Fishless Cycle Questions
- Thread starter fish wrangler
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just tested. 0 ammonia, off the chart high nitrites, and nitrates where really high. Going to do a 50% wc. I will only add 1.65 ml of ammonia this time around
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
trennamw
Aquarium Advice Addict
With the water change ... Now you need more ammonia to get to 2ppm I think. Lol. Did you check ammonia levels after the change? It's most important to know how long it takes for 2ppm ammonia to go to 0 ammo and 'trites.
Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.
Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
I knew i was forgetting to do something...I added the ammo bit never tested. Only 1.65 ml this time
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
trennamw
Aquarium Advice Addict
So just try it again today ... Your goal is one 24 hour period that started with 2ppm ammonia and ends with 0 nitrites and 0 ammonia.
Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ok, i will test when I get home from school then. Dont think I will have any ammonia, its the nitrites that worry me
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
trennamw
Aquarium Advice Addict
As I recall, the bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate can be slower to duplicate. Another article I read suggested each type of bacteria prefers slightly different conditions. So one step can take longer than the other.
When you've been changing water because nitrites are too high, how high are they?
I imagine you are nearly done, regardless.
Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
5.0 ppm plus. The nitrates where also really really high.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
trennamw
Aquarium Advice Addict
Check a around but I'm not sure that's enough to need a water change. If you remove too much you don't get your filter established.
Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
5.0 is the highest the test goes to. How would I know if it is higher than this?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
trennamw
Aquarium Advice Addict
Try the thing where you dilute the tank water with tap, 1 part tank water 9 parts tap or distilled. Then multiply the results by 10.
Just a thought. Dosing really high then changing the water sends you on roller coasters. Dalto is the one I see posting that nitrite can stall a cycle and he seems to have a lot of experience. He may be able to advise on a nitrite max.
Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.
Just a thought. Dosing really high then changing the water sends you on roller coasters. Dalto is the one I see posting that nitrite can stall a cycle and he seems to have a lot of experience. He may be able to advise on a nitrite max.
Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
Forgot about the diluted test! I don't have any tap water sitting out so I will fill a gallon jug and use the diluted test tomorrow
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Yes, that is the problem. You can dilute it to get a more accurate reading but you have to be careful to get the ratios correct. It is probably easier just to do the water change.
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
If it changes to 5.0 before the 5 minutes is it safe to assume the levels are above 5.0?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
That really wouldn't be true unless you removed an immense amount AND stopped dosing ammonia.
What he is seeing is a large nitrite spike caused by his ability to convert ammonia->nitrite being more efficient than his ability to convert nitrite->nitrate which is fairly normal during this process. Even if he cuts his nitrites by 50% they would still be at minimum 2.5ppm. This amount is also likely to grow since he is likely still producing nitrites faster than he can consume them.
I don't think so. My experience is the test reaches it's final color before 5minutes. Or at least, it is no longer changing enough that my eyes can tell the difference. I find the nitrite test fairly hard to read once it gets above 2ppm.
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
Color blind to red and green is no fun. I can see the difference on the sheet, but it gets harder when I have to match the colors...is it just me or is this common?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
I am not color blind but I find that test hard because it is just gets more red as it gets higher. You really just have to look at the hue and not the intensity of the solution and once it turns fuchsia-ish it can be hard to differentiate, at least for me.
OP
OP
fish wrangler
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ok, waiting for sister ro get outa school and then I will test again. How can I help the nitrite to nitrate part of the equation? Im also going to retest pH because of the DW. If it changes great, if not I wont be to worried.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
Similar threads
