veryspeshul
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2020
- Messages
- 6
Hi there
I've been attempting to fishless cycle a 5 gallon tank before getting a betta fish for over 6 weeks now, and was wondering if someone could take a look at my notes below and tell me if there's anything I should be doing, or if it's just a matter of waiting longer?
I was originally using testing strips and fish food, but wasn't seeing any movement in the ammonia levels. I now believe I was misreading the strips in bad lighting, and out of frustration, ended up starting over from scratch (dumped everything out and washed everything with tap water). I then started using the liquid test with pure ammonia, but I only have notes starting from Feb 11th:
Tues 11th Feb:
Plain tap water:
pH: 6.7
Ammonia: 0 - dosed to 4
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Temp: Kept at 28 degrees celcius throughout
Added some gravel from a cycled aquarium
Wed 12th Feb:
Ammonia: 1 - dosed back up to 4
Nitrite: 3
Nitrate: 5
pH: 7.4 - stays roughly 7.4 throughout
Thurs 13th Feb:
Ammonia: 3
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
Fri 14th Feb:
Ammonia: 3
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 2
- Did a 60% water change in case I had been overdoing the Ammonia/in an attempt to bring down Nitrites
Ammonia: 1 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate 7
Sat 15th Feb:
Ammonia: 1.5
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
- didn't add any Ammonia
Sun 16th Feb:
Ammonia: 1 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 6
Mon 17th Feb:
Ammonia: 0.50 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 2
Tues 18th Feb:
Ammonia: 0.50 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 2
Wed 19th Feb:
Ammonia: 0.50
Nitrite: 4
Nitrate: 4
- didn't add any more ammonia
- added few tiny floating plants from a cycled aquarium
Thurs 20th Feb:
Ammonia: 0.25 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
Friday 21st Feb:
Ammonia: 0.50 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
Sat 22nd Feb:
Ammonia: 0.25 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
- removed all tank decorations just in case they were affecting anything
Sun 23rd Feb
Ammonia: 1
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
- Did a 90% water change in an attempt to bring Nitrites near 0
Ammonia: 0.25 - dosed to 1
Nitrite: 1
Nitrate: 4
Mon 24th:
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 5
- didn't add any more ammonia
Tues 25th:
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 5
Basically, the Nitrite tests have been bright purple throughout, exept for directly after the 90% water change, and I've never had Ammonia at exactly 0 - it's always had a slight green tinge at 0.25 at its lowest.
What should I be doing from here on out? It's been aaaages and I'm reading so much conflicting info online and am close to giving up altogether Should I not add ANY Ammonia from now on until I get a definite yellow 0 reading, and then continue to dose to 1 daily and wait for the Ammonia and Nitrites to disappear to 0 suddenly? Is there something I'm missing? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I've been attempting to fishless cycle a 5 gallon tank before getting a betta fish for over 6 weeks now, and was wondering if someone could take a look at my notes below and tell me if there's anything I should be doing, or if it's just a matter of waiting longer?
I was originally using testing strips and fish food, but wasn't seeing any movement in the ammonia levels. I now believe I was misreading the strips in bad lighting, and out of frustration, ended up starting over from scratch (dumped everything out and washed everything with tap water). I then started using the liquid test with pure ammonia, but I only have notes starting from Feb 11th:
Tues 11th Feb:
Plain tap water:
pH: 6.7
Ammonia: 0 - dosed to 4
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Temp: Kept at 28 degrees celcius throughout
Added some gravel from a cycled aquarium
Wed 12th Feb:
Ammonia: 1 - dosed back up to 4
Nitrite: 3
Nitrate: 5
pH: 7.4 - stays roughly 7.4 throughout
Thurs 13th Feb:
Ammonia: 3
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
Fri 14th Feb:
Ammonia: 3
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 2
- Did a 60% water change in case I had been overdoing the Ammonia/in an attempt to bring down Nitrites
Ammonia: 1 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate 7
Sat 15th Feb:
Ammonia: 1.5
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
- didn't add any Ammonia
Sun 16th Feb:
Ammonia: 1 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 6
Mon 17th Feb:
Ammonia: 0.50 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 2
Tues 18th Feb:
Ammonia: 0.50 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 2
Wed 19th Feb:
Ammonia: 0.50
Nitrite: 4
Nitrate: 4
- didn't add any more ammonia
- added few tiny floating plants from a cycled aquarium
Thurs 20th Feb:
Ammonia: 0.25 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
Friday 21st Feb:
Ammonia: 0.50 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
Sat 22nd Feb:
Ammonia: 0.25 - dosed up to 2
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
- removed all tank decorations just in case they were affecting anything
Sun 23rd Feb
Ammonia: 1
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 3
- Did a 90% water change in an attempt to bring Nitrites near 0
Ammonia: 0.25 - dosed to 1
Nitrite: 1
Nitrate: 4
Mon 24th:
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 5
- didn't add any more ammonia
Tues 25th:
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate: 5
Basically, the Nitrite tests have been bright purple throughout, exept for directly after the 90% water change, and I've never had Ammonia at exactly 0 - it's always had a slight green tinge at 0.25 at its lowest.
What should I be doing from here on out? It's been aaaages and I'm reading so much conflicting info online and am close to giving up altogether Should I not add ANY Ammonia from now on until I get a definite yellow 0 reading, and then continue to dose to 1 daily and wait for the Ammonia and Nitrites to disappear to 0 suddenly? Is there something I'm missing? Any help would be greatly appreciated.