Wierd Readings Of Fish Less Cycle

[Gruntle]

My offer of leftover ammonia still stands.

 

[cambojnr]

My offer of leftover ammonia still stands.

that is nice, thank you, if I sent you my postage address, would you send it to me please?, as I only have about 80ml left which is about 3-4 doses max.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

It silly cause the other day it went from above 5ppm to 0 in less that 12 hours as I checked at 11pm before I went to bed, then when I woke up I did a sgetting annoyed check and it was 0ppm.

 
 
I don't know this as a fact, but I'll throw it out as a possible reason ...  the ammonia bacs may have been slow to process the ammonia, which would then allow the nitrite to start to build up towards the end of the testing time, and by the time you tested, it had all been processed, but not given sufficient time for the nitrite bacs to catch up.
 
Like I said, just a thought but nothing really to back it up besides some suppositions.

 

[cambojnr]

It silly cause the other day it went from above 5ppm to 0 in less that 12 hours as I checked at 11pm before I went to bed, then when I woke up I did a sgetting annoyed check and it was 0ppm.

 
 
I don't know this as a fact, but I'll throw it out as a possible reason ...  the ammonia bacs may have been slow to process the ammonia, which would then allow the nitrite to start to build up towards the end of the testing time, and by the time you tested, it had all been processed, but not given sufficient time for the nitrite bacs to catch up.
 
Like I said, just a thought but nothing really to back it up besides some suppositions.

I think that is what has happend as I have just tested now 11 hours after last test and the nitrite is not perfect 0ppm nitrite but not enough to be 0.25ppm but it's nearly there, so will test again in the morning and add my 3ppm again.

 

[cambojnr]

Just realised since the readings for ammonia were 0.25 and below 1ppm nitrite, so I just redosed 3ppm ammonia and will test my results tomorrow.

 

[Gruntle]

 

My offer of leftover ammonia still stands.

that is nice, thank you, if I sent you my postage address, would you send it to me please?, as I only have about 80ml left which is about 3-4 doses max.
 

Absolutely.

 

[cambojnr]

22 hours after 3ppm dose and both ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm so have added 3ppm again, if tomorrow I am double zeros, does that mean am cycled? And how much of a water change should I do before I add fish as I imagine nitrate will be high and don't trust the API test, but will do one anyways tomorrow and see what reading it gives me.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

No, you are already cycled. If your tank processes 3 ppm of ammonia strtight to nitrate (i.e. a 0 nitrite reading which you also got) in 24 hoours, then the tank is cycled and ready for fish. If it makes you feel better to repeat the process, things should not change and it wont hurt anything.
 
Change as much water as you can. Get it back to temp before adding fish and don't forget the dechlor
 
If you can not stock in the next few days, add the equivalent of 2 ppm of ammonia every 2 or 3 days until you can stock.

 

[cambojnr]

No, you are already cycled. If your tank processes 3 ppm of ammonia strtight to nitrate (i.e. a 0 nitrite reading which you also got) in 24 hoours, then the tank is cycled and ready for fish. If it makes you feel better to repeat the process, things should not change and it wont hurt anything.
 
Change as much water as you can. Get it back to temp before adding fish and don't forget the dechlor
 
If you can not stock in the next few days, add the equivalent of 2 ppm of ammonia every 2 or 3 days until you can stock.

that's great thanks, gonna go to the store tomorrow and see what they have in, and ask them to keep them till Sunday, and if they ain't got any sterbai, I will just ask them to order some in for Thursday as that is their delivery day, and since I only have one dose of ammonia left now, dosing again on Monday will get me through till Thursday.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

22 hours after 3ppm dose and both ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm so have added 3ppm again, if tomorrow I am double zeros, does that mean am cycled? And how much of a water change should I do before I add fish as I imagine nitrate will be high and don't trust the API test, but will do one anyways tomorrow and see what reading it gives me.

 
This is what TTA is referring to as to being cycled.  Adding a second dose for 'verification' purposes is certainly not a bad thing, but its not necessary. 
 
Some around here used to recommend a verification WEEK, and reaching 0/0 in 12 hours rather than 24, and with a much higher dose of ammonia (5ppm rather than the 3ppm we now recommend).  And there is nothing wrong with that, but its primary function is to delay the real reason you wanted to get into fishkeeping in the first place, which is well.... keeping FISH.   Up until now you have been a 'bacteria keeper'.  And you need to have an understanding of bacteria, but now the fun can really start.
 
 
Congrats!