Specs:
46g bowfront freshwater community tank
Marineland penguin 50-70g biowheel
sand substrate
Not planted (yet)
LED single brights on for 12 hours a day
Fish in cycle: 6 zebra danio, 3 guppies, 3 oto, 3 bandit cory, black orchid betta
Readings out of tap: .25, 0, 0, PH 8.2
API freshwater master
Prime with wc's or in an emergency when I didn't have time for a wc
This originally started as a fishless cycle, but I am impatient and things weren't going well with ammonia dosing. So here's my issue. Once I took over sole care of this cycle (we decided we're going to do his and hers tank so hubby let me take over), I started testing twice a day and when the ammonia or nitrite got over .25 it got an automatic 50% pwc. I had my nitrite spike - holy crap was that intense - and have had nitrate for a while, but finally the nitrIte has been 0 consistently for a week and nitrAte's are rising accordingly. The problem is, my ammonia won't go below .25 ppm! I haven't done a wc for a week and the ammonia isn't rising so I didn't want to do a wc and just add that .25ppm back to the tank from the tap. Shouldn't that ammonia have been eaten up by now? I do head counts twice a day and everyone is accounted for. How do I get the ammonia down? These are the last 3 readings:
.25, 0, 5
.25, 0, 5-10
.25, 0, 10 ~ This AM
And while I have your attention, what is the best way to clean sand? It's disgusting and my gravel vac isn't strong enough to pick most of it up, plus I don't want to do a wc every time I need to vacuum which really is about every other day.
46g bowfront freshwater community tank
Marineland penguin 50-70g biowheel
sand substrate
Not planted (yet)
LED single brights on for 12 hours a day
Fish in cycle: 6 zebra danio, 3 guppies, 3 oto, 3 bandit cory, black orchid betta
Readings out of tap: .25, 0, 0, PH 8.2
API freshwater master
Prime with wc's or in an emergency when I didn't have time for a wc
This originally started as a fishless cycle, but I am impatient and things weren't going well with ammonia dosing. So here's my issue. Once I took over sole care of this cycle (we decided we're going to do his and hers tank so hubby let me take over), I started testing twice a day and when the ammonia or nitrite got over .25 it got an automatic 50% pwc. I had my nitrite spike - holy crap was that intense - and have had nitrate for a while, but finally the nitrIte has been 0 consistently for a week and nitrAte's are rising accordingly. The problem is, my ammonia won't go below .25 ppm! I haven't done a wc for a week and the ammonia isn't rising so I didn't want to do a wc and just add that .25ppm back to the tank from the tap. Shouldn't that ammonia have been eaten up by now? I do head counts twice a day and everyone is accounted for. How do I get the ammonia down? These are the last 3 readings:
.25, 0, 5
.25, 0, 5-10
.25, 0, 10 ~ This AM
And while I have your attention, what is the best way to clean sand? It's disgusting and my gravel vac isn't strong enough to pick most of it up, plus I don't want to do a wc every time I need to vacuum which really is about every other day.