Advice Please

[stormy78]

Im doing a fishless cycle (see below in the 'new to the hobby' forum) and my results today are:

Day 10 (Tuesday 22nd April)

Tested Ammonia at 6.00pm
Ammonia: 2ppm
NitrIte: 0.25 ppm
PH: 7.6

The NitrIte has continued to drop while the PH has risen. Does anybody have any feedback on this? Should the PH be rising? The NitrIte was off the chart at the weekend (API kit, the chemicals going deep purple straight away) but the Ammonia does not seem to be moving from 2ppm. Sorry for reposting but I'm desperate for some feedback.

 

[waterdrop]

To me, you just look like you are sweating the details too much. It looks like stuff is happening in your tank that's ok. Even though pH is moving, its well within ranges that people say are ok for growing the bacteria, I assume your temp is ok for it too (somewhere like 74-84F with plenty of surface agitation.) Have you got any coral or limestone or anything in there that might raise pH?

My ammonia didn't drop all the way to zero until after my nitrite spiked to 5.0. Prior to that they can fluctuate around some, I think its normal.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[stormy78]

Hi Waterdrop The temp is around 82F and the surface of the water is moving around due to the filter. I just seem to be miss reading things as my NitrIte seemed way off the chart last week but now is down to near nothing but the Ammonia just will not budge from 2.00ppm since I moved it back up to 4ppm last Friday. I even have the wife and friends checking the colours on the results for me lol.

The tank is starting to grow both brown and hair algea and the snails seem to have made a new home in my tank I'm removing around 10 a day at present! Should I just leave the tank be until the weekend, with the exception of checking Ammonia and NitrIte and then see where I'm at on Saturday before jumping to the conclusion that something has stalled the Ammonia loving Bacteria growing?

 

[waterdrop]

Don't know. Your parameters sound good - pH 7.6, 84F, surface movement for O2. Brown algae is a very common report, certainly not a bad sign.

NH3 staying at 2ppm for 4 days and the NO2 dropping back do make it sound like the "A-bacs" could have suffered a setback somehow, but for now I might go on through the weekend holding steady and measuring. 'Course BTT might come along and tell you to do a big water change... Note that you can always test your tap water with your ammonia kit to get that reassuring feeling that yes, it can show zero!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[backtotropical]

'Course BTT might come along and tell you to do a big water change...

Cheeky!

I agree, actually. Sounds like nothing really to worry about. Monitor over the coming days and you should see some movement. If not, a water change may kickstart it again (there i go again)!!

Good luck

BTT