Recent content by jaydee1106

Ok so after performing a 90% water change, my nitrates are now ar readable level of 80 ppm but my nitrites are still unreadable. I even borrowed my neighbors nitrite test just to see and the results are the same. It's a magenta color that is definitely higher than 5 ppm but not as dark as it was...

Got it. Thanks for all the advice. I just read another post where a guy had the same situation like mine and someone mentioned that he may be already cycled but that ammonia dosing was too high which caused the high nitrites and nitrates. This particular person did a 90% water change and was...

Yes I tested my tap and the the only thing my tap is guilty of is 0.5 ppm ammonia. I did 4 50% water changes. So it sounds like I need to just clear out all of my water?

Okay so I'm now on day 8 where my nitrites and nitrates are of the charts. I've done 4 major water changes in the past few days but the numbers have not changed. Should I be concerned or do I just wait it out at this point? Should I dose ammonia maybe every 3 days to lower the ammonia that is...

Thanks for the advice!

Wow that's awesome! Thanks for replying, I will start looking at some of yhe plants you have listed. Do you think dwarf hairgrass will grow properly in my tank? I wanted some type of floor carpet.

So after researching online, I see that most folks recommend a minimum of 2 wpg for lighting in order to grow aquatic plants. I have a 20L gallon tank which is only 12" high and my light has a 24" 20 watt T8 bulb. Due to the low wattage, is it safe to say that I would be able to grow plants...

Ok so it's been a few days since I posted my results. My ammonia has been continuing to drop withing 24 hours even when dosing ammonia to as high 5 ppm. This is great but my nitrites and nitrates have been off the charts. So high that the colors are not on the API test. I just performed a 50%...

So just tested my water and looks like ammonia is dropping to 0 within 24 hours 2 days in a row now. My nitrites are at 5 ppm but my nitrates are extremely high. They are at 160 ppm today. Do I need to do a water change? Can nitrates this high kill the good bacteria I need?

So I just dosed my aquarium to get my ammonia up. Here are my updated water parameters: Ammonia :2 ppm Nitrites:2 ppm Nitrates:40 ppm Ph: 7.6 ppm So it looks like doing the 50% water change definitely jumpstarted the cycle stall I was dealing with for the lady week. Only concern I have right...

Ok sounds good. So should I be concerned that ammonia has not dropped down to 0 yet? Should I wait for ammonia to drop to 0 before dosing again?

Ok so I preformed a 50% wc and here are my new water parameters: Ammonia: 0.50 ppm Nitrite: 1 ppm Nitrate: 10 ppm Ph: 7.6 So after changing half my water, my Ammonia is about the same level, my Nitrite spiked up, and my Nitrate definitely went up. So with these new parameters, does it seem...

This is the first time ammonia has dropped and that there was a nitrite and nitrate presence. Just performed a 50% wc. Will test again in 24 hours.

Got it. So what am I waiting to see as a result of the 50% water change?

Great question. I've been cycling my tank at 86 degrees but turned it down to 82 yesterday. So do you think the tank is almost ready to complete its cycle or am I stalled?