Next steps, tank is waiting...

[Essjay]

I would add another dose of ammonia to get to 3 ppm again and test after 24 hours. Because your nitrate is going up, it could be that the nitrite eaters in the Safe Start are alive and kicking and eating the nitrite as fast as the ammonia eaters can make it.

 

[sporkman]

So I've done the second dose, and it went down to maybe zero, maybe .1 ppm after a few days. I still see ZERO nitrite, which concerns me since everything I read about cycling says that nitrites must spike. Also looks like nitrate is decreasing, even without a water change. Just totally mystified, but also kind of excited something is getting rid of the ammonia...

Also another thing - I have some questions about my filter, how to change/how often w/o disrupting my bacteria, and some other general issues. Is it best to start a thread elsewhere on the board for that? Oh, and I have a real non-chain store fish guy near me! http://elysfish.com/

Here's my numbers:

And I know I've asked a few times, but can anyone look at my pics in the beginning of this thread and tell me if I'm seeing all my colors right? I find this test kit really hard to read, especially the nitrate scale.

 

[Naughts]

So I've done the second dose, and it went down to maybe zero, maybe .1 ppm after a few days. I still see ZERO nitrite, which concerns me since everything I read about cycling says that nitrites must spike. Also looks like nitrate is decreasing, even without a water change. Just totally mystified, but also kind of excited something is getting rid of the ammonia...

Also another thing - I have some questions about my filter, how to change/how often w/o disrupting my bacteria, and some other general issues. Is it best to start a thread elsewhere on the board for that? Oh, and I have a real non-chain store fish guy near me! http://elysfish.com/

Here's my numbers:
View attachment 99043

And I know I've asked a few times, but can anyone look at my pics in the beginning of this thread and tell me if I'm seeing all my colors right? I find this test kit really hard to read, especially the nitrate scale.

I agree with your readings of the colours.

 

[sporkman]

As of yesterday, down to 0 ammonia, perhaps even that monday reading was zero, very hard to say.

I assume this is good, but I remain concerned the nitrite levels never budge and I also still have my original filter media in place, and I assume that should be swapped out at some point (it's an Aqua Clear 30: http://usa.hagen.com/Aquatic/Filtration/Clip-On/A600). It has 3 layers, I'm thinking the carbon is probably totally shot and should go first. Really lost on how often to replace the top layer, which is just a bag full of what looks like ceramic bits that supposedly is a growth material for bacteria.

 

[Essjay]

Carbon gets full quite quickly which is why they say to replace it regularly. But you don't actually need carbon on a routine basis. You can either leave it there or replace it with sponge, any make cut to fit.

Ceramic media should only be replaced when it starts to crumble to dust. Biomax (ceramic medium) looks like big white chunks in a bag. http://usa.hagen.com/Aquatic/Media-Inserts/Clip-On/A1371

(But there is also a medium which is small white chips in a bag http://usa.hagen.com/Aquatic/Media-Inserts/Clip-On/A601 This is ammonia remover and will prevent the bacteria growing by removing the ammonia from the water, then it gets full and stops working so the ammonia shoots up. Hopefully what you have in your filter is the big white chunks rather than the small white chips?)

The third medium - sponge - only needs replacing when it starts to go into holes.



The nitrite stage of cycling does last longer than the ammonia stage.

 

[sporkman]

essjay - thanks, that looks like the media I have:


So I've now fed some ammonia in a few times and the last time I went down to zero in about 48 hours. So do I maybe give it a partial water change for the nitrates, one more shot of ammonia "snacking" a few days after and see if I can get that ammonia dip to happen in 24 hours or so, or am I probably done?

One thing that concerns me again is that I've never measured nitrite at anything but zero... Should I think of getting another vial of the nitrite tester in case something is amiss here?

Then fish shopping in a lockdown... Hmmm...

 

[sporkman]

Hi all, I just want to sort of wrap this one up. Still no fish, so I'm just caring for an empty tank. I've added some ammonia a few times to watch that the bacteria are eating it up. As best as I can tell from the guide here and a book and a few other sources, the tank is cycled and I should be able to add a few fish at a time whenever I make my way out of lockdown to shop.

I still have a few open questions that bug me:

- This nitrite thing. I've never measured anything other than 0. If I understand "the cycle" correctly, this shouldn't be possible. Should I get a new nitrite-only test kit? All my stuff is from the giant API kit. Is there anything around the house that could validate my nitrite test solution?
- Ammonia removal time - if I do a "snack" dose that brings ammonia up to maybe 1.0 ppm, how long should it take for the bacteria to break that down? A day? 12 hours? 24 hours?

 

[Naughts]

The Safestart cycles in 2 weeks so you're tank will be done. You don't need to buy another test. The ammonia will clear within 24 hours so test the next day.
Are pet shops open near you? You may be able to get a fish or two. Remember to do a water change first.
What are your plans for stocking? Do you know the GH of your water supply? It may be on your water providers website.

 

[sporkman]

I know it's likely not a big deal, but the chemistry suggests I cannot see a constant 0 level on nitrite, no?

I'm still clearing ammonia after a "snack" dose in 24 hours, so I think this tank is fine (although I have another thread about algae). Pet Supplies Plus is still open, so when I'm comfortable with the algae thing and have this nitrite figured out, I'll probably get a few fish (after I read about who I want to mix together in here).

GH I don't see on the report: https://smcmua.org/2018WaterQualityReport.pdf

 

[Naughts]

I know it's likely not a big deal, but the chemistry suggests I cannot see a constant 0 level on nitrite, no?

I'm still clearing ammonia after a "snack" dose in 24 hours, so I think this tank is fine (although I have another thread about algae). Pet Supplies Plus is still open, so when I'm comfortable with the algae thing and have this nitrite figured out, I'll probably get a few fish (after I read about who I want to mix together in here).

GH I don't see on the report: https://smcmua.org/2018WaterQualityReport.pdf
[/QUOTE
Hmmm

I know it's likely not a big deal, but the chemistry suggests I cannot see a constant 0 level on nitrite, no?

I'm still clearing ammonia after a "snack" dose in 24 hours, so I think this tank is fine (although I have another thread about algae). Pet Supplies Plus is still open, so when I'm comfortable with the algae thing and have this nitrite figured out, I'll probably get a few fish (after I read about who I want to mix together in here).

GH I don't see on the report: https://smcmua.org/2018WaterQualityReport.pdf

Page 5 shows calcium carbonate and total dissolved solids but I don't know how to interpret the ranges. @essjay will know when she is next around.
I think the report shows 1 ppm nitrite so it could be in the source water aswell.

 

[Byron]

I know it's likely not a big deal, but the chemistry suggests I cannot see a constant 0 level on nitrite, no?

I'm still clearing ammonia after a "snack" dose in 24 hours, so I think this tank is fine (although I have another thread about algae). Pet Supplies Plus is still open, so when I'm comfortable with the algae thing and have this nitrite figured out, I'll probably get a few fish (after I read about who I want to mix together in here).

GH I don't see on the report: https://smcmua.org/2018WaterQualityReport.pdf

GH is in Table 6 on page 5, listed as Hardness (as CaCO3), ppm.