Low nitrates

[cowgrlw]

Hi everyone!

I'm a very new aquarist (I love that term!). I'm fishless cycling a 29 gallon tank with pure ammonia, and I've been at this for just over 3 weeks (since July 14). The heater has kept the tank temp at 82F, air bubbler wand is on, plastic plants and rocks are in, no substrate. I've been reading and researching a ton about the *right* way to start a tank, the problems, etc., but I'm finding a lot of conflicting information. I started with no ammonia and two frozen cooked shrimp. But that got pretty reeky in just a few days, so I bought some pure ammonia and switched to using that. I've also researched and gone to see (drool over) the types of fish I want and I've been very patiently waiting for the tank to cycle.

I have an API Master Test Kit that I've been keeping track of my numbers with. For the past five days, the ammonia has been dropping. The nitrites went up to over 5.0 ppm 4 days ago and stayed there for 3 days. Yesterday, the nitrites had dropped to less than 2.0 and today they are at 0. The ammonia has been dropping to 0.25 or less by morning for the past 5 days and I've been dosing it up to just over 4.0 ppm with pure ammonia each morning. Yesterday, the ammonia was gone within 12 hours, so I dosed it a second time (not sure that was a good idea). Today, the nitrites are 0, ammonia nearly 0, so I'm getting there -- I think.

I've been testing for nitrates for the past five days, too. It started at 1.0 ppm and has gone up very slowly to 5.0 ppm after 4 days, but hasn't budged since. I tried the banging-the-bottle-on-the-table-and-shaking-the-bottle thing with Nitrate bottle #2, but it didn't change the results.

Is that normal for the nitrates to stay so low? I thought they should have spiked by now? Should I continue to dose with ammonia and wait until the nitrates spike? Or is the tank ready for fish now and it's time to do a water change?

I've read that I should do a 50% water change, that I *shouldn't* do a water change, that I should keep dosing ammonia once a day, that I should dose ammonia twice a day, that I *shouldn't* dose ammonia at all. I'm SO confused! But I can't find any info on low nitrates, at all, and I'm worried that I've lost my good bacteria after all this effort. But I hope I'm still heading down the right path and that, just maybe, I'm in better shape than I think I am. Can anyone offer any advice?

I was also wondering about the bubbler tube. It's covered in clear slime that has started to get black spots under it. Is this a good or bad thing?

Thanks in advance for any advice/encouragement/help. I could sure use some right about now.

Wendy

 

[PB_Smith]

If your system is breaking down the ammonia you added in less than 24 hours, and same with nitrite, you are good to go.

Don't worry about the nitrate level, as long as it is showing up then you know the system is fully breaking down the waste.
Trust me, once you start adding livestock you will be cursing nitrates and wishing they would stay at 5ppm LOL.

You should go ahead and do about a 50%-60% water change, let it ride for another day with no dosing, then go pick out your first couple of fish!

Just remember to add livestock slowly, only 1-2 to start, to allow the beneficial bacteria time to adjust to the new bio-load.

Don't worry about the slimy tube, it is just a bacterial slime and harmless. You will see those come and go throughout the life of your aquarium. The spots are most likely algae.
Sounds like you are on the right track and should be able to add fish by the weekend.

 

[cowgrlw]

If your system is breaking down the ammonia you added in less than 24 hours, and same with nitrite, you are good to go.

Don't worry about the nitrate level, as long as it is showing up then you know the system is fully breaking down the waste.
Trust me, once you start adding livestock you will be cursing nitrates and wishing they would stay at 5ppm LOL.

You should go ahead and do about a 50%-60% water change, let it ride for another day with no dosing, then go pick out your first couple of fish!

Just remember to add livestock slowly, only 1-2 to start, to allow the beneficial bacteria time to adjust to the new bio-load.

Don't worry about the slimy tube, it is just a bacterial slime and harmless. You will see those come and go throughout the life of your aquarium. The spots are most likely algae.
Sounds like you are on the right track and should be able to add fish by the weekend.

Thanks so much, PB! I've been waiting for what seems like forever for this! It works out perfectly with a planned trip to town, too, so I'm hoping those little fishies are still waiting there for me.

