Fishless cycle, is this right?

[EndlersEatGuppies]

to my opinion you are fine to start getting fish. just do a 3g PWV and u should be fine.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Am I close to being cycled?

I'm now on day 25 of my fishless cycle in my 10g. Yesterdays tests showed 0.25 ammonia, 1.0 nitrite and 80 nitrate. Added ammonia and retested at 4.0.
Today's test again shows 0.25 ammonia with 0.5 nitrite and 40 nitrate.
So it is getting rid of the ammonia pretty rapidly but only ever down to 0.25.
Thoughts?

I'd say you're cycled, just remember to keep the bacteria fed until you get fish. Before putting fish in, do 50% PWC and double check the water.

Good Job and happy fish keeping .

 

[EndlersEatGuppies]

I'd say you're cycled, just remember to keep the bacteria fed until you get fish. Before putting fish in, do 50% PWC and double check the water.

Good Job and happy fish keeping .

+1

 

[BigJim]

Try a big PWC (75%) and redose your ammonia. Sometimes a little fresh water clears up the trace ammonia levels or whatever may be giving you a false ammonia reading.

 

[Goonermatt]

Thanks all. Will try large pwc and an ammonia redose tomorrow and see what results come of that.

 

[EndlersEatGuppies]

Try a big PWC (75%) and redose your ammonia. Sometimes a little fresh water clears up the trace ammonia levels or whatever may be giving you a false ammonia reading.

i don't think thats necessary.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Try a big PWC (75%) and redose your ammonia. Sometimes a little fresh water clears up the trace ammonia levels or whatever may be giving you a false ammonia reading.

What's a "false ammonia reading" and can you provide a link to quantify that statement?

(no rookie, an outside source lol)

 

[ejaramillo01]

i don't think thats necessary.

I think that it is better safe than sorry. So I agree with BigJim, if you wait 25 days, and you are almost there, a PWC and two more days are not going to hurt.
Also IMO the color difference between 0 and 0.25ppm of ammonia in the API chart is hard to differentiate. So maybe you are already at 0 ....

 

[BigJim]

From experience, I've found that during a fishless cycle it's common to see trace ammonia and nitrite readings. My guess is that the beneficial bacteria use up the free ammonia and nitrite before the bound ammonia and nitrite. A big PWC usually clears up whatever causes the false readings.

It's also possible your test tubes could be contaminated. It doesn't take much to cause a positive reading.