Ph Dropped To 6.6

[yuki71]

I would do a massive water change. There's no sense in letting all the excess nitrite just sit in the tank. The bacteria you are trying to cultivate prefer levels on the order of 0.14ppm, not 5+ppm. So, the water change will do TWO things for you. First, it will enable you to easily raise the pH by taking out the nitrAtes that caused the creash. Second, it will remove the excess nitrItes that will cause the wrong bacteria to increase.


Add baking soda to raise the pH after refilling with dechlorinated water. You can either add the dechlorinator to the tank for the entire volume of water the tank holds, or you can add it to each bucket individually for the amount the bucket holds. The baking soda will raise the pH, and you want it to be around 8.4 or so. That is the range that is optimal for the bacteria growth you are trying to achieve.

It looks like you've already dropped your dosage, so just wait it out a little more.

currently cycling 160litre tank, by adding a small splash of pure ammonia in each day. The ammonia is getting processed quickly (partly due to tank being planted). Tank at 30C degrees

had nitrites off charts for about 3 weeks.

eventually tested pH and realised it was low too (6.2 ish)

did 95% water change, nitrites still off charts, chucked some 'pH up' powder (which is prob just bicarb) in

next day...nitrites still off the charts

did 2nd 95% water change, nitrites at 0.5ppm

next day...nitrites back off the charts

did 3rd 95% water change, nitrites at 0.5ppm

next day...nitrites back off the charts.

started to get a bit miffed at this point, so got an eyedropper and started measuring the ammonia drops each day
(yes i should have done that from day 1 )

i added 8 drops a day, and changed 27Litre of water a day (got tired of doing 95%)

still getting nitrites off charts 24 hours later

added a 2nd airstone to tank

started just putting in 4 or 5 drops of ammonia a day

finally i've had a couple of days in a row where nitrites are 0.5ppm without doing water change..so hopefully i'm close now to being cycled

just posting this as FYI for the OP, confirming that the same things eagleaquarium said to do, seem to work..just might take a couple of days to see results

right
i should of read this first

by the way i have not had a nitrAte spike yet

 

[chokko]

got plants in there that might be soaking up nitrAtes?

you reminded me that i havent tested my nitrates. done it now though...they're barely readable...i have an Anubais on wood, a few Java Fern and a few Ambulia in the tank

 

[yuki71]

got plants in there that might be soaking up nitrAtes?

you reminded me that i havent tested my nitrates. done it now though...they're barely readable...i have an Anubais on wood, a few Java Fern and a few Ambulia in the tank

tank is completely empty apart from sand bed

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The reason you don't have any nitrates showing up is that you don't have a sizable N-bac colony yet. Which is why the nitrites keep going off the chart. N-bacs are much slower in developing than A-bacs. Patience is the key.

You might consider dropping your ammonia dose to 2ppm for a few days after the water change to eliminate the nitrites. (To answer the question how much and how often: right now and 100% - you don't want to be changing water all the time because that makes fishless much less worth the effort than fish-in, so you only would do a water change if absolutely necessary, like if your nitrites are off the chart for a full week, or you experience a pH crash.)

Once the nitrite starts to stay on the chart, up the dose back to 3ppm. Keep the dose there until you hit double zeros in 24 hours. Then slowly increase the dose back up to 4-5ppm.

 

[yuki71]

ok after another 100% water change i have nitrItes at 0.50-1.0
i will dose 2ppm of ammonia tonight and report back tomorrow

 

[yuki71]

ok after another 100% water change i have nitrItes at 0.50-1.0
i will dose 2ppm of ammonia tonight and report back tomorrow

happy days
ammonia 0ppm
nitrItes 0ppm

will add another 2ppm tonight

 

[eaglesaquarium]

ok after another 100% water change i have nitrItes at 0.50-1.0
i will dose 2ppm of ammonia tonight and report back tomorrow

happy days
ammonia 0ppm
nitrItes 0ppm

will add another 2ppm tonight

I would consider upping that to 2.5 or 3 ppm.

 

[yuki71]

ok after another 100% water change i have nitrItes at 0.50-1.0
i will dose 2ppm of ammonia tonight and report back tomorrow

happy days
ammonia 0ppm
nitrItes 0ppm

will add another 2ppm tonight

I would consider upping that to 2.5 or 3 ppm.

will up to 3ppm tonight
got double zero in 12hrs

if that works will try 5ppm

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You might be a bit overly expectant. The 12 hour double zero is good to see. It might not be able to double zero in 12 hours with a 50% increase in dose. However, it might. If it does, I might just go to 4ppm, rather than all the way up to 5ppm. But, jumping back to 5ppm can't actually hurt anything.

 

[yuki71]

update
upped to 4ppm took 16hrs but still on chart
nitrAtes are red red red

getting very close (i hope)

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yup... things are coming closer. Remain patient, the end is getting closer.


Have you looked at what you plan to stock?

 

[yuki71]

well i'm officially cycled yay
hitting constant zero's now

off to lfs tonight to what i like

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Are they reaching zeros in 12 hours for both ammonia and nitrite?

 

[yuki71]

Are they reaching zeros in 12 hours for both ammonia and nitrite?

yes now 5ppm and zero's for both

i plan on emptying the tank,lowering temp and adding some fish tomorrow
hopefully some harlequin rasbora and a trio of gourami

 

[eaglesaquarium]

What type of gourami? That's a pretty broad group.