I recently started fishless cycling a 29 gallon tank with ammonia about a month ago. I just checked the water with the API kit and the ammonia is a between 4-8 ppm, nitrite 0 and nitrates 10. It's been that way for a week now roughly with no changes. I have not added any ammonia for a few days since I heard that nigh levels can actually kill the beneficial bacteria.
I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. Before this about 2 weeks ago it had read 8 ammonia with high nitrites and low nitrates. Over the next few days the ammonia decreased and nitrites decreased and the nitrates increased to 80. I was told that it is supposed to go down in it's own so I did not change the water and added some ammonia to feed the bacteria. But now it is reading the current number and now changing. I also have some brown algae forming that I want to get rid of before it get bad. I read that it's due to high nitrates so I'm wondering if changing the water would harm the cycling at this point but help with the algea control or help both? Any one have any advice, I'm very interested. I don't know what to do.
I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. Before this about 2 weeks ago it had read 8 ammonia with high nitrites and low nitrates. Over the next few days the ammonia decreased and nitrites decreased and the nitrates increased to 80. I was told that it is supposed to go down in it's own so I did not change the water and added some ammonia to feed the bacteria. But now it is reading the current number and now changing. I also have some brown algae forming that I want to get rid of before it get bad. I read that it's due to high nitrates so I'm wondering if changing the water would harm the cycling at this point but help with the algea control or help both? Any one have any advice, I'm very interested. I don't know what to do.