JackBinimbul
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hey, guys! I've been cycling my tank since the middle of last month. I did my first readings on the 23rd;
Ammonia .5-1.0
Nitrite 0-.25
Nitrate 0
Did a 25% water change on the 26th and there wasn't much change then.
On Sept 1 I got in my ammonia and started dosing up to 2 ppm. I had been using fish food prior.
Sept 3 I did tests
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 5+
Nitrate 0-5.0
The nitrites stayed off the charts for 24 hours so I did a 25% water change on the 4th. I kept the ammonia around 1 ppm for the next few days.
Sept 8 the nitrites were still off the chart. The nitrates were also around 40.
I did a 50% water change, tested again, still too high to detect with the test. Did a 75% water change that night.
Immediately after that water change, this was my result;
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 2
Nitrate 5.0-10
By that night, my levels were;
Ammonia 0
Nitrites back off the charts
Nitrates 20
I dosed one more time, then stopped dosing ammonia and let it sit for a few days. I tested nitrites every night and every time they were too high to read. Sept 13 I tested ammonia and nitrates and got;
Ammonia .25
Nitrates 20
Then did a 75% water change
Tested ammonia today; 0-.25, fed the tank back up to around 1 ppm since it had been a few days.
Nitrites still too elevated to read.
Is all of this normal? It seems odd that nothing I do lowers the nitrites. A large number is being produced into nitrates as my nitrates hit 40 in just a couple of days, but it's not lowering them enough to be noticeable on the tests. Even dramatic water changes aren't lowering it.
Ammonia .5-1.0
Nitrite 0-.25
Nitrate 0
Did a 25% water change on the 26th and there wasn't much change then.
On Sept 1 I got in my ammonia and started dosing up to 2 ppm. I had been using fish food prior.
Sept 3 I did tests
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 5+
Nitrate 0-5.0
The nitrites stayed off the charts for 24 hours so I did a 25% water change on the 4th. I kept the ammonia around 1 ppm for the next few days.
Sept 8 the nitrites were still off the chart. The nitrates were also around 40.
I did a 50% water change, tested again, still too high to detect with the test. Did a 75% water change that night.
Immediately after that water change, this was my result;
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 2
Nitrate 5.0-10
By that night, my levels were;
Ammonia 0
Nitrites back off the charts
Nitrates 20
I dosed one more time, then stopped dosing ammonia and let it sit for a few days. I tested nitrites every night and every time they were too high to read. Sept 13 I tested ammonia and nitrates and got;
Ammonia .25
Nitrates 20
Then did a 75% water change
Tested ammonia today; 0-.25, fed the tank back up to around 1 ppm since it had been a few days.
Nitrites still too elevated to read.
Is all of this normal? It seems odd that nothing I do lowers the nitrites. A large number is being produced into nitrates as my nitrates hit 40 in just a couple of days, but it's not lowering them enough to be noticeable on the tests. Even dramatic water changes aren't lowering it.