Help, please. Fishless cycle gone crazy.

[cginflorida]

I set up a 10 gal QT tank and my 75 gal on 7/16. Doing fishless cycling on both, adding clear ammonia. The 75 is coming along fine, and the QT was doing great until yesterday, things started getting screwy.

Here are the readings for the QT from the start:
7/19 ammonia 0.5-1.0, nitrite 0.5
7/21 ammonia 5.0, nitrite 5.0
7/22 didn't test ammonia or nitrites; nitrates about 7
7/24 ammonia 0, nitrite 5+, nitrate about 7
7/26 ammonia 0, nitrite 5+, nitrate 7-8
7/29 didn't test ammonia; nitrite 5, nitrate 7-8
7/31 ammonia 4-6, nitrite 2-3, nitrate 7-8
8/1 ammonia 6, nitrite 0, nitrates off the chart

On Friday 7/30 I moved a silk plant I had in the cycling QT to my established 10 gal with the betta and 4 otos. When I got the wacky readings yesterday, I moved it back to the QT. Could that have messed things up? That's the only thing I can think of.

Anyway, what should I do to get back on track? Should I do maybe a 50% water change in the QT?

I could kick myself for moving that plant, I wasn't thinking. :x

 

[TankGirl]

I suppose that plant could have had enough bacteria on it to cause a setback in its absence. Is it the same test kit? I guess if all other things are unchanged then you would have to blame the plant. Interesting. I am now waiting to see how quickly the ammonia is consumed and returned to zero after the return of the plant. No change in temperature, or other events?

I would wait a day or so and see if the ammonia doesn't go back down. If it does not, then do a water change and see if you can get the ammonia down to 4 or 5.

 

[cginflorida]

Thanks, TG.

No, nothing else changed. Same test kits, no change in temp.

So, I guess I shouldn't add any more ammonia until it comes down a bit?

 

[TankGirl]

Right.

Let us know how it tests out tomorrow - I am very interested in different experiences people have with a cycle. (Boy - that sounds sounds like I lead a pathetic life, doesn't it? :? )

 

[krap101]

hmm that doesnt sound right. ya kno. okay nitrates cant go anywhere. unless theres plants. either you did something, didnt dechlorinate your water (if u did water change) or something. after theres some bacteria in the water and it did cycle for a lil bit there should at least be some nitrites. but since the nitrates showd up and now theres neither... i dont have any idea 8O

 

[cginflorida]

krap, I did dechlor the water when I set up the tank, and I haven't done any water changes. The only change has been moving the silk plant. Since it's a QT tank, I didn't put in any gravel. There are 2 decorations and 2 silk plants, an airstone and a biowheel HOB filter (which had been running on the established 10 gal, that's why the cycle got going pretty fast).

So, I think that plant had to have a lot of bacteria on it, and moving it just messed things up. It was only gone 1 day before I put it back, so hopefully things will get back to normal soon.

I'll post my test readings later today.

 

[cginflorida]

I just tested again, and the readings are about the same as yesterday. The ammonia might be a little bit lower, it's hard to tell. The nitrates are still really high, and zero nitrites.

I just put some hornwort in the established 10 gal, my first live plants. Should I put some in the QT now to help reduce the nitrates?

:?

 

[TankGirl]

If there is good lighting in the QT it should help with nitrates, but still keep an eye on it - water changes are the solution if that fails. They have to really be growing like crazy to suck up those 'trates (at least in my experience - you may have better results). It definitely won't hurt, LOL!

 

[cginflorida]

Things are definitely improving, thanks to adding the hornwort. I put some in my betta/oto tank because the nitrates were climbing too high. Yesterday they were at 40, maybe more. Added the hornwort, today they're down to 5. Yesterday I also had some ammonia, 0.25. Today 0. Nitrites have stayed at 0.

In the troublesome QT, I also added hornwort. Yesterday the nitrates were off the charts, today they're at 30-40. The ammonia has also gone down a little - now at 5 to 5.5, and there's a trace of nitrite, about 0.1

Hurray for hornwort!

 

[TankGirl]

Hooray, indeed! The plant will uptake the ammonia as well as the nitrate, as you can see, so it makes a cycle a bit different. You may be able to add fish sooner this way. I guess you have the perfect conditions for that hornwort to do its thing.