Cycling help - High nitrates, high pH

[jsnuffaluff]

Okay! So after today I want to pull my hair out. Maybe you guys can help.
Here are my specs:
50 gallon freshwater planted
Dwarf hairgrass, cryptos, anubias
2 filters, Marineland Penguin 350 GPH (for 70 gallons)
and Tetra Whisper 10-30i (Recycled from old 10 gallon tank)
Substrate includes: CaribSea FloraMax, regular gravel, and recently added crushed coral to help pH buffer
CoraLife 50/50 bulbs (I like the color)
Using API tap water conditioner and API Co2 booster
Testing with API freshwater test kit


Please ask if you have any more questions regarding specs, I think I included everything. My plants are all doing great. I am 3 weeks into my fishless cycle. My ammonia has been cycling out very fast - maybe 8 hours. Yesterday I noticed a pH drop so I bought the coral and mixed with substrate. My problem is that both my pH and my nitrates are sky high after two water changes - the first was 50% and the second 90%. I tested the water from the tap, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, pH of 7.5. In the tank right now: 4ppm ammonia (Just dosed), nitrItes 2.0ppm, nitrAtes high (40-80ppm), and the pH is 8.2

Am I doing anything wrong? Should I wait one day and retest? Do I continue adding ammonia each day? And what of this pH problem?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jlk]

Welcome to AA!!

Are your nitrites dropping every day as well? Honestly, it sounds like your cycle is near to being complete or already cycled. I suspect your nitrate level was well beyond testing capacity prior to the water changes thus, they are still still present (despite the big wcs).

My suggestion right now is to skip anymore ammonia. You can test your tank in 24hrs and see how everything looks. If your ammonia and nitrite are both zero, it's safe to say your cycled. If either or both are present, just wait another day or two (do not add more ammonia) and test again. Let us know how things look!

Ok, in respect to your ph, mixing the buffer into your substrate accomplished what a buffer is supposed to do- it raised your kh. Unfortunately, it sounds like you may have added a bit too much if your ph jumped up this much. Granted, it should stay stable (@8.2-8.4) now but if you do not want this, you will need to gradually work on removing some each day until your ph stabilizes in your tap water's ph range (@7.5, does not have to be exact as it will stabilize further with time as the buffer dissolves). Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any questions!


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[jsnuffaluff]

Thanks for the reply! I'll try to keep you updated, and I do have a few more questions. Sorry I'm responding so late in the day, I work a lot..
Today my readings are:
pH: 8.2-8.4
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrItes: 5ppm
nitrAtes: 40-80ppm

The water clarity is worse than yesterday, a little cloudy, I'm assuming that's from the coral. Should I do more water changes or just wait a few days to see how this pans out? Am I going to kill the ammonia-eating bacteria I've created by not adding more ammonia? Thanks again for all of your help, couldn't have done this alone!

 

[jlk]

Your fine! Don't stress as your ammonia bacteria will not starve in a day or even a week. The cloudiness is likely from the buffer (very common) and will clear with water changes. If it doesn't, adding some filter floss works wonders.

Right now, I would honestly just ignore your tank for two days (yes, ignore it!). Test in in 2 days and see if the nitrites have dropped. Whether they have or not, let us know and we will proceed from there! Either way, not to worry as half the cycle is complete and the other half is not far behind!


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[jsnuffaluff]

The more I learn about the nitrogen cycle the more I'm like wow this is magic. haha.

Today my readings are:
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrites: 0ppm
nitrates: 0ppm
pH: still 8.2-8.4

I want to get that pH closer to normal range, and it was very hard to me not to touch my tank for two days! So what should I do now? I'm assuming a water change, but should I dose the ammonia (to maybe 1ppm) after that? And how many water changes do you think it will take to get the pH balanced? Should I remove all of the crushed coral? I feel almost home free!

 

[Vlado21]

Tank photo might help. IMO: you don't need to add extra ammonia, if you don't have more fast-growing plants in a tank. What substrate you have? No (white) stones, sea-shells,...??

 

[jlk]

The more I learn about the nitrogen cycle the more I'm like wow this is magic. haha.

Today my readings are:
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrites: 0ppm
nitrates: 0ppm
pH: still 8.2-8.4

I want to get that pH closer to normal range, and it was very hard to me not to touch my tank for two days! So what should I do now? I'm assuming a water change, but should I dose the ammonia (to maybe 1ppm) after that? And how many water changes do you think it will take to get the pH balanced? Should I remove all of the crushed coral? I feel almost home free!

Sometimes the best thing to do is simply nothing at all!!! And it can also be one of the hardest things to do!

Disclaimer: this does not apply to sick fish and/or a tank with fish and toxic water.

Things look good! Ok, so my suggestion is to work on gradually work on removing some buffer every 24hrs (or so) until your tank's ph stabilizes a bit closer to your tap water. You can dose some ammonia every couple of days to keep your bacteria content (just make sure amm/nitrite reads zero before adding any). Water changes will help, too, as you remove buffer. Just don't remove it in one try as it will likely upset your bacteria and may reset your cycle to some degree.

Other than water changes before adding fish, your tank appears to be in good shape!


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