Please Help!

[OldMan47]

There is no need to add ammonia more than daily. If any at all is left the next day, your filter is not yet processing it all and the remaining amount has kept the filter AOBs growing their population.
Meanwhile, a nitrite rise may be happening if you are processing lots of ammonia. Any zero reading for ammonia at 24 hours deserves an add of ammonia to bring levels to around 2 ppm. The nitrite bacteria will then have plenty of nitrites to expand their numbers. Until you are processing both ammonia and nitrites to zero in 12 hours or so, you are not done.

 

[-Jo-]

I test my ammonia at 7pm each day. Both Ammonia and Nitrite have been 0ppm for a week now when I test it on a 24 hour period. I add some drops of ammonia to get it to 2ppm - but thats it. It is just the one dose daily of ammonia. I am just waiting now for both to reduce to 0ppm in 12 hours.

Not that Im going to rush on and buy fish - but I read yesterday (will try and find the link again and post it if I can) that it is not essential for the 12 hour or less period of cycling. It said in the article that once your tank is reducing ammonia and nitrite to 0ppm in 24 hours, your tank cycle is complete. Im guessing that this is wrong then?

 

[OldMan47]

All of us disagree on when to call a cycle complete. We tend to be a bit conservative here ob TFF and insist on a 12 hour processing time, because it has proven to be more reliable. Other places will allow that a 24 hour processing time is good enough. Since you will find both on the intenet, you will need to decide for yourself what you are willing to accept. If you go shorter and accept the 24 hour hour point, you are still welcome to come back here when you get in trouble using that approach.

 

[fluttermoth]

I'd say, look at it like this; your filter is cycled, but only just.

You have the good bacteria, but only just enough; keep feeding it for a few more days, and the colony will expand until it can deal with the ammonia easily. then you'll be good to get some fish

 

[-Jo-]

Oh i was definitly going to wait for the 12 hour cycle period - there is no point in rushing into buying fish if the tank is not ready. There is just no point to it howver excited and inpatient I am getting! ha! I was just curious to see how people felt about this, and whether it was ok to do it. Its just that there is soooooo many differences of opinion in this hobby that its sometimes hard to know which one to go for. But yes, i was definitly going to wait for the 12 hours.

its been 6 days that my ammonia and nitrite have been dropping at 0ppm - and its only doing 24 hours. There is still ammonia and nitrite after 12 hours. The only thing that has changed is my PH. it was at 7.6 but has now dropped to 7.2.

 

[-Jo-]

Its been 9 days that my tank has been cycling in 24 hours. I tested today, and the ammonia and Nitrite are at 0ppm - but the PH level has dropped significantly. It started at 7.6, dropped to 7.2, and today its come in at 6.6.

Do i need to do a water change? I have found that my PH levels do tend to drop - can anyone suggest anything that I might need to be adding to the tank to keep it level?

My nitrate levels are high too - 80ppm. I know these will go down with a water change - but could this be having any effect with my ph levels? I am cycling without plants!

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Hi Jo..one of two things is happening here,
1/ Your NitrAtes are very, very high..causing your PH to crash.
2/ And/or you live in area of very soft water, which (with it's low buffering capacity) will always be prone to PH crashes.

Did you have any other PH crashes during your fishless cycle? If not, it maybe the NitrAtes.If so, i would recommend doing a KH/GH test and finding out the type of water area you live in.
A water change now wouldn't hurt. Those beneificial bacteria you have grown enjoy warm, fresh, dechlorinated, mineral rich water..plus, it should get your PH back upto an acceptable level for the remainder of your cycle (but remember to re-test and possibly re-dose after a water change).

Should you prove you live in an area of soft water then bicarb of soda can be added as a short term measure and crushed coral can be added when you have your fish as a long term measure

Terry.

 

[-Jo-]

your right, I do live in an are with very soft water. My KH/GH result came back as:

KH: 53.7ppm (3 drops)
GH: 71.6ppm (4 drops)

I had one PH crash before, but it was ok after a water change. so is it best to add bicarbonate of soda into the water when i see a change in ph? how much is usually the amount to put in?