Adding ammonia

[Nostromo]

I read online that I need to be adding ammonia until I get nitrite readings, I am using pure ammonia the only time I added was day one and day nine this is now day 15 my ammonia level is at 2pmm hasn't changed at all in 15 days, do I keep adding more ammonia everyday until I get nitrite readings?

 

[Upstate TBarbs]

Turn your heater up to 82 - 86 F (26 - 30C)

Turn your airstone on high.

Turn your light off, you won't need it on until you get fish and no sense in growing algae.

Dose ammonia into your tank so you get a reading of 3 - 4 PPM. Test your ammonia level every few days. When you see it start dropping down, the party’s getting started. Let it go down to about 1ppm and then dose it back up to 4ppm. Don’t let it drop to zero because you’ll be starving the bacteria of the food they need.

Once the ammonia starts dropping, start testing for nitrItes. It is normal for there to be a delay of several days between the time ammonia drops and nitrItes show up. It will appear slowly at first then start rising pretty quickly.

Keep dosing the ammonia up to 4ppm. It should be dropping fairly quickly by now. Watch your nitrite levels, and once they’ve gotten really high, start testing for nitr8s.

When your levels of nitrItes and nitrAtes get so high that they’re off what your test kit can show you, do a 50-60% water change

 

[abmorissun]

We might have started about the same time. I'm on Day 18. I have a 10 gallon tank. Here's my log so far.

Day 0: (added 2 tsp Aquasafe for 10 gallons tap water)
Day 1: (added ~1Tbs ACE ammonia part# 10183) (started with test strips)
4ppm ammonia, nitrate 20, nitrite 0, hardness 150, alkalinity 180ish, pH 8.4
Day 2: 3ppm ammonia?, nitrate 20, nitrite 0, hardness 75ish, alkalinity 180, pH 8.4
Day 3: added pinch of (real old) fish food
Day 4: 6ppm ammonia, 8.4 pH, 180ppm alkalinity, hardness 75ish, nitrite 0, nitrate 20ppm
Day 6: 6ppm ammonia, 8.4 pH, 180ppm KH, 75 GH, 0 nitrite, 20ppm nitrate
Day 11: 6ppm ammonia, 8.4 pH, 180ppm KH, 150ppm GH, 0 nitrite, 20ppm nitrate
Day 14: (checked colors in daylight) (new API ammonia test)
>8ppm ammonia, 7.8pH, 120KH, 150GH, <20 nitrate, 0 nitrite
(tried to bring the ammonia down with two 50% pwc)
4ppm ammonia, 80KH, 7.2pH, 150GH, ~20 nitrate, 0 nitrite
Day 15: 8ppm ammonia
(50% pwc, not sure why the ammonia is still high, starting to wonder what the hell I got from Ace Hardware, maybe it was the fish food?)
4ppm ammonia, 7.2pH, 40KH, 150GH, 0 nitrite, <20 nitrate
Day 17: 4ppm ammonia
(added MingDak 19" LED light, and Xinyou xy-2831 bio-sponge filter)
Day 18: 4ppm ammonia

Temperature in my apartment is always a steady 78deg F. I always treat the new tap water with Aquasafe. I have a Top Fin 10 filter on the back with the carbon bits emptied out of the filter. I'm hoping to use just the sponge filter at some point; I don't like the buzz the Top Fin motor makes. The cheap air pump I got from WalMart is quieter and the bubbles sound nice.

I read a post here somewhere from someone who said their cycle took 57(??) days. I just play with the tank. The new light is nice. Lots of time to read about fish!

 

[Nostromo]

Looks we our having similar problems I cant get any nitrites this is day 16 for me , I just hope they will appear some time soon

 

[Upstate TBarbs]

Mine took close to 2 months to cycle. For about 5 weeks of that, I had nitrItes.