Tetra Safe Start And Cycling My New Tank

[snazy]

Well, I thought of that too, but nitrates are also locked on the same colour. By my calculations they should have gone over 40ppm by now. It's probably the plants

 

[Dieses Madchen]

The plants are eating your nitrates

 

[snazy]

Results updated, no change.
Our car is gone, so I can't go to a fish shop as there aren't any near me. I think if I fugure out how to go there, I am getting another TSS bottle to deal with these nitrites. No intention to wait for them.
I'll let you know.

 

[snazy]

Actually, thinking of it, one of the things I didn't do this time is add tetra safe start at the nitrite spike. I think I am going to the shop this evening for sure.

 

[snazy]

Results up. I didn't bother testing the nitrates as my test tubes started running empty.
The nitrites I thought are the same as yesterday, but looking at the pictures they might as well be a little darker. Ammonia is 0, so I redosed to 0.75ppm and I added a 250ml bottle of Tetra safe start.
So I'll wait and see.

 

[snazy]

I need some advice.

I just tested the water now to compare the results. Have a look at the pic below. Ammonia is down to 0 for less than 5 hours, nitrite I am still trying to figure out. What do you think based on the pic below?

Question is, do I leave it at 0 ammonia till tomorrow, or should I dose a bit again to keep it going for another 7-8 hours till tomorrow?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Not dosing won't harm. The AOB will survive just fine. However, I think your nitrite is being used up as fast as it's produced (i.e. you're at or near the nitrite peak), so dosing 1ppm ammonia will, at worst, take the nitrite up to 5ppm, and it should then continue to hold or start to drop. So I'd compromise and dose a 0.5ppm if you can, just to give the AOB something to nibble on.

What's your nitrate reading?

 

[snazy]

I just did a test. I put 2.5ml tank and 2.5ml tap water and the right tube is the colour I got.

I am wondering, that would mean that nitrites are indeed 2ppm

I'll do a nitrate test now and dose a 0.50ppm then just in case.

 

[snazy]

Redosed 1.75ml ammonia, or very slightly more and tested the nitrates. They look to me 40+

 

[Prime Ordeal]

It's difficult to be sure because the nitrite will read as nitrate in the nitrate test, even so I think you're about to start seeing dropping nitrites in the next day or so.

 

[snazy]

Last time, from adding a additional dose of TSS at the nitrite spike, it took a day and something for the nitrites to go down to 0 and never reappear anymore. So let's see

 

[snazy]

Just tested, ammonia gone down to 0 again. NitrIte is the same old story of 2ppm+.
I redosed 2ml, just over 0.50ppm

 

[snazy]

Tested again as that ammonia goes down fairly quick. Redosed to 0.60ppm again. Nitrite is absolutely the same colour. Results updated on post1/page1

 

[snazy]

Sick of redosing the ammonia. It's again down to 0, the nitrItes same colour. Tested the Ph low and high and is still 7.6(I only have 3 tubes left so couldn't take a picture of all at once). Redosed to 0.60ppm

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Snazy it won't harm to take the dosing up to 2ppm at this stage to avoid having to dose so often.