Hello! I'm new here! I've been cycling my new tank since August, and I think it crashed in October, but I'm really not sure what's going on & desperately need help.
After 9 weeks of dosing with Dr. Timm's and daily water testing with my API Freshwater Test Kit, ammonia & nitrItes were disappearing within 24 hours. I did a 75% water change and finally reached 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrIte, and 5ppm nitrAte on October 10th.
My tank setup is for an axolotl, and there was a week between the final water change & when my axolotl was supposed to arrive. I was told to do small ammonia feeds (1.0 ppm daily) to keep the bacteria alive in the meantime. I was away from my tank for four days (idiot move, I know), and since then, the tank hasn't been the same and I don't understand its parameters at all. I kept feeding ammonia (my axolotl is tubbed) but then my nitrAtes crashed, followed by my pH, and my nitrItes just will. not. drop.
Here's my test history:
10/19
pH: 7.0 pH
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0.25 ppm
Nitrate: 10-20 ppm
*Day before my axolotl arrived, ammonia was no longer disappearing within 24 hours
10/20
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 2 ppm
Nitrate: 10-20ppm
*Axolotl arrived but I decided to tub him due to the nitrItes
10/21
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0.25-0.50 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 pmm or >
Nitrate: 20-40 ppm
*NitrItes spiked overnight
10/22
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm or >
Nitrate: 160 ppm or >
*Dosed with 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing, nitrAtes spiked
10/23
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm or >
Nitrate: 160 ppm or >
*Dosed with 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing
10/24
pH: 7.4
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm or >
Nitrate: 160 ppm or >
*Dosed with 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing
10/25
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm or >
Nitrate: 160 ppm or >
*90% water change after testing, thought I was almost there
10/26
pH: 7.2
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 2.0-5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 80 ppm
*30% water change after testing, thought I was getting closer
10/27
pH: 7.6 pH
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 2.0-5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 40 ppm
*Dosing with 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing
10/28
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 80 ppm
10/31
pH: 6.8 pH
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 2.0-5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 5 ppm
*Dosed with 2.0 ppm ammonia after testing, but my nitrAtes dropped from 80 to 5 over two days (I tested multiple times, checked my API bottles, mega shook them before testing, etc). pH also dropped.
11/1
pH: 6.4
Ammonia: 2.0 ppm
Nitrite: 2.0 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm
*Added 2t baking soda after testing to raise pH (20G tank)
11/4
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 5-10 ppm
*Added 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing, pH spiked beyond the level I was trying to reach
11/5
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 1.0
Nitrite: 5.0 or <
Nitrate: 10 ppm
*Today's test, pictured
Can anyone tell me what's going on? Is there an explanation for my nitrAte drop without a water change? Is that why my nitrItes won't budge? And why my pH spiked? pls lmk if you have any guidance or suggestions of what i should do! I just wanna get my axie into his forever home (safely).
After 9 weeks of dosing with Dr. Timm's and daily water testing with my API Freshwater Test Kit, ammonia & nitrItes were disappearing within 24 hours. I did a 75% water change and finally reached 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrIte, and 5ppm nitrAte on October 10th.
My tank setup is for an axolotl, and there was a week between the final water change & when my axolotl was supposed to arrive. I was told to do small ammonia feeds (1.0 ppm daily) to keep the bacteria alive in the meantime. I was away from my tank for four days (idiot move, I know), and since then, the tank hasn't been the same and I don't understand its parameters at all. I kept feeding ammonia (my axolotl is tubbed) but then my nitrAtes crashed, followed by my pH, and my nitrItes just will. not. drop.
Here's my test history:
10/19
pH: 7.0 pH
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0.25 ppm
Nitrate: 10-20 ppm
*Day before my axolotl arrived, ammonia was no longer disappearing within 24 hours
10/20
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 2 ppm
Nitrate: 10-20ppm
*Axolotl arrived but I decided to tub him due to the nitrItes
10/21
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0.25-0.50 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 pmm or >
Nitrate: 20-40 ppm
*NitrItes spiked overnight
10/22
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm or >
Nitrate: 160 ppm or >
*Dosed with 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing, nitrAtes spiked
10/23
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm or >
Nitrate: 160 ppm or >
*Dosed with 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing
10/24
pH: 7.4
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm or >
Nitrate: 160 ppm or >
*Dosed with 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing
10/25
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm or >
Nitrate: 160 ppm or >
*90% water change after testing, thought I was almost there
10/26
pH: 7.2
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 2.0-5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 80 ppm
*30% water change after testing, thought I was getting closer
10/27
pH: 7.6 pH
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 2.0-5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 40 ppm
*Dosing with 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing
10/28
pH: 7.4 pH
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 80 ppm
10/31
pH: 6.8 pH
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 2.0-5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 5 ppm
*Dosed with 2.0 ppm ammonia after testing, but my nitrAtes dropped from 80 to 5 over two days (I tested multiple times, checked my API bottles, mega shook them before testing, etc). pH also dropped.
11/1
pH: 6.4
Ammonia: 2.0 ppm
Nitrite: 2.0 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm
*Added 2t baking soda after testing to raise pH (20G tank)
11/4
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 5-10 ppm
*Added 1.0 ppm ammonia after testing, pH spiked beyond the level I was trying to reach
11/5
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 1.0
Nitrite: 5.0 or <
Nitrate: 10 ppm
*Today's test, pictured
Can anyone tell me what's going on? Is there an explanation for my nitrAte drop without a water change? Is that why my nitrItes won't budge? And why my pH spiked? pls lmk if you have any guidance or suggestions of what i should do! I just wanna get my axie into his forever home (safely).
