Weird Cycle

[Assaye]

I'm on day . . . 8? of my sorority tank cycle.

By day 3, ammonia was 0 and nitrites were showing. By day 5, nitrates were showing. Yesterday, nitrates were at 160ppm according to the API master test kit. So far, so good. Nice and speedy cycle.

Today . . .

Ammonia 0 after an accidental dose to 8ppm the night before. That's great! Nitrites not clearing yet - somwhere between 1ppm and 5ppm (hard to tell, tbh). Nitrates? 5ppm!! 5!

Where the heck did 155ppm of nitrates go OVERNIGHT!?

The tank is planted, but it has been for the entire cycle. I've never heard of plants using up 100+ ppm in 24 hours.

I am so confused, it's not true. Today has been a bad and weird day for fish stuff.

 

[loraxchick]

sounds silly but did you REtest? seems fishy to me (yes, pun intended)...and no, never heard of plants using that much nirtate so fast.
cheers

 

[Assaye]

sounds silly but did you REtest? seems fishy to me (yes, pun intended)...and no, never heard of plants using that much nirtate so fast.
cheers

Yep, tested and re-tested. Results are solid.

 

[loraxchick]

how planted is the tank. that is crazy!
old test kit?
just covering the bases.
cheers!

 

[JustFrozen]

maybe you did a 90% water change in your sleep?

 

[Schmill]

Possible that the test has 'maxed out', (although I've not heard of the NitrAte test doing so, I know that the API NitrIte test can max out and go to a colour that is almost the same as the 0, when in effect it is off of the scale!).

I'd do the following to check:

Take 1 tube of tap water and test for NitrAte, it should be reasonably low.
Take 1 tube and do a 50:50 mix of tap water and tank water, and test. - This will effectively have diluted the tank nitrates, and you can see if you get a reading.

Bear in mind thought that the NitrAte tests that are available are notoriously inaccurate, and to get anywhere even close to a proper reading you have to make sure you really shake those test bottles before putting the drops it. Certainly the API one has a habit of one of the solutions seperating and settling in the bottom of the bottle.

Final point though, it does actually really matter - lol
You put in your ammonia, you have to wait for ammonia to be 0 and nitrIte to be 0. When that cycle is happening it HAS to produce NitrAtes, whether your test kit says so or not

 

[Assaye]

Possible that the test has 'maxed out', (although I've not heard of the NitrAte test doing so, I know that the API NitrIte test can max out and go to a colour that is almost the same as the 0, when in effect it is off of the scale!).

I'd do the following to check:

Take 1 tube of tap water and test for NitrAte, it should be reasonably low.
Take 1 tube and do a 50:50 mix of tap water and tank water, and test. - This will effectively have diluted the tank nitrates, and you can see if you get a reading.

Bear in mind thought that the NitrAte tests that are available are notoriously inaccurate, and to get anywhere even close to a proper reading you have to make sure you really shake those test bottles before putting the drops it. Certainly the API one has a habit of one of the solutions seperating and settling in the bottom of the bottle.

Final point though, it does actually really matter - lol
You put in your ammonia, you have to wait for ammonia to be 0 and nitrIte to be 0. When that cycle is happening it HAS to produce NitrAtes, whether your test kit says so or not

I didn't know the tests could max out like that. I thought they just got darker and darker.

I know I need to make sure both hit zero from a full dose overnight and filter is producing nitrates

I've had to temporarily stall the cycle so that I could use that tank for something else (got a mature filter in there, no worries). Will restart the cycle when I get my *other* tank sorted (both tanks are the same make and model, lol).

I never seem to be able to just cycle a tank. Something always comes up!!

 

[mr130gallon]

so plants do use nitrates? thats good, how much do they use?

 

[loraxchick]

so plants do use nitrates? thats good, how much do they use?

depends which type you have, lighting(ie growth grate) and how densely planted the tank is.
there is no hard and fast answer to this question...but fast gorwers can help consideraly. ive had 0-0-0 levels in my 6 gal planted tank for around a year...and i only do 40% w/c once a week to clean the substrate.
cheers