Help with fishless cycle INSANITY!

[PBrods]

I have a 46g tank. I started a fishless cycle over a month ago. I have sand, rocks, fake plants, one java fern and one Anubis plant. I added 3/4 teaspoon of salt per 10 gallons... My tap and tank Ph is 8.1...... The ammonia went down and now my nitrites have been going down. My nitrates are off the chart. The other day, I had 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites so I added enough ammonia to get 4ppm. I tested my water last night and it had 0.5 ammonia and 0 nitrites. For the heck of it, I tested the ph again...... It was off the chart low, past 6.0...I did a 25g water change and that brought my ph to 6.4... My tap water is 8.2... What the heck happened?????????

[jlk]

Your ph crashed. During the nitrification process, your beneficial bacteria use up the buffers in your water to convert ammonia & nitrite to nitrate. The buffers maintain the stability of your ph & prevent it from falling. At a ph of 6.5, nitrification slows down. At 6.0 ph, nitrification stops completely. You will need to do a big water change (90+%) with temperature-matched, conditioned water to bring your ph back up into a range the nitrification can occur & to re-establish buffers to your water. You should also set some tap water with an airstone or bubbler & leave it for 24hrs to gas off- this will give you your true ph. The salt isnt necessary for a fw tank & really serves no purpose here. Dont hesitate to ask questions!

[Hholly]

+1 What she said. It will bounce right back after a large water change. Sounds like the cycle was about finished.

[PBrods]

If the ph gets dropped by the buffers being used up during the change from ammonia to nitrite to nitrate.... What will stop this from happening while I have fish as this cycle will be constantly going on?

[Hholly]

Weekly water changes. You could also add a limestone rock or something.