Is This Normal?

[geo7x]

hi there,
I have been fishless cyling my tank for almost five weeks now, and it was all going to plan, my nitrites were sky high and now they have dropped to 0, great! But, (here's the 'but' ) my ammonia readings still arent going from 5 to 0ppm in 12 hours or less, they go down to 1 quite quickly, but then its quite a long wait until it goes down to 0, so, is this normal? could my polluted water be affecting the ammonia readings? (should i do a bit of a water change because of this?) I dunno, you tell me.

 

[Cheffi]

hi there,
I have been fishless cyling my tank for almost five weeks now, and it was all going to plan, my nitrites were sky high and now they have dropped to 0, great! But, (here's the 'but' ) my ammonia readings still arent going from 5 to 0ppm in 12 hours or less, they go down to 1 quite quickly, but then its quite a long wait until it goes down to 0, so, is this normal? could my polluted water be affecting the ammonia readings? (should i do a bit of a water change because of this?) I dunno, you tell me.

Having just finished a 9 week cycle I believe that when the nitrites spike you drop the ammonia down to 2ppm per day. Well on the one I was doing you did. Maybe you've been adding too much?

 

[geo7x]

Thanks for the reply Cheffi, maybe i have been adding too much, my test kit only goes up to 4 ppm, and its hard to match the colours, do you think that i should only raise it to 2 ppm?

 

[mark.w.jones]

Thanks for the reply Cheffi, maybe i have been adding too much, my test kit only goes up to 4 ppm, and its hard to match the colours, do you think that i should only raise it to 2 ppm?

You should really be raising it to 4 - 5 ppm every time it drops to zero. It's not completely cycled until it is reducing you 4 - 5 ppm ammonia to 0 in 24 hours or less. Once you get to that point and the nitrites are clearing in 24hours as well then youre there.

Good luck

 

[geo7x]

ok thanks jonesy, i guess i'll just carry on adding and waiting lol.

 

[Cheffi]

ok thanks jonesy, i guess i'll just carry on adding and waiting lol.

Yes as I said you should still be adding but when your nitrites spike as you have said they have done, you drop it down to 2ppm. I have read the reason for this is an excess of ammonia inhibits the growth of the nitrite eating bacteria. You need to go back and read the method again that you were following.

 

[geo7x]

Every time the ammonia drops back to zero, raise it back up to 3 to 4 ppm and continue to check nitrites. The nitrite reading will go off the chart. Once the ammonia is dropping from around 4 ppm back to zero in 12 hours or less you have sufficient bacteria to handle the ammonia your fish load produces. Continue to add ammonia daily as you must feed the bacteria that have formed or they will begin to die off.

This is from rdd1952's Add and Wait method in the pinned thread in the beginner's section, saying that I should be raising it to 4ppm, and it should eventuallly drop from 4 to 0 in 12 hours or less. Maybe we were using different methods Cheffi .