Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate!

[Mumble]

I think I have finally cycled my tank. My Ammonia is near 0 (0 to 0.25) Nitrite is also near 0 (0 to 0.25) and my Nitrate is 10. Would you say that this tank is cycled? Keep in mind I have been adding ammonia every day to every other day and every time I check it again it drops quickly to zero. My nitrate is 10 and stays there though. Is this OK. Thanks.

 

[HN1]

It sounds as if it's probably cycled. What concentration of ammonia have you been adding to?

 

[Mumble]

I have a 26 Gallon Bowfront and I have been adding 1.5 to 2 ml every other day. I thought this might be to much but It seems to drop quickly so I keep adding the same amount.

 

[HN1]

Did you test shortly after adding to check what PPM you went to? That will give a good starting point for the bioload you'll be ready for.

 

[Mumble]

No I actually haven't. I've added ammonia about 20 minutes ago and have just done another test. Have to wait 5 minutes.

 

[Mumble]

Hey H1 it jumps from 0 to 1ppm.

 

[HN1]

Cool. You should be ready to start stocking lightly and gradually.

 

[Mumble]

Thanks for the input. Do you think it would be wise to double the ammonia dose just to see how quickly it comes down? Just an experiment thought.

 

[HN1]

You could do that. It would give you a good idea of how well cycled it is and if you go to 2 PPM (or higher, but not over 5PPM), you can stock more heavily off the bat.