Ph crash

[g930751]

Hi everyone currently doing a fishless cycle using ammonia, just notice this morning my ph went from 7.6 to 6.4 did a 50%water change and still the same want to use baking soda just don't know how much ?
Thanks

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[Cichlid4life]

Are you using test stripes or a liquid test? Test stripes can be very inaccurate sometimes. A change in ph can be caused by the introduction of something to the water, some rocks can do this after 24 hour of being in the tank.

 

[g930751]

No liquid test api master test kit

Nothing added started cycling a week ago with everything I wanted in the tank

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[Essjay]

Posted this in your other thread (which was actually in the non-fish section )

I used a level 5ml spoonful in my 25 litre tank (it was the tank for a betta!), so multiply that amount up for your tank volume.

Take a bit of water out of the tank, dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in that, then pour slowly back into the tank. Wait for it all to mix in thoroughly - at least half an hour - then check the pH. You can always add more, it's easier than taking it out if you use too much.
Test the pH every time you test for ammonia & nitrite.

 

[g930751]

Sorry haha and yeah I have done this now and all fine

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[g930751]

While you are here am cycling my tank woth dr tims ammonia and one and only and my ammonia is dropping as normal currently at 0 for a 24hours but my nitrates raised to 3-5ppm and stayed there , do I add more ammonia?

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[Essjay]

my nitrates raised to 3-5ppm

Do you mean nitrites or nitrates?

The danger with adding too much ammonia is it makes roughly two and a half times more nitrite that the amount of added ammonia. Our test kits only read nitrite up to 5 ppm and we can't tell if the 5 ppm colour really is 5 ppm, or 10 ppm or 50 ppm, it'll still show the same colour. Nitrite above about 15 ppm stalls the cycle, so we have to be careful how much ammonia we add.
Even with the One & Only, you need to stick to the method on here. The One & Only should make the cycle go a lot faster.

 

[g930751]

nitrites sorry and I followed the the instructions when they were both user 1ppm I added 4 drops per gallon, ammonia has gone too 0 and nitrites are 3 -5 ppm

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[steelo]

Do you mean nitrites or nitrates?

The danger with adding too much ammonia is it makes roughly two and a half times more nitrite that the amount of added ammonia. Our test kits only read nitrite up to 5 ppm and we can't tell if the 5 ppm colour really is 5 ppm, or 10 ppm or 50 ppm, it'll still show the same colour. Nitrite above about 15 ppm stalls the cycle, so we have to be careful how much ammonia we add.
Even with the One & Only, you need to stick to the method on here. The One & Only should make the cycle go a lot faster.

Hi, can I bug you with a similar question since you've been so helpful in the past? I'm in the last part of the cycling...I finally have nitrates and nitrites are dropping to about .5 ppm and ammonia to zero 24 hours after adding 2-3 parts ammonia. Nitrates were around 10-20 ppm 2 nights ago. I WAS almost there!

Unfortunately, as luck would have it, last night I had a brain fart and accidentally added TWICE the ammonia I was supposed to. I checked it the following day and ammonia was down from 4-5 ppm to around 1, nitrites however were somewhere between 3-5 (API test is so hard to read) and nitrates about doubled to 20-40 ppm (definitely a reddish orange on API scale). I plan on doing a huge water change before adding fish, but should I do a water change to lower the nitrites, or do you believe I have enough nitrates to take care of the nitrites? I just fear it may stall the cycle when I'm only a few days away!

Thanks again!

 

[Essjay]

The instructions on here say (in quick summary) -
Add enough ammonia to get 3 ppm
Test until you get ammonia less than 0.75 AND nitrite above 2 ppm
Add enough ammonia to get 3 ppm
Test every other day and when you have 0 ppm ammonia then 0 again 2 days later add enough ammonia to get a reading of 1 ppm
Test until you have ammonia less than 0.25 AND nitrite less than 1.0.
Then add enough ammonia to get 3 ppm
If you have 2 zeros next day the cycle is finished. But if you don't have two zeros, wait until ammonia is under 0.25 AND nitrite is under 1.0 and add another 3 ppm ammonia.
Test 24 hours later. If both are zero, the cycle is finished. If you don't have 2 zeros, wait until ammonia is under 0.25 and nitrite under 1.0 and then add 3 ppm ammonia.
And so on until you have two zeros.

Which stage are you at?





@steelo I would do a water change. You mustn't let nitrite get high enough to stall the cycle.

 

[steelo]

The instructions on here say (in quick summary) -
Add enough ammonia to get 3 ppm
Test until you get ammonia less than 0.75 AND nitrite above 2 ppm
Add enough ammonia to get 3 ppm
Test every other day and when you have 0 ppm ammonia then 0 again 2 days later add enough ammonia to get a reading of 1 ppm
Test until you have ammonia less than 0.25 AND nitrite less than 1.0.
Then add enough ammonia to get 3 ppm
If you have 2 zeros next day the cycle is finished. But if you don't have two zeros, wait until ammonia is under 0.25 AND nitrite is under 1.0 and add another 3 ppm ammonia.
Test 24 hours later. If both are zero, the cycle is finished. If you don't have 2 zeros, wait until ammonia is under 0.25 and nitrite under 1.0 and then add 3 ppm ammonia.
And so on until you have two zeros.

Which stage are you at?





@steelo I would do a water change. You mustn't let nitrite get high enough to stall the cycle.

Right here: "If you have 2 zeros next day the cycle is finished. But if you don't have two zeros, wait until ammonia is under 0.25 AND nitrite is under 1.0 and add another 3 ppm ammonia.
Test 24 hours later. If both are zero, the cycle is finished. If you don't have 2 zeros, wait until ammonia is under 0.25 and nitrite under 1.0 and then add 3 ppm ammonia.":

Stupid me, I added about 5-6 ppm the last time instead of 3. I believe this WOULD have been my last dosing of ammonia had I done it correctly...I was ALMOST at 0 nitrites in 24 hours. Do you think I'll be okay? I'm hoping that maybe I have enough nitrates to not allow the nitrites to get out of hand.

 

[g930751]

Are they the dr tims guidelines? They don't look like mine [emoji848]

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[steelo]

Are they the dr tims guidelines? They don't look like mine [emoji848]

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I believe this may help =)

http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

 

[g930751]

I have been using dr tims ammonia and one and only, can I switch over or stay with his because his say to wait till nitrites and ammonia are under 1ppm ?

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[g930751]

And my nitrites are high but ammonia is 0

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