my PH back upto 7.2...i shall keep a close eye on that.

Many thanks, Terry.

 

[waterdrop]

If it settles around the lower sevens then you can go ahead and add another teaspoon and try to tank it on up closer to eight, which is optimal. WD