Stat's

[fenwoman]

date 1/1/07 ammonia 1. nitrite .50, nitrate 20
4/1/07 ammonia 1. nitrite 2.0 nitrate 20
5/1/07 " 0 " 2.0 " 20
7/1 " 0 " 2.0 " 20
9/1 " 0 " 2.0 " 10

I'm doiing 10% water change every time I test.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

are you cycling fishless or with fish? if with fish what have you got and how big's the tank?

 

[mark.w.jones]

date 1/1/07 ammonia 1. nitrite .50, nitrate 20
4/1/07 ammonia 1. nitrite 2.0 nitrate 20
5/1/07 " 0 " 2.0 " 20
7/1 " 0 " 2.0 " 20
9/1 " 0 " 2.0 " 10

I'm doiing 10% water change every time I test.

I hope without fish as those nitrite levels are very high. If not, you need to do 20% water changes every other day to keep levels down

Good luck

 

[fenwoman]

fishless cycle 27 gallons. I know the levels are high which is why I asked what was happening and is it progressing as it should do. I have had the tank set up since just before Xmas. It has plants, light filter, and bubble wall.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

fishless cycle 27 gallons. I know the levels are high which is why I asked what was happening and is it progressing as it should do. I have had the tank set up since just before Xmas. It has plants, light filter, and bubble wall.

sounds like you've had your ammonia spike but the nitrite spike seems to have stalled. i wouldn't bother doing water changes. there's no fish in so no need to keep the levels down, water changes will only slow it all down. just when you've finished and are ready to add fish do a 90% water change and this gets your levels back down.

 

[fenwoman]

fishless cycle 27 gallons. I know the levels are high which is why I asked what was happening and is it progressing as it should do. I have had the tank set up since just before Xmas. It has plants, light filter, and bubble wall.

sounds like you've had your ammonia spike but the nitrite spike seems to have stalled. i wouldn't bother doing water changes. there's no fish in so no need to keep the levels down, water changes will only slow it all down. just when you've finished and are ready to add fish do a 90% water change and this gets your levels back down.

Thanks. I asked because I didn't understand how things were progressing you see and wondered if it seemed to be going ok. If I do a 90% water change and it brings the nitrare levels down, can I add fish or do I have to wait again? What causes the nitrate levels to be so high and will more plants help bring it down?

I take opiate painkillers and find it almost impossible to get my head around new info and comprehend it.
My previous map reading skills are now awful but at least I bought a sat nav to help find my way around. I with there was a satnav for cycling tanks lol.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

awww love i know the feeling, i'm on super strength painkillers most days and they make me so confused sometimes!! so if your stuck on anything don't fret, you can always pm me

your adding ammonia to the tank (either pure or with something like fishfood) your colony of nitrifying bacteria is using this up to grow and in the process they convert it to nitrite and nitrate. they then also use the nitrite and convert that to nitrate. so the fact that your getting nitrate means your bacteria colony is building up and your on the right path.

doing water changes now means your reducing the amount of ammonia and nitrite in the water, this means there is less for the bacteria to use and therefore they grow slower and your cycle slows down. once the colony has matured and is immediately converting any ammonia and nitrite into nitrate you then do a massive 90% water change which will remove any remaining ammonia and nitrite from the water and also get rid of most of the nitrates, but then you add fish the same day so they start producing ammonia which keeps your bacteria fed and alive.

i hope that helps and makes sense!

 

[fenwoman]

awww love i know the feeling, i'm on super strength painkillers most days and they make me so confused sometimes!! so if your stuck on anything don't fret, you can always pm me

your adding ammonia to the tank (either pure or with something like fishfood) your colony of nitrifying bacteria is using this up to grow and in the process they convert it to nitrite and nitrate. they then also use the nitrite and convert that to nitrate. so the fact that your getting nitrate means your bacteria colony is building up and your on the right path.

doing water changes now means your reducing the amount of ammonia and nitrite in the water, this means there is less for the bacteria to use and therefore they grow slower and your cycle slows down. once the colony has matured and is immediately converting any ammonia and nitrite into nitrate you then do a massive 90% water change which will remove any remaining ammonia and nitrite from the water and also get rid of most of the nitrates, but then you add fish the same day so they start producing ammonia which keeps your bacteria fed and alive.

i hope that helps and makes sense!

Makes perfect sense thanks.

 

[Miss Wiggle]