Cycle Log

[Tathar]

2.0ppm Ammonia for today, didnt see the need to test for nitrites. Still waiting for my Nitrite spike, lol.

 

[Tathar]

Hm... kinda irritated. My ammonia has gone to 4ppm... from 2-3 ppm for some reason. Any ideas? Or should I just wait it out?

 

[waterdrop]

Is your pH ok?

 

[Tathar]

Ok so readings now are:

Ammonia- 1.0ppm
Nitrite- 5.0ppm
pH- 7.6

Should I be testing Nitrate at this stage? I can't imagine it would've spiked already?

 

[waterdrop]

We don't usually use the term "spike" with nitrate since it just goes up forever. No, no need at this stage. Doing a water change eventually, to remove excess nitrate before the end of a fishless cycle is just a tweek of the process, not absolutely necessary.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Tathar]

Ah, I see, I understand now. So for now, top up the ammonia, and keep testing them both until Nitrites start coming down?

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, sometimes the nitrite spike stage is twice as long as the first ammonia coming down stage. WD

 

[Tathar]

If my Ammonia and Nitrites are 0ppm and my Nitrates are very high, does that mean the tank is ready for fish?

 

[Tathar]

Everything is reading at nigh 0ppm... how is this? I've been adding ammonia, but I dont understand, could I have just done the Nitrate test wrong?

 

[waterdrop]

Well, you don't have very complete log info so I can't really tell where you are.

Total # days since you first dosed ammonia?

Are you seeing the zero readings at 24 hours after you dosed the ammonia or at 12 hours after?

If it has happened at 24 hours after then that may mean you are entering the 3rd phase of fishless cycling where you want to keep on dosing at the 24 hour mark (if ammonia went to zero in the previous 24 hours) but do additional ammonia and nitrite tests at the 12 hour mark.

If it has happened at the 12 hour mark then that may mean you are ready to enter your qualifying week. The qualifying week is just where you see if the filter can continue to drop 5ppm of ammonia to zero ppm ammonia and zero ppm nitrite at the 12 hour mark each day. If you get a spike of something then you have to start the week over, if you don't then the biofilter is ready. Does that make sense?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

I must agree with WD in this. Although you may think you have adequate evidence to push forward, you simply do not. Instead you have a need to construct a proper set of circumstances with us. You need to provide the evidence requested by WD instead. I would strongly resist the idea that you are ready for fish in your tank. There is nothing that you have revealed (Revealed is he simple situation) that would support the readiness of your tanks for any fish at all. Although I can not point to any specific contraindications, there is also nothing that would support positive indications for fish additions. Even though WD does not say so specifically, you have no reason to believe that any or all additions to your tank will be acceptable.