Nitrites Vanished

[cookie_db]

Well the ammonia is still dropping although its has slowed down the time it takes rather than sped up in the past couple of day but still no nitrite reading. I really have no idea what the best thing for me to do now is.

Any ideas?

Thanx
Dani

 

[rdd1952]

I can only assume that the plants are using everything up and that you should be ok to add fish. I would just keep a close check on the readings after you do.

 

[cookie_db]

My only concern is the fact the the ammonia is now taking over 24hrs to be used up where as the beginning of last week it was being used in just under 24hrs. I thought the process should speed up rather than down, or am I wrong? I don't want to put fish in unless I'm at least 99% sure no harm should come to them.

Also could lack of aeration be a problem? I don't think my gas exchange is that good as my filter only causes ripples on the waters surface rather than breaking it.

Thanx
Dani

 

[rdd1952]

Aeration could definitely be a problem. With the higher temperatures of a fishless cycle, oxygen is forced from the water so the bacteria don't have enough to survive and build. Set up an airstone to create more surface disturbance.

 

[cookie_db]

OK I'll do that. Any recommendations on what one? It's one of the only things I haven't looked at and have no idea what I'll be looking at. Tank holds 57 gallons if that helps.

Thanx
Dani

 

[rdd1952]

They have the tank ratings on the box and a chart that tells how many stones they will operate at what depth. I think they are a little off most of the times but at least close. Also, don't go for the cheapest one as it will probably also be the noisiest one. They can be load and very annoying if they are in the living room or bedroom and you are trying to talk, watch TV or sleep. I have a few Rena air pumps and they are dead quiet but are a little more expensive.

 

[GoldLenny]

Is your water soft or hard? You should have the GH and KH tested on a regular basis.. a few times a year.. to see how it changes with the seasons. Mine gets harder and higher pH during the hot summer months. If you have soft water, the N-bacteria utilize KH and when the KH gets too low, the pH will crash and the cycle will stall.

 

[cookie_db]

Will definalty want a quiet one as my tank is in the front room. I don't mind paying the extra when it's worth it. Probably won't be able to get one for a few days though.

I don't have the tests for those and don't plan on getting them at the moment. At a guess I'd say my water is hard being where I live.

I'll let you know what happens once I get my pump and have had it running for a few days.

Thanx
Dani

 

[cookie_db]

Well I added the airpump on wed night. Ammonia is still slowly being processed. Last time I added any ammonia was thurs though. Here are my test results from this morning.

pH 6.4
Ammonia 2
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5

My pH has fallen quite a bit now, was originally 8 although my tap water is 7.2 Is it worth me doing a partial water change to raise the pH again? I understand is it falls much lower it could stall my cycle. Any comments appreciated.

Thanx
Dani

 

[cookie_db]

Well maybe my nitrites never vanished. Just been reading through the fishless cycle post and decided I'd read through all of it. Got to page 12 and there's someone who says 'If when you add the liquid it starts off purple and then changes to greeny blue then you are in fact off the charts'. This is exactly what my test has been doing and because it looks closest to 0 after 5 mins that's the result I've been recording. I still think I needed the airstone though as my ammonia process slowed down and seems to be picking up a bit now. Think I'm going to do a partial water change later today to raise the pH before it gets too low and the cycle stalls.

Dani

 

[cookie_db]

Seem to be talking to myself at the moment but just thought I'd let you know how things are going. Changed approx 10 gallons of water yesterday, which raised my pH up to 7.2 Raised the ammonia again to 4ppm at about 3pm yesterday and by this morning I'm back down to 1ppm. As my pH crashed this process definalty slowed down as it was taking 2-3 days to drop. Just need to wait for the nitrite to start dropping and I'll be really happy

Dani