Painterroy
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
After 5 days of fishless cycling in a 5 gallon tank these are my levels. How does it look?
Ammonia 4.0
Nitrite 5.0
Nitrate 40PPM
PH 7.2
Ammonia 4.0
Nitrite 5.0
Nitrate 40PPM
PH 7.2
Cyling levels so far
- Thread starter Painterroy
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
Did you start with any cycled media? How does your tap water test for ammonia, nitrite & nitrate? What do you plan on stocking in this tank? Some more info will help! 
Painterroy
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
The only thing I added to the water when I started was Stresscoat. I added pure ammonia the first day to get it up to 4.0. on the 4th day i started to get readings on the nitrite test (my tank has been running at 82 degrees and I've added a few flakes of food the first 3 days to get the bacteria going.
I'm only going to have one Betta and a snail. I had originally wanted one Betta and 2 Platys, but everyone on the message boards was telling me this was too much.
I'm only going to have one Betta and a snail. I had originally wanted one Betta and 2 Platys, but everyone on the message boards was telling me this was too much.
jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks! Keep us posted on how things are progressing! Make sure you keep a daily watch on your ph for changes. Once your ammonia starts to noticeably drop (below 1ppm), only redose to @2-3- 4 is bit of an overkill for a betta & snails. Please ask if you have any questions!
Painterroy
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Sorry to be a bother, but someone else on these boards said I shouldn't even worry about the PH till I'm ready to add fish. Also someone else said 4.0 is too much ammonia for a 5 gallon tank and that I should get it down to 1.0. Should I do a large water change 50% to get it down? Or will it go down by itself during the cycle?
Thanks for all the help.
Thanks for all the help.
jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
The ph level for your fish is not a big concern. During the cycling process, it IS a big concern. If it drops into the low 6's, your cycle will slow. Once it hits 6 (or lower), your cycle will stall altogether. This is why its important to monitor your ph during cycling. I agree 4 is overkill for a small tank- thats why I asked what you were stocking with. You can either leave the 4 as it is & wait for it to drop on its own or you can do a 50% water change with temperature matched, properly conditioned water to drop it down to 2ppm. 2ppm of ammonia is a good level to aim for this tank & what you plan on keeping.
Similar threads
