my cycle is not wat its supposed to be

[drogo]

date 12/26/2005 12/28/2005 12/29/2005 12/30/2005
PH 7.8 / 8 7.8 7.8 7.8
Nitrates 0 0 0 80
Nitrites 0 0.5 2 2
Ammonia ppm 0.25 1 1 1
Salinity 1.024 1.024 1.025 1.025
temperature 74.3 77.4 77.5 76.6

this is what my cycle looks like the past few days, I started last week and I have four damsels in there. why are my nitrates going up before my ammonia or nitrites? has anyone ever seen this before? my nitrates all the sudden spiked to 80 ppm today? I have been trying to find info but everyone says that nitrites and ammonia go up first not nitrates. please help.

 

[emorrison33]

My guess would be that your nitrates are coming from your water supply...are you using RO/DI water or tap water ??Also your PH is a little low....I would consider some baking soda (cheap way) or a PH buffer. Over time an established tank will tend to become acidic (lower PH) but since your tank is fairly new, there is no reason it should be lower than 8.0 with an ideal PH of 8.1-8.3. Also, you should have considered a fishless cycle. The members on this site beleive strongly in a fishless cycle. If you can take the damsels back to the store, I would and read the article on fishless cycling (using a piece of shrimp will do!)

 

[MadManMac]

With fish in the tank, Nitrates will not only come from the cycle, but from the fish wastes. You probably will see a big Aumonia spike followed by Nitrites then even more Nitrates. I really agree with emorrison33, take the fish back and buy a grocery store shrimp! Also, a good amount of LR will make the cycle run better and quicker. Godd luck!

 

[melosu58]

damsels during the cycle :censor: