Hi,
Here's an odd one for you...
I'm 3 weeks into a fishless cycle in a fresh water tank and I've just found that my Nitrate is DOWN and my PH is UP...?!
I know it's meant to go the other way, so what on earth is going on?
I am following "the (almost) complete guide to fishless cycling" article on this site - which is brilliant - and all appeared to be going to plan until today I noticed the Nitrate and PH levels have gone in the wrong direction.
I started out with 40ppm Nitrate and 7.5 PH out the tap 3 weeks ago. I added 4ppm Ammo and after 2 weeks the Ammo was reading 0.25 so I've been topping up to 4ppm every day and it's been dropping back to 0.25 within 24 hours.
Nitrites have been at about 5ppm or maybe more for the last week or so.
I haven't been checking Nitrate and PH since I began.
I went away on Tuesday 30th and dosed up to 4ppm Ammo before I left and returned today (3 days later) and immediately did a full check.
Ammo - 0.25 (it never reads less than this)
Nitrite - 2-5 (I think this has dropped a little, but not sure)
Nitrate - 5ppm (down from 40!)
PH - about 8.3 (up from 7.5!)
I checked, double checked and checked again. I kicked the living daylights out of Nitrate test bottle 2 and re tested. Same. I then re tested my tap water and it showed the exact 40ppm Nitrate and 7.5 PH I started with, so the test is working! I then re tested tank water and it still reads 5ppm Nitrate and 8.3 PH!
How is this possible?
Do I need to worry / do anything differently?
This is the first and smallest of 2 tanks I'll be cycling this month and don't want to get it wrong while I wait to stock the bigger tank...
This one is a 70Litre (about 18 USG) tank with sand from my LFS no other decorations or plants as yet except one rock! I have an internal filter running through a bar above the water level to give the bacteria plenty of oxygen. I am using the API Fresh Water Master Test Kit.
Any theories please...???
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
Here's an odd one for you...
I'm 3 weeks into a fishless cycle in a fresh water tank and I've just found that my Nitrate is DOWN and my PH is UP...?!
I know it's meant to go the other way, so what on earth is going on?
I am following "the (almost) complete guide to fishless cycling" article on this site - which is brilliant - and all appeared to be going to plan until today I noticed the Nitrate and PH levels have gone in the wrong direction.
I started out with 40ppm Nitrate and 7.5 PH out the tap 3 weeks ago. I added 4ppm Ammo and after 2 weeks the Ammo was reading 0.25 so I've been topping up to 4ppm every day and it's been dropping back to 0.25 within 24 hours.
Nitrites have been at about 5ppm or maybe more for the last week or so.
I haven't been checking Nitrate and PH since I began.
I went away on Tuesday 30th and dosed up to 4ppm Ammo before I left and returned today (3 days later) and immediately did a full check.
Ammo - 0.25 (it never reads less than this)
Nitrite - 2-5 (I think this has dropped a little, but not sure)
Nitrate - 5ppm (down from 40!)
PH - about 8.3 (up from 7.5!)
I checked, double checked and checked again. I kicked the living daylights out of Nitrate test bottle 2 and re tested. Same. I then re tested my tap water and it showed the exact 40ppm Nitrate and 7.5 PH I started with, so the test is working! I then re tested tank water and it still reads 5ppm Nitrate and 8.3 PH!
How is this possible?
Do I need to worry / do anything differently?
This is the first and smallest of 2 tanks I'll be cycling this month and don't want to get it wrong while I wait to stock the bigger tank...
This one is a 70Litre (about 18 USG) tank with sand from my LFS no other decorations or plants as yet except one rock! I have an internal filter running through a bar above the water level to give the bacteria plenty of oxygen. I am using the API Fresh Water Master Test Kit.
Any theories please...???
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
