Recycling My Tank

[Majjie]

If you think the ammonia is still dropping then leave it - it's easier to tell from looking at the colour in the tube than it is from me reading the results. I'm only worried about the possibility of a false reading - don't want your newly built up bacteria to die from starvation

As long as you think the ammonia is still dropping, don't change the water - the high level of nitrite will encourage bacterial growth.

 

[powerdyne6]

If you think the ammonia is still dropping then leave it - it's easier to tell from looking at the colour in the tube than it is from me reading the results. I'm only worried about the possibility of a false reading - don't want your newly built up bacteria to die from starvation

As long as you think the ammonia is still dropping, don't change the water - the high level of nitrite will encourage bacterial growth.

but I don't have a high level of nitrite, it has gone down to .05ppm over the past couple of days
and what do you mean when you say starvation
when the ammonia reaches say 1ppm should I add enough everyday to bring it back up to about 3.5ppm and then wait till the ammonia and nitrite both hit 0 after say 12 hours of waiting

 

[Majjie]

Sorry Mike,

Obviously wasn't paying attention.

If you think the ammonia is still falling and the nitrate is going up - then I'd leave it.
As soon as you think the ammonia level isn't moving (or it gets down to 0) - then I'd try a 50% water change (or thereabouts). Get the ammonia level back up to around 3 - 3.5 and see what happens then.

When it's fully cycled that amount of ammonia should disappear overnight without any detectable nitrite either. You should only see nitrate.

 

[powerdyne6]

Sorry Mike,

Obviously wasn't paying attention.

If you think the ammonia is still falling and the nitrate is going up - then I'd leave it.
As soon as you think the ammonia level isn't moving (or it gets down to 0) - then I'd try a 50% water change (or thereabouts). Get the ammonia level back up to around 3 - 3.5 and see what happens then.

When it's fully cycled that amount of ammonia should disappear overnight without any detectable nitrite either. You should only see nitrate.

well I did a water change last night and then added some ammonia and then waited about an hour to test, it read about 3ppm
I will test again tonight and then add some more

now about the nitrites if I add this bit of ammonia over the next few days and the nitrite doesn't spike and continues to fall to 0, does this mean my tank is cycled when the ammonia is dropping to 0 after 12 hours

thanks for all your help majjie

 

[Majjie]

now about the nitrites if I add this bit of ammonia over the next few days and the nitrite doesn't spike and continues to fall to 0, does this mean my tank is cycled when the ammonia is dropping to 0 after 12 hours

thanks for all your help majjie

You're welcome And yes, if the ammonia goes from 3 to 0 ppm overnight for a couple of days running and you have no nitrite and the nitrate increases - your tank is cycled

 

[powerdyne6]

now about the nitrites if I add this bit of ammonia over the next few days and the nitrite doesn't spike and continues to fall to 0, does this mean my tank is cycled when the ammonia is dropping to 0 after 12 hours

thanks for all your help majjie

You're welcome And yes, if the ammonia goes from 3 to 0 ppm overnight for a couple of days running and you have no nitrite and the nitrate increases - your tank is cycled

another stupid question, why didn't my nitrite level spike?
and to clear things up, right now I have 0 nitrite in the tank, why is that?

 

[Majjie]

another stupid question, why didn't my nitrite level spike?
and to clear things up, right now I have 0 nitrite in the tank, why is that?

The quick answer is I don't know

But - your tank was probably partially cycled when you started (if I'm reading your posts correctly) - maybe the very high levels of ammonia you had in your tank, when you started cycling this time, inhibited your ammonia eating bacteria and slowed them down - but they continually produced a little bit of nitrite - allowing the nitrite eating bacteria to develop at a low level. As your ammonia level came down the ammonia eating bacteria gradually recovered/built up and the nitrite eating bacteria just increased at the same rate - so you didn't see a nitrite spike.

Just a theory! (having worked as a microbial biochemist - many moons ago - I vaguely remember a saying along the lines of: you can control all the parameters you like - the bugs will still do whatever they damn well please!)

 

[powerdyne6]

another stupid question, why didn't my nitrite level spike?
and to clear things up, right now I have 0 nitrite in the tank, why is that?

The quick answer is I don't know

But - your tank was probably partially cycled when you started (if I'm reading your posts correctly) - maybe the very high levels of ammonia you had in your tank, when you started cycling this time, inhibited your ammonia eating bacteria and slowed them down - but they continually produced a little bit of nitrite - allowing the nitrite eating bacteria to develop at a low level. As your ammonia level came down the ammonia eating bacteria gradually recovered/built up and the nitrite eating bacteria just increased at the same rate - so you didn't see a nitrite spike.

Just a theory! (having worked as a microbial biochemist - many moons ago - I vaguely remember a saying along the lines of: you can control all the parameters you like - the bugs will still do whatever they damn well please!)

so in other words if my ammonia drops to 0 after a few days of adding ammonia everynight I should be good??

 

[Majjie]

As long as the nitrate also goes up - yes

 

[powerdyne6]

As long as the nitrate also goes up - yes

well all looks good, I believe it is almost there
the last few nights I have been putting ammonia in so the level gets up to about 3.5ppm then 24 hours later I test and it is at about 1.0ppm, then I put in more
and then test the next night, it is not quite there yet but it is coming