Update Of Cycle, Am I Doin Ok?!

[jo_85]

Day 7 of cycle, reading as follows

Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate
24/9 0ppm 0ppm n/a
25/9 4ppm 0ppm n/a
27/9 4ppm 0ppm n/a
29/9 4ppm 1ppm n/a
1/10 2ppm 2ppm 5ppm
2/10 0.5ppm 5ppm 20ppm

I have just increased my ammonia back up to 4ppm, is this correct? According to the fish-less cycle info on here that i am following i will see a spike in nitrite where it will go off my chart. should i carry on testing all 3 on a daily basis or is there no need in testing for nitrate now i know its there? Thanks for the help

 

[BigIan]

yep thats the ticket

 

[Gvilleguy]

Wow - that's a quick cycle so far. You are correct to dose your ammonia back up to 4 ppm. If you are using the liquid API test kit, the nitrites are already off that chart, yes? I think 5 ppm is as high as it measures.

It certainly does not hurt to keep a chart showing your measurements of all 3, but the first focus is on getting ammonia so that you are processing 4 ppm in 12 hours or less. So keep adding ammonia when the measurement gets near zero. After that you then wait for nitrites to follow the same pattern.

You'll want to monitor your pH every few days. If it crashes to 6.0 the entire process might stall until you bump it back up. Just post back here if that happens.

And regarding the nitrites - when they get too high to measure on the API - you might get a strange color result that is not even on the card - like a grey'ish color. The quick way to spot nitrites being too high to measure it to look at the drops as they go into the test tube - if they immediately turn a dark purple color, then nitrites are high.

 

[jo_85]

Thanks for the replies. I have just tested my PH and it is currently just off the chart, would guess at 7.8 or 8? Is this ok?
Yes i am using API testing kit so have no idea where my nitrite actually is!!

 

[Gvilleguy]

Did you use the high range pH tester? That pH level is fine. Waterdrop would be even happier if that pH was around 8.2 to 8.4, as the bacteria seem to love that range. But since your cycle seems to be progressing quickly, I would not worry about changing that yet. I'd stay the course and see where you are in a week.

 

[jo_85]

No i used the regular PH, Just used high PH test and i would say its somewhere between 8.2 and 8.4, so on track there! Its a strange colour, hard to match it up exactly. What do you mean by waterdrop? Thanks for the help

 

[Gvilleguy]

Waterdrop is a user on this forum with a LOT of experience. It would be unusual for you to not hear from WD at some point during your aquarium experience here! Sounds like you are good to go on your pH level.

 

[waterdrop]

This case looks to have entered the nitrite spike phase, so the ammonia dosing could be eased down to only 2 or 3ppm, not 5ppm for now.

~~waterdrop~~
ps. Welcome to TFF jo_85.

 

[jo_85]

Hi, just an update and question. My tank has been processing ammonia in 12 hours now for 3 days and i am waiting for my nitrite spike to ease. Should i be dosing with ammonia every 12 hours when it is 0ppm or still every 24 hours? I'm currently dosing every 12 but not sure if this is correct? Thanks

 

[Mo1959]

Hi Jo. Just dose every 24 hours. Test after 12. Once ammonia and nitrites are showing zero at your 12 hour test you are ready to start your qualifying week.

 

[waterdrop]

Each of the 3 phases of the fishless cycling process carries the possibility of trying your patience. You are in the second phase and your job is to just keep testing your ammonia, nitrite(NO2) and pH levels and re-dosing 2-3ppm ammonia at the 24 hour mark if your ammonia has come down to zero ppm and if your pH is still above 6.4-6.6 or so. If your pH has dropped in to the low 6's then a full water change would be in order, but that only happens to people with low KH (a type of low mineral content.) (you don't really need 12 hour tests during the nitrite spike phase unless you are just curious)

Eventually one day you will perform your 24 hour nitrite(NO2) test and will be surprised that nitrite seems to have suddenly dropped to zero or close to that. It will seem sudden but actually your bacteria will have been steadily getting larger and better at reducing the nitrite backlog and finally their accomplishments that day will be down past the 5ppm max range of the limited little test.

Unfortunately, that will just mark a point in the journey and you will begin watching the nitrite level of the -12- hour test to see when they can get -that- down to zero. And its not steady, the amount of time it takes can vary day to day and seem to go backwards, but if you watch over a weeks time you should be able to detect some sort of movement, light or significant. Does that make sense?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[jo_85]

Yes that makes sense, will stop adding ammonia every 12 hours and only add at the 24 hour mark. Had a feeling I was adding too much, might take a little longer now for my nitrites to drop with the double ammonia dosing. Nitrites are currently way off the chart and my PH last night was still around 7.2/7.4. Will keep testing every 12 hours and will check in when I see a change in nitrites.
Thanks for the help
Jo

 

[waterdrop]

You can do a total water change and recharge ammonia any time you feel like it, for instance on a weekend when you have time and feel like playing with your tank. What this does during a fishless cycle is to get rid of the excess nitrites and nitrates that can slow down the N-Bac development rate. In a case where there's been some excess, this could help. Overall we don't like to do too many water changes (if any at all) during the first two phases of fishless cycling but if water changes cause any disturbance at all its usually only a day pause and often not even that. WD

 

[jo_85]

Ive just done my 24 hour test and my nitrite stayed at 1ppm for about 1 minute before changing to over 5ppm. Does this mean it is starting to fall? As usually it goes dark purple before i even shake the test tube.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, that's a good sign. Although the nitrite(NO2) test can't clearly resolve concentrations higher than about 5ppm, we all get used to the patterns like that that we see while we are carrying out the test. The instant behavior we see right as the reagents go in does give us a hint I think. Immediate shiny dark purple means quite high over 5ppm, whereas what you're describing indicates its getting closer down to a real 5ppm. Hang in there!

~~waterdrop~~