cycle complete ?

[Joefrommi65]

Hey all, I have a 29 gal. that I started a cycle(it has been about 2 weeks) with a bunch of fake plants,I fluval 70 hob(was an extra in my 55 gal tank and has been running in there for about 2 months) and some java fern and java moss.The question I have is I am doing a fishless cycle useing ammonia and I raise my ammonia lvl to 4 ppm in the next day or two my nitrites spike (over 5 ppm with the api liquid test kit but the best I can due for nitrates is at best 10 ppm and then it drops back off. I have always read that when you see a spike in nitrites after a day or so you should see them drop and see a spike in nitrates,I am seeing the nitrites drop but not the nitrates would this be cycled useing seeded filter and other stuff?
Thanks in advance ,Joe

 

[Mebbid]

If the nitrates are dropping then the most likely reason is that the java moss is using it. I would worry less about the nitrate numbers and more about the ammonia / nitrite. When you dose up to 4ppm ammonia and within 24 hours if there is no trace of either nitrite or ammonia then the cycle is finished.

 

[Joefrommi65]

thanks, I was thinking that but this is my first real planted tank and I had no idea that the plants would lower nitrates that much .

 

[Mebbid]

Oh yeah, it is surprising how much they can drop. my 55g medium light tank will bottom out at 0 nitrates without too much difficulty and my very high light 10g tank will go from 30ppm to 0 in 5 hours

 

[bud29]

The nitrates are dropping off? Or the nitrites? Java moss and java ferns are slow growers, so they really cannot absorb enough NO3 to make a really noticeable difference in a larger tank. I suspect that if nitrates are dropping without water changes, there may be something wrong with the testing. API nitrate test are finicky. The key is to shake the snot out of bottle #2. If you don't, the test may be inaccurate.

 

[Joefrommi65]

I will try that Thanks

 

[Joefrommi65]

OMG......Thanks so much Bud, I checked Nitrates again after shaking bottle #2 and it went from under 10 ppm up to well over 40ppm sure am glad I asked now to check the rest of my tanks.......Thank you