Unexpected/Interesting Cycle...Is this Normal

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Jeremy Z

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
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Hi everyone! I just joined the community and this is my first post. Just a heads up this is my first tank and my first cycle. I'm following Eco23's (almost) Complete guide to fishless cycling!

I started my cycle about 10 days ago and have followed the guide step by step excluding the seed material. (I do not have any friends in the hobby to get seed material.) I dosed Ammonia to 4ppm on day 1. It stayed at 4ppm everyday with no nitrites/nitrates until Day 9. On day 9 i tested Ammonia at 1ppm, Nitrites at 5ppm, and Nitrates at 10ppm. I was shocked and was not expecting to see that much nitrites that soon and especially nitrates. It went from 4ppm Ammonia to nitrites and Nitrates OVERNIGHT. Is this normal? Is it ok that my cycle seems to have progressed so far in just 9 days.

I went ahead and dosed ammonia back to 4ppm that same day, and today(day 10) tested Ammonia at 0ppm, Nitrites at 5ppm again and Nitrates went down to 5ppm.

Is my cycle ok?

Thank you for any comments/advice you can give!


Just in case it's needed, I have a 40g tank with a Fluval AQ 70, Aqueon 150W heater, Aqueon Circulation pump 500, and I have the temp set to 84 degrees F.
 
Hi everyone! I just joined the community and this is my first post. Just a heads up this is my first tank and my first cycle. I'm following Eco23's (almost) Complete guide to fishless cycling!



I started my cycle about 10 days ago and have followed the guide step by step excluding the seed material. (I do not have any friends in the hobby to get seed material.) I dosed Ammonia to 4ppm on day 1. It stayed at 4ppm everyday with no nitrites/nitrates until Day 9. On day 9 i tested Ammonia at 1ppm, Nitrites at 5ppm, and Nitrates at 10ppm. I was shocked and was not expecting to see that much nitrites that soon and especially nitrates. It went from 4ppm Ammonia to nitrites and Nitrates OVERNIGHT. Is this normal? Is it ok that my cycle seems to have progressed so far in just 9 days.



I went ahead and dosed ammonia back to 4ppm that same day, and today(day 10) tested Ammonia at 0ppm, Nitrites at 5ppm again and Nitrates went down to 5ppm.



Is my cycle ok?



Thank you for any comments/advice you can give!





Just in case it's needed, I have a 40g tank with a Fluval AQ 70, Aqueon 150W heater, Aqueon Circulation pump 500, and I have the temp set to 84 degrees F.


Yeh all looks good so far. What test kit are you using by the way?
 
Check your nitrate level in the treated water before poring it into your tank. My water from the tap is at 10 ppm nitrate. So 10 ppm nitrate is my 0 ppm

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Thanks for the tip gdcmv! I just tested the treated tap water and nitrates were 0 so my tank really did create those nitrates.

I tested the tank today(day 11) with Ammonia at .25ppm, Nitrites at 5ppm AGAIN, and Nitrates at 5ppm again. That seems weird to me since Ammonia is virtually gone overnight but Nitrites and Nitrates did not increase.
 
I really need opinions/help/advice

So I continued dosing ammonia to 4ppm daily Since Day 11, Ammonia has always tested at 0, Nitrites at 5ppm, and nitrates at 5ppm until day 19 where nitrites fell to .50ppm. Then on Day 22 Ammonia was 0, Nitrites were 0, and Nitrates were still at 5ppm and its been like that every day until now, day 31.

It's at a point where I can dose ammonia to 4ppm and within 24 hours, ammonia is 0, nitrites are 0, but Nitrates stay at a constant 5ppm. Nitrates will not increase.

Any thoughts to why this is. It seems as though my cycle is completed since ammonia and nitrites are being consumed.

What should I do?
 
Usually if Nitrates aren't doing anything it's accidental user error with the Nitrates test, which is annoyingly complex. Make sure that in the step where it says to shake bottle #2 that you are shaking the bottle not the vial. and shake the flippin heck out of it. Then be sure after you put in drops #2 to shake the vial also.

I can't find my notes on what 1ppm ammonia converts to! Dang it. It's something like 4ppm nitrates. So your nitrates definitely should be rising, unless you have just GOBS and GOBS of plants (and I still don't think they would be pulling them out fast enough)
 
Usually if Nitrates aren't doing anything it's accidental user error with the Nitrates test, which is annoyingly complex. Make sure that in the step where it says to shake bottle #2 that you are shaking the bottle not the vial. and shake the flippin heck out of it. Then be sure after you put in drops #2 to shake the vial also.

I can't find my notes on what 1ppm ammonia converts to! Dang it. It's something like 4ppm nitrates. So your nitrates definitely should be rising, unless you have just GOBS and GOBS of plants (and I still don't think they would be pulling them out fast enough)

I definitely have the feeling that my Nitrate test results are inaccurate. But I follow the instructions step by step. I add the 10 drops from bottle #1, cap it and tilt it back and forth 1 or 2 times to mix it without shaking. I then shake bottle #2 for exactly 30 sec so hard my arm is hurting after. I then add the 10 drops from Bottle #2, cap it and shake it vigorously for exactly 1 min.

I've done this test EVERY day for the past 20 days or so and it's 5ppm every time. I don't know how I could be getting inaccurate test results every day and it's always 5ppm which is wierd.

I also tested my tap water and the Nitrates are 0 so I know 0 is my base value.

I think I will try taking a sample to my LFS to have them test it and see what they get.
 
I definitely have the feeling that my Nitrate test results are inaccurate. But I follow the instructions step by step. I add the 10 drops from bottle #1, cap it and tilt it back and forth 1 or 2 times to mix it without shaking. I then shake bottle #2 for exactly 30 sec so hard my arm is hurting after. I then add the 10 drops from Bottle #2, cap it and shake it vigorously for exactly 1 min.

I've done this test EVERY day for the past 20 days or so and it's 5ppm every time. I don't know how I could be getting inaccurate test results every day and it's always 5ppm which is wierd.

I also tested my tap water and the Nitrates are 0 so I know 0 is my base value.

I think I will try taking a sample to my LFS to have them test it and see what they get.


I had this same problem but with fish. But my nitrates would always be 0 which I know is not normal. I even purchased another full test kit and the nitrate was the same 0ppm so the common denominator is me. But I swear I did it exactly as the manual stated ( and I read and follow far more complex manuals than this for a living) I even rapped the bottle against the floor, wall and my leg! but still 0ppm.

I had quite a few plants in at the time but would not consider it heavily planted. It was really strange. I heard 0 ppm nitrates is not normal but can be done.

Anyway in your situation I would definitely expect a nitrate reading. Have you done any water changes during the cycle?
 
I had this same problem but with fish. But my nitrates would always be 0 which I know is not normal. I even purchased another full test kit and the nitrate was the same 0ppm so the common denominator is me. But I swear I did it exactly as the manual stated ( and I read and follow far more complex manuals than this for a living) I even rapped the bottle against the floor, wall and my leg! but still 0ppm.

I had quite a few plants in at the time but would not consider it heavily planted. It was really strange. I heard 0 ppm nitrates is not normal but can be done.

Anyway in your situation I would definitely expect a nitrate reading. Have you done any water changes during the cycle?


I have not done any water changes during the cycle. I did top the tank off once the water level dropped about 1 inch. I treated the water with prime prior to adding it to the tank.
 
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