Nitrogen Cycle

[Hatterz]

Hello, my 29g aquarium had bee set of for about 3 months now. Tank is cycled and has been running well. Just over a week ago while doing a 50% water change I forgot to dechlorinate the new water. I was able to save all fish and they went back in the tank the same day. After that I did water changes the next 3 days until my ammonia, nitrites and nitrates came down. However, although nitrites are back to 0 and nitrates are down to 10 the ammonia still reads between .25-.5 everyday. Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening. I'm

Stock: 10 neon tetras, 9 guppies, dwarf gourami, 4 albino Cory, 1 small highfin pleco and a African dwarf frog.

 

[HUKIT]

Were you reading zero ammonia prior to forgetting the dechlorinator?

 

[Hatterz]

I was unaware of the levels before the water change unfortunately. But with nitrites and nitrates returning to safe levels, what could be the cause of the ammonia. Maybe I just fail at the ammonia test procedure which is one of the easier ones.

 

[HUKIT]

Have you tested your tap water?

 

[Hatterz]

Tap water normally reads about 2-3ppm, but it has been 3 days since I changed the water.

 

[Hatterz]

Still seeing frequent Ammonia readings at 0-.25ppm. My tap is only reading about 1-2ppm now. I've been treating the water changes with Prime and saw a nitrite spike of about .5 a week ago, it is down to 0.Nitrates have been down around 10-30 throughout. Shouldn't my bacteria be able to handle 1-2ppm of ammonia in a 24 hour period during a water change?

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Still seeing frequent Ammonia readings at 0-.25ppm. My tap is only reading about 1-2ppm now. I've been treating the water changes with Prime and saw a nitrite spike of about .5 a week ago, it is down to 0.Nitrates have been down around 10-30 throughout. Shouldn't my bacteria be able to handle 1-2ppm of ammonia in a 24 hour period during a water change?

Prime will allow ammo to show up in a test like the API kit. It converts it into a non-toxic form that is safe (safer?) for fish, but can still be used by the bacteria. Prime is active up to 48hrs after it's used.

I'd suggest dosing your Prime for the total tank volume and not just what you're putting in during a PWC.