I had read that I could add 50-60% of the total number of fish I'm planning to put in the tank right away. I'm only getting guppies and I was planning to buy 5 this weekend (if they're still there). That should be okay right off the bat, right? From what I've read, they don't produce much waste and I need enough to keep the cycle going. Let me know if I'm wrong on that.

Thank you again!! I'm SO excited for the weekend now!!

Wendy

 

[absolutangel04]

I agree that it sounds like you are cycled. How much ammonia were you dosing? I agree about stocking slow, but assuming you were dosing a decent amount of ammonia, you will be fine with adding 5 guppies. Just keep an eye on your params.

 

[Bloodroot]

You just outlined what a pretty perfect no fish cycle should look like! Great job!

Go have fun at the fish store!

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[cowgrlw]

Low nitrates -- UPDATE

UDATE: So I dosed up to 4.0 ppm of ammonia one last time yesterday, after I'd done a 50% PWC. In my defense, I did it because that's what I read to do in "The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling" from here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html That's what I've been following up until I made the original post here, so I thought I should follow what he said to do "one last time" (and you're probably all shaking your heads right about now).

Now comes the bad news. I did the 50% water change, which is all hard water and I used the water conditioner, but this time I didn't add salt (which I forgot to mention before that I had added when I started the tank). I checked the ammonia this morning and it was just above 0 ppm, nitrites were at 1.0 ppm, and the nitrates had fallen to below 5 (very dark yellow)! I had removed the bubbler when I did the PWC and I put the water temp back down to 76F, so that's what I thought might have made the difference in the cycle. (By the way, the water was really cold when I did the PWC so I couldn't turn on the heater until this morning. When there are fish in the tank, I usually warm some of the water on the stove and mix it with the colder water to the right temp before I add it, but I haven't been doing that since there are no fish right now.) I then put the bubbler back in and hiked the water temp back up to 77F in hopes that something will help. I waited until 24 hours after I'd done the PWC, and tested again -- the nitrites are now at 2.0 and the nitrates are even closer to 0! I again raised the heater to what will make the tank 82F, and I will also cover it again to block the light as that seemed to work pretty well before.

If I hadn't added the ammonia, it probably would have all been fine. But now it's not and it looks like there won't be any new fish this weekend after all.

Wendy

 

[absolutangel04]

Don't worry about it too much. Sorry for the stall, but it can happen. You bacteria may not be quite ready. How are your numbers looking now?

 

[cowgrlw]

absoluteangel104, thanks for your replies. I've been dosing 2.5 tsps of ammonia each morning, if the ammonia level is at 0.25. That brings it up just under 4 ppm.

For the past two days, morning parameters have been Ammonia 0.25 ppm, Nitrites were 2.0 yesterday but dropped to 0.25 by this morning, and Nitrates that were gone a few days ago have climbed again to somewhere between 0 and 5 ppm. (I think around 3.0?) My High pH has gone from 7.4 right after last Thursday's 50% pwc to 8.0 this morning. But I hear that's a good thing, so I'm not worried about it anymore.

I just wish I had a clear and definite sign the cycle has completed, instead of all this waffling back and forth. But I know it hasn't completed, and I really want to do this right. I know... patience. But it will be 4 weeks on Aug. 14, so my patience is wearing a bit thin by now. My daughter says she thinks I'll forever be taking care of a nice tank of water.

Wendy

 

[absolutangel04]

Even a fishless cycle can take like 6 weeks or more. I know patience stinks sometimes. Every cycle is different, and some take longer than others.
I apologize if you said this and I missed it, but do you have live plants?

 

[cowgrlw]

No, I only have plastic plants.

 

[absolutangel04]

Ok, that is fine. I was just asking because plants help keep your water chemistry in check too.

 

[trennamw]

I doubt you really hurt anything. I think you just slowed the process by having the heater off overnight. Cooler temps slow down the bacteria.

I still think you're probably done, if you have 4ppm basically disappear overnight. Just try to match the temp when you do the water change (I ise an instant read meat thermometer, but by feel is fine), and don't leave the heater off overnight. You might not have killed the bacteria they may have just gone a little dormant.


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