fishieguy
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
OK, my FW tank (my first tank, 10G) is almost a month old and after weeks of not seeing any change in water quality, my nitrites have suddenly spiked and my nitrates are definitely climbing.
I still find it hard to accurately read my test strips (yeah, I'll be moving to the drops soon), but it looks like my nitrites are in the 3.0-4.0 range and my nitrates are in the 20-40 range. pH level is neutral and alkalinity is low. There are bouts of slight cloudiness and diatoms are taking over the tank (see earlier message x2).
I've been faithfully doing water changes, as well as replacing evaporated water. I have two platies and they seem to be fine (knock on wood).
So, my question: Is this still a normal phase in the cycle or should I be concerned? Should I be doing anything differently?
I still find it hard to accurately read my test strips (yeah, I'll be moving to the drops soon), but it looks like my nitrites are in the 3.0-4.0 range and my nitrates are in the 20-40 range. pH level is neutral and alkalinity is low. There are bouts of slight cloudiness and diatoms are taking over the tank (see earlier message x2).
I've been faithfully doing water changes, as well as replacing evaporated water. I have two platies and they seem to be fine (knock on wood).
So, my question: Is this still a normal phase in the cycle or should I be concerned? Should I be doing anything differently?