Fishless cycling help

[nkoyko]

So I am fishless cycling my new 6 gallon tank for my betta. It is planted with driftwood inside while I'm cycling.

My ammonia has been at 2ppm for 3 days now and has not moved. My nitrites are rising every day (started at 0ppm and now is at 1ppm) and the nitrates are at 5ppm and have been there for a week (I did test the water before starting the cycle and there were no nitrates). I use the API master kit to test.

Is it normal for the ammonia level to not move? I was dosing at 2ppm and it was dropping to 1ppm in 24 hours before and just stopped dropping within the last 3 days.

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[Mebbid]

Whats the ph on the tank?

 

[IllusionX]

A too low pH can stall your cycle. So, do check the pH too.

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[nkoyko]

The pH is at 7.5

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[nkoyko]

I tested again last night.

Ammonia 2ppm
Nitrites 5ppm
Nitrates 5ppm
pH 7.5

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[Clayman]

Have you added water, test your source water. If it was me, I would change water to get the ammonia down, then dose again to test the system.

 

[nkoyko]

I have tested the water source. Right now I'm filling the tanks with spring water because of where I live having water quality issues (fungus and algae). The spring water I'm using is 0 for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I'll do a water change and dose it again. Hopefully that will help. Thank you! I'll let you know how it goes.

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[nkoyko]

Ok. I did a 50% water change and dosed 3ppm ammonia 24 hours ago. Here is where my tank is at. I definitely have a bb colony but as you can see the ammonia has only dropped 1ppm, the nitrites are higher than they were before the water change, and my nitrates are dropping. My pH has also gone down a bit.

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[coralbandit]

I would only dose 1/2 the amount of ammonia you used(to get 3ppm) every fourth day after nitrites show.
Since your nitrites are growing don't dose again for 4 more days.
Test on day four and see.
You are close but every tank/cycle is different and the second set of bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate is slower growing.
Adding more ammonia prematurely may stall your cycle IMO.
All of this was IMO!!!!

 

[nkoyko]

Thank you, coralbandit!
I haven't redosed the tank since yesterday and wasn't going to add any more ammonia until I saw a drop down to 1ppm and then I was going to only dose up to 2ppm.
I accidentally let one drop too many of ammonia in. Usually I only dose to 2ppm but since 3ppm was in an acceptable range I wasn't going to fret too much and do a second water change that quickly.

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[nkoyko]

I tested this morning and my ammonia is finally dropping again! It's not quite 2ppm and not quite 1ppm which means it is dropping! Nitrites are still rising and nitrate looks to be getting a little darker than 5ppm.

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[nkoyko]

Tested once I got home today and my ammonia has gone down and nitrates are starting to show again. Just waiting on the nitrites to drop off. Hopefully soon!

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[nkoyko]

Update on my cycle!

pH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrites: 0.25ppm
Nitrates:5ppm

My nitrites finally have started dropping! My nitrates never went above 20ppm through the whole process but I do have a very heavily planted tank.

Hopefully by this weekend I can get Fredward into his new home! I am going to redo the aqua scape when I do the large water change on his tank because I think he has too much sand in his new home but everything else will be going back in.

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[nkoyko]

My cycle is finally done!!!! I am now doing the last dose of ammonia to make sure it drops within 24 hours and then Fred came move into his new mansion!!

 

[coralbandit]

Very NICE!!!!
Hope Fred digs his new 'digs'!

 

[nkoyko]

I'm sure he will. He has been cramped in a little 3 gallon while I've been cycling this tank. I'll post some pictures of his move in when it happens.

 

[nkoyko]

A picture of Fredward the Great in his new home. He actually looks like he fits this tank! And it finished the cycle just in time too! He has a little bit of fin damage from being in the tiny aquarium he was in before. Too large for the aquarium = ammonia spikes which I wasn't always able to catch. Now to move on to getting his girlfriend's tank cycled and planted.

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