Water Test Result Today

[slowthing]

Just did a water test and results are:

Ammonia was 0ppm
Nitrite was 5ppm (Near to being off the chart)
Nitrate was 15ppm (Same as our tap water)

Does this sound OK? I'm adding half the initial amount of ammonia every other day. Last time I did a test the ammonia was about 5ppm and nitrites about 0.75ppm The nitrite seems to be spiking but the nitrate levels aren't changing. I'm into the 3rd week of cycling. As of yet I've done no water changes but have topped the tank up with a couple of litres every now and then due to evaporation (tank is 53l).

 

[Frost]

Ammonia was 0ppm
Nitrite was 5ppm (Near to being off the chart)
Nitrate was 15ppm (Same as our tap water)

I'm also in the 3rd week of cycling, so maybe comparing tests could help?
mine are:

Ammonia was 0ppm
Nitrite was 4ppm (But just did a test this morning to find they are now 0.5 (within 12 hours they went from 4ppm to 0.5ppm)
Nitrate was 30ppm (our tap water is 0)

I'm guessing you just need to wait out for your nitrites to vanish and your nitrates will go up then? Hope this gives you something to compare to (although mines probably bad too?)

Frost

 

[slowthing]

Ammonia was 0ppm
Nitrite was 5ppm (Near to being off the chart)
Nitrate was 15ppm (Same as our tap water)

I'm also in the 3rd week of cycling, so maybe comparing tests could help?
mine are:

Ammonia was 0ppm
Nitrite was 4ppm (But just did a test this morning to find they are now 0.5 (within 12 hours they went from 4ppm to 0.5ppm)
Nitrate was 30ppm (our tap water is 0)

I'm guessing you just need to wait out for your nitrites to vanish and your nitrates will go up then? Hope this gives you something to compare to (although mines probably bad too?)

Frost

Thanks for the reply Frost

 

[rdd1952]

It will most likely take a while before you see an increase in the nitrate. Nitrite processing bacteria develop slower than those that process ammonia so that part is slower. It usually takes about twice as long for the nitrite spike to drop as it did the first ammonia to drop. So if your first 4 to 6 ppm of ammonia dropped to zero in 7 days, then the nitrite should usually drop in another 14.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Yup, it's getting on it's way OK. Just to wait for the nitrite to start to go down now.