Cycle Params

[jessebs]

I've been cycling for a while, and I'm at a point where 4ppm of ammonia drops to nothing within 48 hours.

I did a 50% water change 2 days ago to get my nitrites and nitrates under control. (I only checked ammonia after the change.) Today, when I tested everything again, Ammonia was 0, but Nitrate and Nitrite were both off the scale, so I did a giant change (80% or so). An hour later, I tested all again, and Nitrites and Nitrates are still off the scale. Why so quickly? Ammonia is 4, which is what I dosed it to.

 

[jlk]

Your nitrites & nitrates were likely so high that even after 2 wcs, it didnt make any difference. The fact you have lots of nitrates is good news though- it means your cycle is close to completion but your not quite up to speed yet. Wait 24hrs since you already dosed ammonia and then do another big wc (as in 100%). Make sure you temperature match & condition the new water. Wait atleast 15-20mins & retest your nitrites to see what they read. You want them down to a readable number (under 2ppm). Then only add 1ppm of ammonia & let us know how things look in 24hrs.

 

[jessebs]

Thanks for the advice

I checked my params just before the water change - no ammonia, so it's vanishing within 24 hours. Nitrates and Nitrites were both still off the chart, so I did a 100% water change.

About 20 minutes after the change, I tested 0.25ppm of Nitrites. I didn't bother testing Nitrates. I dosed what should be 1ppm of Ammonia.

Should I start dosing up to 4 again once this current dose is gone, or what's the next step - now that I've deviated from the original cycle plan.

 

[jlk]

Lets see how your numbers look in 24hrs and go from there. Dont be surprised if your nitrites spike up high again. Once your tank is converting all of the nitrite from a low amm dose, you can work on gradually increasing the amm dose over a few days until your back to 4ppm and then you will be done! The very high nitrites can stall a cycle so keeping things under control until they are completely up speed will keep things progressing forward. No worries and nothing will starve! Keep us posted!

 

[jessebs]

It's been right around 24 hours.

Ammonia is at 0.25 (I'm surprised it's still around)
Nitrite is off the chart
Nitrate is around 10

 

[jlk]

Hold off on dosing ammonia for a few days to see if your nitrites drop/nitrates increase.

 

[jessebs]

Now I'm even more confused.

Ammo is 0
Nitrite is 0
Nitrate is between 0 and 5 - closer to 0.

Since Nitrite is 0, i would have expected Nitrate to be high.

 

[librarygirl]

If you didn't do a water change and nitrites dropped from 5 to 0 you could be cycled. Keep adding ammonia for a few more days to be sure though. Nitrates shouldn't leave the tank unless through water changes; I suspect a testing error. Try really shaking and banging both nitrate bottles for 30 seconds and shake the tube vigorously for 60 seconds and then wait 5 minutes for the results. Also make sure you use both nitrate bottles and put them in the correct order. Try it again and let us know if anything changes.

 

[jessebs]

The ammonia dropped from 1 to 0. Nitrites have been 0 since the water change 2 days ago. I retested Nitrate and confirmed that it is close to 0.

I have a plant in the tank, and a quick google search shows that it could be consuming the nitrates.

Now that everything seems in check, should I start dosing up to 4ppm again?

 

[jlk]

Dose to 2ppm tonight. If all is zero in 24hrs, increase to 3ppm. If its not zeroed, just dose 2ppm again. Keep us posted!

 

[jessebs]

I didn't get around to dosing until this morning. I tested Nitrates just before, and they were the same as last test. I've dosed to 2ppm Ammonia, so let's see what happens.

 

[jessebs]

Alright, it's been 24 hours since the dosing up to 2ppm ammonia

Ammonia is 0, Nitrites are @ 5 or above, Nitrates are around 20.

Do I need to wait until the Nitrite->Nitrate conversion picks up before dosing again?

 

[jlk]

Did your nitrates increase? Give your tak 24hrs before redosing to see if they increase further.

 

[jessebs]

Yes, nitrates went from close to 0 up to 20, so that conversion is happening, just not fast enough.

Do I want to wait until nitrites are completely gone before redosing, or does that run the risk of starving the ammonia->nitrite bacteria?

 

[jlk]

Your nitrite>nitrate bacteria take twice as long to grow when compared to your amm>nitrite bacteria. They are growing & doing their job but they simply are just not up to full speed yet.Almost there! Lets see how things look in 24hrs & go from there. It actually takes much longer than most people realize to starve your amm>nitrite bacteria, so I would not be too concerned with starving them at this point.

 

[jessebs]

Thanks. I've also got some pond snails that came with a plant, so I'm sure they are producing some ammonia. I'll post again tomorrow.

 

[jessebs]

It's been 2 days since I dosed to 2 ppm:

Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates are all zero. This changed from yesterday where Nitrites were 5 and Nitrates were 20. I've concluded that my plant is consuming Nitrates, which is why they are nonexistant now.

So to summarize, it took <=48 hours for 2ppm ammonia to be fully processed.

What do you think I should dose to now?

 

[jlk]

Thats great!! Dose to 2ppm again and let us know how things look in 24hrs. Your tank should be getting very close to processing 2ppm in 24hrs. Once it does, you can start to bump up the amm dose. Once its handling 4ppm steadily in 24hrs, you will be done!

 

[jessebs]

25 hours later (close enough!)

All 3 params are 0. I guess it's time to bump up. Should I move up to 4 ppm ammo now?

 

[jlk]

Bump it up to 3ppm and lets see if theres more zeroes in 24hrs. Dont panic if you see some ammonia/nitrite tomorrow- it may take a day or so for your bacteria to adjust upwards.