New cycle, Nitrite level help needed (picture opinion)

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goodgy

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
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any help would be great :)

have currently been cycling my tank with pure ammonia for 14 days

and can currently turn 4.0ppm of ammonia to 0.25 in 24 hours

I havnt seen a nitrite spike and since the 8th day which was when it turned up :dance: at 1.0ppm they haven't spiked or moved !:eek:

But im wondering if it is much darker then 1.0 and off the chart ? as it does look abit darker then 1.0 to me , and want some other peoples suggestions as what the thing the reading is in the picture ?

also since the 8th day when nitrates turned up they havnt moved from 5.0 besides the 10th day which they where 10 and then went back down to 5.0 the next is this normal ?

Today my results where
Ammonia =0.25ppm dosed back up to 3.0ppm
PH= 8.0
Nitrite=1.0 :)confused::confused:)
Nitrate = 5.0

should I keep dosing to 3ppm ?
 

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In my opinion it looks of the charts. I think you should buy another test kit that measures nitrite higher than 5.0pm. You never know it could be like 8.0pm or higher. Hope this helps.
 
cheers tomtom14 didn't even think about that or know they were available ! thanks heaps !
 
Looks like your at the same stage in your cycle as me :) mine are off the scale too- if your solution turns immediately when adding it indicates a higher level than your test can read. If it's a fishless cycle, I really woulndt worry but keep a sharp eye on your PH level. And I would not waste my money on kits that can test higher (it's only that way as you're cycling), as when you do have fish you'll never let your Nitrites/trates get that high!
Apologies for any typo's as I'm on my phone
 
Thanks Reedy , Yes pretty well as soon as I add the solution it turn darkish ! sounds like a good idea ! I have been testing ph every day and its is either 7.8 or 8.0 and seems to be pretty stable , what should I be loking out for ??
 
I wouldn't worry about anything right now. They are off the charts, that's ok. Reduce your ammonia to 1/2 dose every 3-4 days and your cycle should complete without issue.
 
I wouldn't worry about anything right now. They are off the charts, that's ok. Reduce your ammonia to 1/2 dose every 3-4 days and your cycle should complete without issue.

Thanks heaps , so having 0 ammonia for a day or so won't hurt the cylce ?
 
Personally I would recommend a large water change (may take more than one) to get nitrites down to a readable level on the chart. Prolonged high nitrites can stall the cycle. Once you can get nitrite <2 on the chart, then just dose ammonia to 1 ppm and see what happens.
 
Thanks heaps , so having 0 ammonia for a day or so won't hurt the cylce ?

I have had 80<> 160 NitrAters for almost 2 weeks, did no other water change than 50% for PH purpose and have left my tank withought Ammonia for 3 days and guess what?? IM CYCLED!!:brows::fish2::dance:

Will do a 90% water change now and dose 1PPM. Results on my post in the morning :) xx
 
I agree with librarygirl. Water change to get the nitrites to a readable level. A fish less cycle can take months.... patience is key :)

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A fishless cycle should not take months, I am not sure where you read that.

I personally suspect that "nitrites stall the cycle" is a commonly perpetuated myth that everyone believes simply due to its prevalence... nothing in my research on the nitrogen cycle has indicated that it is true (but to be fair there are not a lot of studies on this specific subject)
A 50% water change will definitely not hurt, and it could help, so you may as well. But I think multiple WCs are not necessary.

The ammonia bacteria do not need to be dosed every day.
 
A fishless cycle should not take months, I am not sure where you read that.

In a coldwater tank or pond, a cycle can in fact take multiple months (or longer) and this is completely normal and to be expected. The rate of nitrifying bacterial growth is directly dependent upon the temperature of the water. Bacterial multiplication rates (or lack there of) are proportional to temperature (among numerous other factors that interplay in the equation). The lower the temperature, the slower the growth until activity ceases altogether.

In the OP's situation, I would suggest a large water change and dropping the ammonia dose strength as well as frequency. 1-2ppm every few days is more than sufficient right now until the cycle gets up to speed. If you have a heater, turning the temperature up to the mid-80's optimizes bacterial multiplication. Ammonia dosing can then be gradually increased once your bacterial colonies are reasonably established. Hope this helps! :)
 
A fishless cycle should not take months, I am not sure where you read that.

I personally suspect that "nitrites stall the cycle" is a commonly perpetuated myth that everyone believes simply due to its prevalence... nothing in my research on the nitrogen cycle has indicated that it is true (but to be fair there are not a lot of studies on this specific subject)
A 50% water change will definitely not hurt, and it could help, so you may as well. But I think multiple WCs are not necessary.

The ammonia bacteria do not need to be dosed every day.

Depending on the tank size, water pH, and water temperature, it could take months. Didn't read it, personal experience.
Also, if there is no ammonia present in the tank, the nitrification process is slowed down since the first stage of bacteria are not processing anything.
Again, just from my own experiences.

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My statement was clearly far too general. Let me rephrase. The Op's fishless cycle should not take months.
The cycle using the method that we teach here on the forum should complete in 4-6 weeks. If the instructions are followed it won't take months except in unusual and sometimes mysterious circumstances.
 
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