softmushroom
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
- Messages
- 33
Dear Community,
So as I'm doing my fishless cycle here are my speccs of the tank.
-No plants
-10 gallons
-Heater at 75-80 degrees
-Using API test kit
- pH levels are 7.6+ with the basic pH test, ~7.8 with the high pH test.
I'm not sure if this is a problem or it's normal, but I've been having some good nitrite and nitrate spikes lately. According to the article of The Almost Complete Guide of Fishless Cycling i'm suppose to dose my ammonia to ~4ppm everyday, in which I do my nitrites and nitrates SPIKE really high which they are at the point where I cannot tell what color is what on the API test kit. After 24 hours of dosing my ammonia to ~4ppm. My ammonia drops to .25, this happened for like 5x now (5th day today).
I'm questioning to myself on why it wont drop to 0? Any ideas?
Also I seeded my filter with a dirty old filter pad from my cousin's aquarium, he also gave me a mesh bag full of gravel which I put in my tank underneath the outflow of my filter.
So I'm wondering... I maybe have gotten some fish poop from that bag of gravel and is now floating around my tank or sitting in my sand.
I already did a 60% water change yesterday to lower my nitrites and nitrate levels (according to the guide on top).
So what should I do?
tl:dr - I think I have fish poop in my tank floating around due to my seeded material in which my ammonia levels are staying at a constant .25ppm.
So as I'm doing my fishless cycle here are my speccs of the tank.
-No plants
-10 gallons
-Heater at 75-80 degrees
-Using API test kit
- pH levels are 7.6+ with the basic pH test, ~7.8 with the high pH test.
I'm not sure if this is a problem or it's normal, but I've been having some good nitrite and nitrate spikes lately. According to the article of The Almost Complete Guide of Fishless Cycling i'm suppose to dose my ammonia to ~4ppm everyday, in which I do my nitrites and nitrates SPIKE really high which they are at the point where I cannot tell what color is what on the API test kit. After 24 hours of dosing my ammonia to ~4ppm. My ammonia drops to .25, this happened for like 5x now (5th day today).
I'm questioning to myself on why it wont drop to 0? Any ideas?
Also I seeded my filter with a dirty old filter pad from my cousin's aquarium, he also gave me a mesh bag full of gravel which I put in my tank underneath the outflow of my filter.
So I'm wondering... I maybe have gotten some fish poop from that bag of gravel and is now floating around my tank or sitting in my sand.
I already did a 60% water change yesterday to lower my nitrites and nitrate levels (according to the guide on top).
So what should I do?
tl:dr - I think I have fish poop in my tank floating around due to my seeded material in which my ammonia levels are staying at a constant .25ppm.