no change

[Reygan2]

Well, I took the advice about the 2 danios and returned them to my lfs. I have a new concern....I'm testing my water every day, using the API kit, and I have no ammonia, no nitrites, and no detectable nitrates. What could be happening? My ph is still staying at 7.6.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

If your tank is cycled and there are no fish in there currently then there shouldn't be any levels, but if there are there should be at least some nitrates. Are you heavily planted???

 

[Reygan2]

all fake plants, 2 guppies, 2 danios, a little over 4 wks into cycle. I ignorantly used Stability at the beginning of my cycle. Is that the reason things are so strange? (29 gal.)

 

[librarygirl]

So you have two guppies in a 29 gallon? Is that all?

With that little stock, you might not see a fast rise in ammonia, that's probably why your numbers are zero right now. Keep checking every day and be ready to do a water change when the levels start rising. Fish-in cycles can take a while but it's worth it in the end.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

+1 to librarygirl, she's absolutely right. Fish-in cycling can take a while due to all the more variables added in but you should be fine with guppies.

 

[Reygan2]

Well, I actually have 2 guppies and 2 glofish. My numbers stayed the same for about a week so I added the 2 zebra danios hoping they would add to my danio school, but they didn't want anything to do with the glofish (which are danios also) and apparently when you only have 2 zebra danios they bother other fish, because these 2 chased my guppies relentlessly. I was trying to gradually increase my bioload because I don't think I have enough in there. So, I only bought 2 rather than 6. I'm being extremely careful, checking sometimes more than once a day, to ensure that the fish I have aren't suffering at all. I've never had nitrites over .25 and when it gets there I immediately do a pwc to bring it to 0. I guess I'll just wait.

 

[Reygan2]

I was just reading other posts about cycling, and maybe since my ammonia has been 0, I've starved the bacteria and I'm back to square 1??? I had a trace of nitrite last night and so I did a pwc and it's back to 0 again, and when I compare the color in the test tube to the color chart for nitrates, it's hard to tell but there seems to be a slight trace of orange, indicating a small presence of nitrates. Maybe my BB is there, Idk.

 

[Reygan2]

just tested this morning, no amm., no nitrites, no nitrates, high range ph 7.8. I'm at a loss. I know fish in cycling is not accepted on this site, nor is it ideal, but I can't return the original 4 fish, and I don't have anyone to home them until the cycle is complete. As I mentioned, I am doing everything I can to protect the fish, but I'm not getting much feedback on my current levels. I'm not seeing this scenerio on any other posts, so I can't learn what to do otherwise. Any opinion is welcome. I don't mind waiting, but it seems nothing is happening in my tank.

 

[aquascape]

4 fish in a 29 might nit be enough. The waste load isn't enough to sustain bb. If you was a shoal of fish you should purchase them from the same tank it seems to work better that way

 

[Reygan2]

my thoughts exactly...I need to add a few more fish, especially since I am vigilant about testing and pwc's.

 

[Reygan2]

I forgot to mention that I've been feeding my 4 fish more than needed just to get something started because I've read that excess food creates ammonia, but still little to no change.

 

[Reygan2]

I was just wandering around in another forum and read maddybrat's post about her 29 gallon cycle. Her numbers are exactly like mine, she's been in her cycle the same amount of time as me, and she was told that she has cycled. I thought you had to have a nitrate reading before the cycle was complete. Could I actually be cycled?

 

[Reygan2]

Eco??? Librarygirl???

 

[eco23]

Are you sure you have 0 nitrAte? The API kit can be hard to tell at low levels as well as easily done wrong.

So, ammo is constantly staying at 0...but you've seen the no2 spike a couple times? Has it only risen that one time or is it constant? If you've seen nitrItes at all, that means there is definitely conversion of ammonia into no2...now we might just be waiting for the no2 to no3 bacteria to grow a bit more so it constantly converts it to nitrAtes and you always see 0 ammo and 0 no2. I'd just stay on top of your levels...wait until everything stays zeroed out...wait a few days and add a few more fish.

I've got to run out for a bit, but I'll check on the thread later

 

[Reygan2]

Actually my nitrate reading has a very slight orangy tint, and while it looks closer to the yellow, it is a tad darker, so I might have some nitrates going on. I also could detect a really slight purply color on my nitrite test before my pwc yesterday. These readings are so close to zero that it's driving me nuts ! I am going around getting other opinions in the house, and I get various answers. My nitrite test today was definately light blue with absolutely no purple. But my nitrate was really close to yellow, but like I stated previously, I could detect a slight orange....I just hope I'm not seeing it because I want it to be there sooo bad. Btw, thanks for responding.

 

[Reygan2]

Oh, my nitrites have risen to .25 ppm a couple of times, but never higher. I am very careful when testing and follow the directions exactly. I also test everyday, so there's not much chance of a spike without me knowing about it. I've been overfeeding my fish for about a week now and still no ammonia reading at all.

 

[eco23]

Oh, my nitrites have risen to .25 ppm a couple of times, but never higher. I am very careful when testing and follow the directions exactly. I also test everyday, so there's not much chance of a spike without me knowing about it. I've been overfeeding my fish for about a week now and still no ammonia reading at all.

Luckily the auto place I'm at has free wi-fi .

It sounds like your ammonia > nitrIte bacteria is established, and you're still waiting for the nitrIte > nitrAte stuff to grow a little stronger. I think your in pretty good shape (and doing a great job )...you've just got to wait it out a bit longer for both ammo and no2 to stay zeroed out....then add a few more fish.

 

[Reygan2]

Can't wait to announce the news!!! Hopefully it won't take too much longer. Thanks again Eco23You are truly a saint!