Fishless Cycle Stall

[DiddyPuff]

Hi, I'm new to the board, this is my first post.

I'm new to the aquarium keeping hobby and in the process of fishless cycling my 5 gallon tank, but the process seems to have stalled.

For a while I wasn't seeing an ammonia drop with ammonia at around 4 ppm. Then I finally did a water change and got ammonia down to about 2 ppm. I left the tank alone for a week or so and when I checked again I had both nitrites and nitrates.

Then for almost two weeks nitrite levels remained at what looks like 2-5ppm and nitrate 160 ppm. I'm using the API master freshwater kit. Just wondering why the nitrite isn't dropping. When I add the drops to the test tube the water turns purple in the bottom, but the reading doesn't seem to be off the chart because once I shake it up it turns to a rich purple color (looks like 2-5ppm).

I'm also confused if I should be adding ammonia at this point.

Appreciate any help/advice anyone has to offer! Thanks

 

[Fishy Steve]

Here's the best article I've been able to find on fishless cycling. Hope it helps!
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/foru...uide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

 

[NigelK8485]

Are you continuing to dose with ammonia? The nitrites dropping takes longer than the ammonia dropping, I'd say give it another week or two while still dosing with ammonia when needed to keep it up. My tank took three weeks to cycle, two and a half of those weeks were waiting on the nitrites to drop.


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