Cycling Problems?

[dizzied]

I'm doing a fishless cycle on a 2.5g aga. It seems like the nirites disappeared without a spike. I'm wondering if the tank has finished cycling or if I bumped into some sort of problem.

Day 1 - 4.0 Ammonia, No Nirites or Nirates
Day 2 - 4.0 Ammonia, 0.25 Nirites, 0 Nirates
Day 3 - 4.0, 1.0, 0
Day 4 - 4.0, 2.0, 0
Day 5 - 4.0, 2.0, 0
Day 6 - 4.0, 2.0, 0
Day 7 - 0, 0, 5.0

I've been adding ammonia daily, and it all goes away in 12 hours, but nirites and nirates never go up. I'm on day 12 right now.

 

[Majjie]

That's a very small tank - what are you planning to put in it?

If you're adding ammonia each day and there's no ammonia or nitrite 12 hours later then the tank is cycled. It's odd if you don't have nitrate - but other people have had odd results with nitrate - if you look through previous threads on fishless cycling.

Is the tank heavily planted or full of algae?
Are you sure you're nitrate test is working?

I'd do a big water change and just check that added ammonia still disappears after 12 hours with no nitrite either - then do another water change before adding .... whatever

 

[dizzied]

I'm not really planning anything for the tank yet, but I had it sitting around so I thought I'd just cycle it so I can start instantly if I ever really use it, or have substrate to borrow from if I start a larger tank. There's not much in there, just sand substrate and a few rocks. No algae or anything.

Pretty sure the ammonia and nitrate tests are working correctly. I think something might be wrong with the nitrite test though. The result it gives me is even lighter than the color for 0ppm, which is the lightest on the chart.

 

[Cheffi]

Which test kit are you using?

 

[dizzied]

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals' freshwater master kit.

The test kit works fine actually, I just tested the nitrites on another tank and it came out 0. The "less than 0" reading on my 2.5g though still confuses me.

 

[Cheffi]

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals' freshwater master kit.

The test kit works fine actually, I just tested the nitrites on another tank and it came out 0. The "less than 0" reading on my 2.5g though still confuses me.

So when you add the liquid to the test tube does it go straight to pale blue? Or does it start off pink then go lighter?

 

[dizzied]

It starts of dark purple, goes to a lighter transcluent purple and eventually to a very light and transcluent blue-green color.

 

[Cheffi]

It starts of dark purple, goes to a lighter transcluent purple and eventually to a very light and transcluent blue-green color.

Thats what I suspected. You have a nitrite spike and your reading is off the scale. The same thing happened to me and I mailed API and they told me this. If you want to see roughly what your true reading is fill your test tube half way to the line then top up with cold tap water to the line. Add your 5 drops and after 5 mins whatever result you can read, double it and thats your reading. Now you just have to wait for it to come down.

 

[dizzied]

Thanks a lot.

 

[Cheffi]

Thanks a lot.

You are very welcome