PurplePhoenix
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2020
- Messages
- 3
Hi, I'm new here. I got my first freshwater tropical tank just under a month ago. I'm currently doing a fishless cycle. I have a query about it.
I just wanted to check everything is going as it should. I'm about 3 1/2 weeks into a fishless cycle. The tank has some live plants in, but not too heavily planted at present. I had the ammonia spike and then the nitrate spike. The Nitrites have now dropped from 5.0ppm (that's as high as the API test kit goes, so could have been higher) to 0. It's a definite 0. My ammonia however isn't on 0, it's on 0.50ppm. Nitrates are 20ppm. Should I expect a higher spike in nitrates or will the plants be keeping those levels lower? It's the first day nitrites have been 0, so I just wanted to check that ammonia still not being 0 is normal and that nitrates being at that level is normal. The nitrite spike started 10 days ago. PH has dropped from 7.2 to 6.4. I'm still feeding the tank twice a day with a couple of fish food flakes. Could that be why there is still an ammonia reading? Should I stop feeding it? I've not done a water change yet. Should I do that now that nitrites are on 0 or wait until ammonia is on 0 too? The tank is heated at 26°C /78°F. Should I just keep doing what I'm doing and give it a few more days or do I need to do something different now the Nitrobacter are obviously doing their thing?
I'm looking forward to learning more
I just wanted to check everything is going as it should. I'm about 3 1/2 weeks into a fishless cycle. The tank has some live plants in, but not too heavily planted at present. I had the ammonia spike and then the nitrate spike. The Nitrites have now dropped from 5.0ppm (that's as high as the API test kit goes, so could have been higher) to 0. It's a definite 0. My ammonia however isn't on 0, it's on 0.50ppm. Nitrates are 20ppm. Should I expect a higher spike in nitrates or will the plants be keeping those levels lower? It's the first day nitrites have been 0, so I just wanted to check that ammonia still not being 0 is normal and that nitrates being at that level is normal. The nitrite spike started 10 days ago. PH has dropped from 7.2 to 6.4. I'm still feeding the tank twice a day with a couple of fish food flakes. Could that be why there is still an ammonia reading? Should I stop feeding it? I've not done a water change yet. Should I do that now that nitrites are on 0 or wait until ammonia is on 0 too? The tank is heated at 26°C /78°F. Should I just keep doing what I'm doing and give it a few more days or do I need to do something different now the Nitrobacter are obviously doing their thing?
I'm looking forward to learning more
