Beneficial Bacteria in gravel

[Spilk]

Hey i just checked my ammonia and nitrite today, and i got .5 on my nitrite (why would it be going down, shouldnt it be goin up?), and i got 5.0 for ammonia. This doesnt make sense. ANyone know why the nitrite is goin down?

Most likely the gravel had both the bacteria necissary to break down ammonia, as well as the ones that break down nitrites.

 

[nshockeyplaya]

OO so in other words it didnt really help my cycle since i need nitrites to build not lessen.

 

[yvez9]

since you put in seeded gravel, there will already be bavteria on it

you nitrites should, in theory, go down as fast as ammonia so you might never get a nitrite spike

 

[nshockeyplaya]

Okay, so is this bad or does this just mean that my ammonia--->nitrite process just went really fast and that the nitrite---->nitrate process should be beginning?

 

[nshockeyplaya]

Or did this just not affect the cyle and i still have to wait for the nitrite to spike and take the gravel out?

 

[Spilk]

It is a good thing. It just means that instead of having to build one kind of bacteria, then start all over building a second kind, you're going to build them both side by side.

You're going to see a shorter cycling because you're doing two things at once!

 

[nshockeyplaya]

Okay thats sweet then hopefully it finishes fast, and i can get some fish in there

 

[nshockeyplaya]

well today, i tested again and it was the same nitrite at .5 and ammonia is back up to 8.0.

 

[Yenko]

What are your nitrATE levels?

 

[nshockeyplaya]

MY nitrates are at 5.0, but what does that have to do with in this stage of the cycle?

 

[nshockeyplaya]

Does anyone know why the cycling isnt really happening could i hav been using bad ammoniaor something?

 

[Spilk]

Are you doing water changes and declorinating all of your water before you put it in? If not you may be killing off your bacteria.

 

[nshockeyplaya]

I havent done any water chanbges since your not supposed to in a fishless cycle until the end. But i have had to fill up evaporated water, and i just fill up a 5 gallon bucket declhorinate it and put it in.

 

[Spilk]

Sorry I'm in the middle of being a good tech support agent and was distracted lol, I meant keeping the water up, not changing it.

 

[nshockeyplaya]

lol no prob, but yea i have been declorinating the water then putting it in the tank so i shouldnt be killing any bacteria.