More fishless cycle questions

[fishygurl]

I had to post a new thread because i didnt think id get any replies on the old one. Sorry. I havent added any ammonia for atleast a week, because nothing seems to be changing. The ammonia has gone down a little, but only from 1.6- 0.6 over a whole week, the nitrites are steady at 1.6 and the nitrates are still at 30. Its been over a month and im starting to get impatient. Do you think i should add more ammonia or do a water change or something? I dont know.

 

[Zagz]

I would do a water change and not a gravel vac. See what your parameters are after the water change. Wait at least an hour after changing the water to test though. The fact that you have nitrates means you are nearly done, I personally wouldn't add ammonia again unless for some reason your nitrates go to 0 again.

 

[fishygurl]

Its just that it has been 'almost done" For over 2 weeks now. Im losing patience. (I didnt have much to begin with LOL )

 

[Zagz]

I know what you mean, it is absolutely the hardest thing to do, but you ARE doing a good thing!

 

[fishygurl]

Just curious, why would a water change help? Also how much water should i change?

 

[Zagz]

A water change will remove some of the ammonia and the nitrites. It will also remove some of the nitrates but the beneficial bacteria will be in the substrate and the filter so that won't matter unless it goes to 0ppm, which is unlikely. I would do 25% and see what happens.

 

[fishygurl]

Nothing, results are still the same except the nitrate, its much higher! Which cant be right because water changes are supposed to reduce nitrates. MAbye i did the test wrong, its possible i was doing the test wrong because the third bottle just has an open end no drip thingy...
Ammonia 1
Nitrite 1.6
Nitrate 110

 

[Toirtis]

That sounds almost impossibly high....I would test again....and what test are you using that has no dripper-top on the bottle?

 

[fishygurl]

Nutrafin test kit, how is that impossibly high? Thats the top reading on the test. I tested again, and it looks like its in between 50 and 110.

 

[Zagz]

Toirtis meant I think that the nitrates to have gone from 30 to 110 in 2 days is impossible. At least that is what I assumed he meant. The nutrafin test kit is difficult to tell when it gets to the higher numbers, I have it as well. I always do a water change when it gets up there and that solves my problem twofold. LOL

 

[fishygurl]

I thought of one thing about the ammonia. I just got some new plants, and some of the leaves rotted, wouldnt that produce ammonia? Mabye the ammonia isnt going down to 0 because the rotting leaves were producing more than the bacteria can handle at the moment, because until now i kept the ammonia at about 1 (example)so if the plant leaves made the ammonia go to 2 (example) there would only be enough bacteria to process 1 ppm of ammonia. Im just thinking, thats probably not very likely. Should i just keep testing everyday hope that the cycle gets moving soon?