cycling

[graywolf]

I have a 29 gal frash water tank, iit has been cycling for 9 days. I used Dr.Tims one and only as instructions. to day my ammonia is 2.0 ppm, nitrite o ppm and nitrates at10ppm. I thought all the ammonia would be gone before nitrate would be developed. I have a call in to the Dr Tims site but thought someone here might know. Thank you. please excuse typing .

 

[Colin_T]

Check the tap water for nitrates.

Don't bother testing aquarium water for nitrates until after the tank has cycled. Nitrate test kits read nitrite as nitrate and give you a false reading.

You can buy bottle of liquid filter bacteria from pet shops and these are added to the tank to help speed things up. I recommend adding a double dose every day for a week, then pour the remaining contents into the tank. Try to add the bacteria near the filter intake so they get drawn into the filter.

 

[graywolf]

Check the tap water for nitrates.

Don't bother testing aquarium water for nitrates until after the tank has cycled. Nitrate test kits read nitrite as nitrate and give you a false reading.

You can buy bottle of liquid filter bacteria from pet shops and these are added to the tank to help speed things up. I recommend adding a double dose every day for a week, then pour the remaining contents into the tank. Try to add the bacteria near the filter intake so they get drawn into the filter.

thank you

 

[graywolf]

thank you

 

[graywolf]

I HAVE USED dR tIMS ONE AND ONLY, IS THIS THE SAME TYPE PRODUCTS?

 

[graywolf]

Sorry caps were on

 

[Essjay]

Dr Tim's One & Only is indeed a bottled bacteria product.

How much ammonia did you add?
And as Colin said, how much nitrate is in your tap water?

 

[graywolf]

Dr Tim's One & Only is indeed a bottled bacteria product.

How much ammonia did you add?
And as Colin said, how much nitrate is in your tap water?

I added Dr tims ammonium chloride solution at 4 drops per gal. Im going to test plain water.

 

[Essjay]

That dose should give a reading of 2.4 ppm (they say 2 ppm but that's using a different scale from our test kits).
It doesn't look at though the cycle has started yet. There are a couple of reasons that the One & Only might not work - out of date or stored incorrectly at some point between it being made and you buying it.

See what tap nitrate is.

 

[graywolf]

That dose should give a reading of 2.4 ppm (they say 2 ppm but that's using a different scale from our test kits).
It doesn't look at though the cycle has started yet. There are a couple of reasons that the One & Only might not work - out of date or stored incorrectly at some point between it being made and you buying it.

See what tap nitrate is.

tap water nitrate little darker then 0 but not as dark .05 ppm

 

[Essjay]

not as dark .05 ppm

Can you check that, my test kit has colours for 0, 5, 10 etc - it can't measure that accurately.

Even assuming you meant between 0 and 5, that's lower than the tank nitrate so the nitrate must have come from somewhere. Has the ammonia level dropped at all? Even the tiniest bit?

 

[graywolf]

Can you check that, my test kit has colours for 0, 5, 10 etc - it can't measure that accurately.

Even assuming you meant between 0 and 5, that's lower than the tank nitrate so the nitrate must have come from somewhere. Has the ammonia level dropped at all? Even the tiniest bit? today ammonia at

 

[graywolf]

today ammonia 2.0 ppm nitrite at o.25 ppm. not going to check again until Sat. Thank you all.