Fishless Cycle - Nitrites Have Suddenly Gone Missing.. Help!

[sfrost90]

Hi everyone,
 
I've joined this forum as I've completely hit a brick wall as to where I have went wrong with my fishless cycle.
 
At the start of the year I bought a fish tank as I wanted to get an axolotl. I read online about fishless cycles (as a complete beginner to fish keeping) and so I bought my pure ammonia, API master test kit and got some seeding material.
 
All seemed to be going well, my ammonia was dropping and nitrites were starting to appear. However, now my ammonia has slowed down in dropping and my nitrites have disappeared. Any help as to where I have gone wrong would be appreciated! Below are my readings:
 
Jan 14:
Ammonia - 4ppm
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
 
Jan 17:
Ammonia - 2ppm
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
 
Jan 19:
Ammonia - 1ppm
Nitrite - 0.25ppm
Nitrate - 0
 
Jan 20:
Ammonia - Dosed back to 4ppm
Nitrite - 0.25
Nitrate - 0
 
Jan 21:
Ammonia - 2ppm
Nitrite - 0.25
Nitrate - 0
 
Jan 22:
Ammonia - 0 --> Back up to 4ppm
Nitrite - 0.25
Nitrate - 0
 
Jan 23:
Ammonia - 4ppm
Nitrite - 0.25ppm
Nitrate - 5ppm
 
Jan 24:
Ammonia - 4ppm
Nitrite - 0.25ppm
Nitrate - 5ppm
 
Jan 25: 
Ammonia - 2-4ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm (!!!)
Nitrate - 5ppm
 
Since Jan 25th my Ammonia has remained at 2ppm, and Nitrites have remained at 0ppm. Nitrates also have not changed from 5ppm.
 
Any advice? Thanks!

 

[techen]

Hiya dont worry about nitrites now you have nitrates. Worry about testing if theres no ammonia after 12 hours. Once you get that your done!

 

[sfrost90]

Hi thanks for your reply! Just one thing - when you say worry about testing if theres no ammonia after 12 hours, is that a bad thing? Does that not mean that the cycle is complete when my ammonia is gone after 12 hours of topping it up?
 
Sorry for all the questions, you can tell I am completely new to fish keeping!

 

[the_lock_man]

No, you need both ammonia AND nitrite gone after 12 hours.
 
Here's what I think has happened.
 
The API nitrate test is notoriously iffy. If you haven't shaken the bejayzees out of bottle two, to get the powder reagent dissolved properly, you get a false zero result.
 
To my logic, your seeding material has brought in a sufficient quantity of N-Bacs to process all of the nitrite being produced, and that initially you weren't seeing a rise in nitrate because of the API test.

 

[gregswimm]

I laughed.  That is supposed to happen.  Nitrates are the end result so once you have the accumulating you are done.  Check the nitrates of the water you use in your tank, see if there are nitrates present.
You could still have ammonia if you have a low turnover in your tank (aka low filtration).  What is your ammonia dosing regiment?  What is the ammonia compound you are using (check the ingredients)