Cycling Question...

[ChaseTheBetta]

I just started my cycle on Monday. I put enough ammonia in to raise the levels to 6ppm. I didn't test yesterday because I figured there'd be no change. I tested today and there was only 2 ppm of ammonia. So, I tested for nitrites. There weren't any. What happened to that ammonia? What am I doing wrong?

 

[KraKen]

The same thing happened to me too I started with 8.0 ppm and now I have about 4.0ppm, could the nitrites have been converted to nitrates that fast ?

 

[rdd1952]

Do you have any live plants in the tank? Also, what type media do you have in your filter and what chemicals are you using? Plants can use ammonia thus it doesn't get converted. Some types of filter media will remove ammonia as will some chemicals. I would not recommend using either as it will prevent your tank from cycling meaning you are totally dependent on them.

 

[ChaseTheBetta]

No live plants. The only chemicals I used was the water conditioner. I use the filter cartridge that came with the tank. Don't remember what it is. It came with the Whisper Filter.

How long does it take ammonia to be uniformly distributed throughout the tank? I may have tested before it was spread out and got a messed up reading.

 

[rdd1952]

10 minutes or so should be enough time but depending on filtration, it could take longer. The filter you have shouldn't have anything in it to remove ammonia, probably just carbon which might remove a little bt not much. Carbon becomes fully saturated in a short time. Tryraising it back up. If it is the carbon, it should have removed all it's going to by now

 

[Egmel]

I just started my cycle on Monday. I put enough ammonia in to raise the levels to 6ppm. I didn't test yesterday because I figured there'd be no change. I tested today and there was only 2 ppm of ammonia. So, I tested for nitrites. There weren't any. What happened to that ammonia? What am I doing wrong?

Which test kit are you using? The API NitrIte kit is interesting to say the least, it only measures up to 5ppm and then 'breaks' showing a greeny blue colour that looks like the 0ppm colour. If your test goes purple at any point then you have nitrites, and probably quite high ones!

However this early on in a cycle I'd be surprised if you could convert 4ppm of ammonia in 2 days, unless of course you have donated media in which case you could have a thriving colony!

 

[ChaseTheBetta]

I'm using the API master test kit. There is carbon in the filter media. I have no donated media.

I think I didn't wait long enough to test for ammonia after I added ammonia, so I got a bad reading. I'll test today and if it's still at 2ppm, I'll raise it up to 4ppm.

 

[stuhyde]

I'm in exactly the same boat after about 10 days

Ammonia right down, ZERO nitrItes.....

 

[ChaseTheBetta]

I tested today and the ammonia was still 2ppm. Didn't bother testing nitrites. I added more ammonia, waited all day, and tested again. Now the ammonia is back up to 4ppm. I'll test again tomorrow.

 

[rdd1952]

I think the carbon took some of the first ammonia out of the water and is now saturated so it won't take any more out.