Help with fishless cycling - what are my ammonia levels doing?

[SCC93]

Hi all,

I'm 8 days into my fishless cycling my 5.5 gallon tank using Tetra Safe Start. Added pure ammonia to get up to 4.0 ppm and then in a week it dropped down to this level:



I decided to let it drop a little more before adding more ammonia to get it back up to 4.0 ppm. However I checked it the next day and it was up to this level where it has been the past 3 days (not really sure what this level is because I'm bad at interpreting the readings):



I hadn't done anything to the tank except test the water and I believe the reason for the rise was some decaying plant leaves in my tank which I have removed. Still concerned that the levels are not dropping because it dropped fairly well in the first week. Should I add more bacteria to my tank to see if that makes a difference?

 

[Khuligirl93]

Do you have any other tanks that are established, or do you know anyone with an established tank? Transferring a piece of filter media from an established tank is the best way to go I think. It'll give you a jump start on growing that bacteria. The bottled stuff is hit or miss.

I think the first pic looks like .5ppm and the second 2ppm

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[SCC93]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I don't have another tank or know anyone who has an established tank. I knew I was taking a risk doing the bottled bacteria but when it started dropping I thought I was in the clear. Guess I spoke too soon!

Not really sure what to do at this point. I would prefer not to do a fish in cycle with the betta I plan to get but as long as the ammonia levels aren't dropping I'm at a complete stand still.


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[Yorg]

Hi SCC93:

Since you're only eight days into your cycle I wouldn't be too concerned about the erratic ammonia readings. You're probably right that the decaying plant matter may have upped the ammonia in the water. Have you tested yet for nitrite and nitrates? The presence of either would suggest that your nitrifying bacteria are getting established.

What is your water temperature? Since you are doing a fishless cycle, you might consider raising the temperature up to about 85 degrees. The bacteria will like it. They also like aeration; does your filter do a good job of aerating the water?

You might wait a few days and keep testing ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates to see what you get before adding more SafeStart. The hardest part about all this is being patient; believe me I know it's frustrating to look at a fishless tank every day!

-Yorg

Hi all,

I'm 8 days into my fishless cycling my 5.5 gallon tank using Tetra Safe Start. Added pure ammonia to get up to 4.0 ppm and then in a week it dropped down to this level:

View attachment 263139

I decided to let it drop a little more before adding more ammonia to get it back up to 4.0 ppm. However I checked it the next day and it was up to this level where it has been the past 3 days (not really sure what this level is because I'm bad at interpreting the readings):

View attachment 263140

I hadn't done anything to the tank except test the water and I believe the reason for the rise was some decaying plant leaves in my tank which I have removed. Still concerned that the levels are not dropping because it dropped fairly well in the first week. Should I add more bacteria to my tank to see if that makes a difference?

 

[SCC93]

Hi SCC93:

Since you're only eight days into your cycle I wouldn't be too concerned about the erratic ammonia readings. You're probably right that the decaying plant matter may have upped the ammonia in the water. Have you tested yet for nitrite and nitrates? The presence of either would suggest that your nitrifying bacteria are getting established.

What is your water temperature? Since you are doing a fishless cycle, you might consider raising the temperature up to about 85 degrees. The bacteria will like it. They also like aeration; does your filter do a good job of aerating the water?

You might wait a few days and keep testing ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates to see what you get before adding more SafeStart. The hardest part about all this is being patient; believe me I know it's frustrating to look at a fishless tank every day!

-Yorg

Thanks for the response Yorg. I have kept it at ~81 degrees for the cycle but just raised it up a bit. Just checked the ammonia and still between 2.0 - 4.0 ppm (I have a hard time telling the difference for those two options on the card) for the 4th day in a row. I've never had nitrites or nitrates either.

Not really sure about aeration. I bought a Top Fin 5.5 gallon so whatever filter comes with that is what I'm using. Do I need to do a PWC at some point because I haven't done one since the set up? I'm just perplexed at how the ammonia could drop the first week and then be stuck the last 4 days without any decreasing. It's like they all died off after the dying leaves brought the ammonia up...

 

[Yorg]

Hi SCC93:

It sure sounds like you're doing everything right. A pwc to bring your ammonia down to an identifiable 2ppm might be a good idea. It'll leave enough ammonia for the bacteria to feed on without possibly being toxic to them (which can indeed start to happen at 4ppm and above). After the pwc, keep testing the ammonia and, perhaps a day or so later, start testing for nitrite and nitrate (and here's hoping you start to see them soon!).

If, after the water change, the ammonia just won't budge and you're not seeing any nitrite/nitrate, it may be time to think about a second dose of SafeStart (although I hope that's not necessary).

I'm sure your filter is aerating the tank very adequately.

Wishing you some nitrite soon!

-Yorg

Thanks for the response Yorg. I have kept it at ~81 degrees for the cycle but just raised it up a bit. Just checked the ammonia and still between 2.0 - 4.0 ppm (I have a hard time telling the difference for those two options on the card) for the 4th day in a row. I've never had nitrites or nitrates either.

Not really sure about aeration. I bought a Top Fin 5.5 gallon so whatever filter comes with that is what I'm using. Do I need to do a PWC at some point because I haven't done one since the set up? I'm just perplexed at how the ammonia could drop the first week and then be stuck the last 4 days without any decreasing. It's like they all died off after the dying leaves brought the ammonia up...

 

[SCC93]

Hi SCC93:

It sure sounds like you're doing everything right. A pwc to bring your ammonia down to an identifiable 2ppm might be a good idea. It'll leave enough ammonia for the bacteria to feed on without possibly being toxic to them (which can indeed start to happen at 4ppm and above). After the pwc, keep testing the ammonia and, perhaps a day or so later, start testing for nitrite and nitrate (and here's hoping you start to see them soon!).

If, after the water change, the ammonia just won't budge and you're not seeing any nitrite/nitrate, it may be time to think about a second dose of SafeStart (although I hope that's not necessary).

I'm sure your filter is aerating the tank very adequately.

Wishing you some nitrite soon!

-Yorg

Thanks. I did the PWC to get down to around 2 ppm however it stayed there (with no nitrites or nitrates) for a few days. Recently added Dr. Tim's One and Only so hopefully this works...

I added it 3 days ago and ammonia was ~2.0 ppm. Tonight it was down to ~.5 ppm so I dosed the ammonia back up. Still no nitrites though. Could the drop in ammonia be from the Amazon Sword I have? It's pretty small (I got it from Petsmart and there is really only 1 leaf that didn't die and another one is currently growing). I'm just really discouraged that twice my ammonia has dropped yet no nitrites or nitrates...