Think Cycle Has Stalled ?

[Mattyduk]

I am a little confused

Up till yesterday I was processing 4ppm of Ammonia to .5 to .75 ppm of ammonia in 12 hrs Nitrite was sky high ie API kit turning bright purple straight away. So was thinking am nearly there just waiting for Nitrites to drop

But last night dosed upto 4 ppm as usual and 24 hrs later still at 1.0 to 2.0 ppm. Nitrites still sky high PH is 7.0 to 7.5 Temp is 26/27 C.

My Plan is to do 50% WC as not done any yet dose up tonight upto 5 ppm and see what happens tomorrow.

Sound reasonable

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Also, try and get your temp upto 29/30 degress...

Terry.

 

[Mattyduk]

Well I have done a 50% Water change and tested water:

Ammonia .25
Nitrite Off scale
Nitrate Off scale

Have dosed up to 3 PPM.

Have turned heater up and will check in morning .

 

[eaglesaquarium]

What is your pH?


It is very possible that the pH has crashed, which is why the cycle appears to have stalled.

 

[Mattyduk]

PH 7 to 7.5

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

Sometimes a quick water change can restart a stalled cycle.

Just keep checking it and see what happens. But your producing nitrates so it shouldn't be too long now. Try dropping your dosing of ammonia to 2ppm until your nitrite bacteria catch up.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

That's a fairly wide spread for the pH test. Are you using a liquid test kit?

What was the pH before?

 

[Mattyduk]

Using Nutrafin liquid PH test .5 steps

Tested this morning down to 1PPM

Also tested Nitites but used 1ml of tank water and 4 ml of tap water was above 5ppm (but didnt turn purple straight away) which I guess means my Nitrites are over 20ppm even after 50% WC

Is it possible to saturate the Nitrite in water? thus stopping ammonia consumption ? Was thinking another 50% wc tonight ???

Temp upto 29 now

 

[phocoena]

I had a problem wih the nutrafin test and, you may or may not. It read the water for me as 6.0-7.0 when it was really 7.4ish and verified as that by someone using a pH meter.
also is it the nutrafin nitrate test kit you are using. If so the nitrites being off the chart (or nitrate test vin general) is effected by the results of the nitrite test so can artificially read higher as reagents 1 and 2, are the reagents for the nitrite test

 

[Mattyduk]

Am using an API kit for Nitrite & Ammonia

Did another 50% WC tonight have dosed to 3PPM

Nitrite was not off chart ie went pink but still way up there near 5ppm will see how its doing in morning.

 

[phocoena]

Sorry meant the nutrafin nitrAte test.

 

[Mattyduk]

Am using Nutrafin Nitrate test.


Up date this morning :

Ammonia .25
Nitrite off chart !!!
Nitrate 110 +

So will not dose till tonight to allow Nitites to drop even if I cant see them drop !!!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

pH?

temp?

 

[Mattyduk]

Temp 29 and ph was 7 to 7.5

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Good.

The nitrates are still a bit high, but they aren't causing a pH crash. A water change may be in order soon to clear the nitrates (and nitrites, too) but it can wait. If the nitrites stay off the chart for another 3 or 4 days, you will want to change the water to bring them back into readable levels.