Confusing test results

[emo]

I've been cycling my 10g for like a month now. It finished cycling the week before Christmas, so I thought it would be best to just put in a couple of frozen prawns during the christmas break, rather than add fish!

So I get back a week later, take out the prawns, add more... go away for another week!

When I got back, I cleaned out the prawns again, and started adding ammonia (in the volume I added during cycling). I tested the results the next day... It had UNCYCLED! Argh

So anyways, 4 days on... the results are...

Ammonia: 1ppm
NitrIte: 0ppm
NitrAte: 5ppm

Nitrates are quite low, i'm assuming because it's a heavily planted tank.

I'm a bit peeved... during cycling, the ammonia never hit 0 until a day or so before the nitrIte hit 0.
My test kit is working correctly, i've tested it on fresh tapwater.

Not too sure what to do right now! Any ideas?

 

[TorPeteO]

It probably hadn't completely finished cycling the week before Christmas. Cycling in any form, especially fishless cycling, usually takes quite a while. If you're really lucky, three weeks is good. It can take over a month even when you do it right, though.

My suggestion; keep with the schedule. Continue adding ammonia every day, simulating wastes a fish would generate. Continue even when the ammonia bacteria is working and, within a day, ammonia is down to zero, until the nitrIte processing bacteria is quickly getting rid of nitrites. Once you can see that, within 24 hours, both ammonia and nitrite are zero, then go nuts; add you fish. Maybe you should still introduce them slowly to be on the safe side (i.e. a couple a week). Let us know how it goes!

The only site I've ever gone to about it is this one, which seems pretty informative.

Good luck!

 

[emo]

Ok! Thanks for your help torpeto!


I put more ammonia in (same dosage again) then checked 24 hours later (tonight!) and ammonia was at 1ppm again, nitrIte 0!

So I did a 20% water change, thought it could be some of the dead plant matter at the bottom of the tank... filled the tank back up, and ammonia was at around 0.5 or so.

I added more ammonia about an hour ago, and I just tested..
Ammonia: 1.7
Nitrite: 0.5

So it's obviously cycling the ammonia to nitrite and getting rid of the nitrite properly, over 24 hours!

So do you think I could be adding too much ammonia?

I was under the impression that ammonia was supposed to get to 0 during cycling before nitrite!!

Any more ideas?

 

[Great Lakes]

Sounds like your biological system is working properly, yet just not up to the level of ammonia going in.

You are adding more ammonia than your good bacteria culture is able to remove, obviously..

This, to me, would indicate one of two things. 1) You are not quite done cycling yet. In terms of breaking down the amount of ammonia you are adding. 2) there is not enough area in your filter and/or tank to support enough bacteria to handle the ammonia you are adding.
I guess only a little more time will tell.

GL