Whats Going On With My Cycle? Help Please :)

[emmajt]

Just returned from a holiday.... I had left my fishless cycle on 5ppm ammonia, no nitrites or nitrates with active filter media in.... on my return after exactly a week the readings are very slight drop to 4ppm ammonia, no nitrites and around 4ppm of nitrate... what state am I in now, what do I do next im so baffled! Many thanks

 

[doresy]

Just returned from a holiday.... I had left my fishless cycle on 5ppm ammonia, no nitrites or nitrates with active filter media in.... on my return after exactly a week the readings are very slight drop to 4ppm ammonia, no nitrites and around 4ppm of nitrate... what state am I in now, what do I do next im so baffled! Many thanks

Hi, I have to ask what you mean by 'active filter media'? If you mean carbon or any kind of resin filtration like nitrite/nitrate remover you need to remove these and replace with foam/ceramic noodles.

Your cycle is yet to kick off by the sounds of it. The nitrate was probably already present in your tap water. The ammonia dropping so slightly may be just a misreading of maybe a very early stage processing. What testing method are you using?

Patience......how long since you started?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

5 ppm is really a bit too high. Any error in dosing and/or testing and you may actually be even higher. A lower level in the 2 - 3 ppm will almost always result in a fishless cycled going more smoothly and faster.