Weird Cycle Please Help

[jen87]

Okay I posted a while ago about my 20 gallon having an ammonia spike. Everything was going on as normal. I was doing frequent water changes, the ammonia was low and the nitrite was small but present. I'm not sure if my water changes were stopping it from getting high - it never really got high. Then at about week 4 the nitrite completely disappeared, Nitrate finally emerged for the first time, but the ammonia also rose to about 1 ppm. Nothing in the tank changed except for a few live plants that I added. I did a 25% water change and rinsed the filter in aquarium water.

Once I did that everything dropped, and for about 2 weeks now I have had 0 nitrite and 10 nitrate however, it looks like I still have some small trace ammonia. about .25. I'm using an API test kit and the tube looks mostly yellow but has a small green tint. I have a couple hardy fish in the aquarium, and have been using Prime. I haven't changed the water in about a week because I've been waiting to see if something would rise but the readings are the same. Could the live plants be throwing the test or possibly any ornaments. Why do I still have ammonia?





Any help will be good. I'm very tired of this weird cycle.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Do you use a gravel vac when doing water changes!

As poo and fish food can quickly add up on the substrate and will start to produce Ammonia, casing and Ammonia spike.

Is there any other source of ammonia, like a died fish or dieing plants?

Plants will produce a little ammonia if they are dieing, like have a dead leaf or something, other than that, a live and healthy plant will actually use Ammonia as a source of nutrients.

Also, has your filters flow rate decreased at all?

What size tank and what filter?

-FHM

 

[jen87]

I use a gravel vac. After reading your post I did notice some leaves on my plants that had brown around them. I cut the leaves off. Other than that everything should be okay. no dead fish, and the filter came with the aquarium so I would assume it's the right size. I bought one of those starter aquariums that came with equipment. It seems to be running good - especially after I rinsed it in aquarium water. Perhaps now that I removed the browning leaves it will disappear. But does this mean that my tank is cycled and I'm having an ammonia spike or should I expect more cycling. I would think that regardless the nitrite would have stayed.



I hope it was the plants that away I can be done with this mess
Thanks for your help!

-Jen

 

[fatheadminnow]

Do you use any kind of water conditioner?

Personally I think you are fine, and it is just a small 'Hiccup'.

What is your pH at?

-FHM

 

[jen87]

I've been using prime. My PH has actually been extremely high. It comes out of the tap at 8.4 where I live so it stays about that in the aquarium. Once the cycle is squared away I'm going to have to find a way to lower it a little and keep it low. I'm not sure if that is an easy task or not.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Actually a pH of 8.4 is optimal for the growth of bacteria in your filter?

Also, Cichlids love a pH like that, so if you get Cichlids, then you are set.

Other than that, there are ways to lower it, however sometimes it is best not to.

-FHM

 

[jen87]

Oh that's really good to know. Thanks for all your help!

 

[LionessN3cubs]

Oh that's really good to know. Thanks for all your help!

yeah we've been discussing PH on other threads. You dont "have" to lower a ph, or raise it...you can just pick fish that are gonna like the PH you have

 

[jen87]

yeah. I wish I would have known everything I know now before I started the tank because I cycled it with fish. So now I'm obligated to get fish to match those. Will PH always be a battle for me because it comes out of my tap so high or will the tank somehow stabilize itself to have lower PH.

 

[waterdrop]

Does your api test say the pH is -still- high? Have you tested recently?

If a drop to the low 6's occurred that could explain your stalled ammonia processing.

If not, then I would just keep giving it time. Time is on your side in that if you just never quit, it will eventually -have- to cycle and you will begin seeing zeros for ammonia as well as nitrite.

Good Luck!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[jen87]

Well thanks. The PH is still pretty high it lowered to about 8. When I checked the ammonia today it did look much better as well.

 

[waterdrop]

It just happens sometimes that one or the other of the populations gets lowered and then you have to go a while for that one to catch back up. pH=8 is in the ideal range for growing the bacteria quickly.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[jen87]

That's very comforting to know. At first I was sad that it was so high.