slider6542

I got my test kit today though it is the interpet easy test liquid master test kit and not the API that I asked for.
Oh well, The first test shows ammonia-0.0, pH-8.5, nitrite-0.1 and nitrate-0

Up until this test, the test strips, yugh, have been giving the same readings every day 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate.

Now I am totally confused, the charts are very hard to compare exactly.
I assume the cycle hasn't even begun yet, is that right? Help

mlinden84

You said in a different thread that you had a chunk of fish in there as a source of ammonia (cant remember exactly what you called it). Just how much do you have in there?
Personally, I would either get some pure ammonia to add, or start adding some fish food to jump start the cycle. I may be wrong, but I think you need more ammonia in the tank to get it cycled.

slider6542

I have a couple of pieces of dead prawn in the tank and I have been putting a little food in too. I noticed today that thee must have been a snail in the substrate I bought, 'cos he just appeared.

I will get some pure ammonia, if I can find it here in Spain.
So, what am I looking for? a spike of ammonia, what if I have had that and missed it or does the nitrate reading indicate that it hasn't yet occured?
I have attached a readings history for your perusal and comments

Attached Images

DSC00003.JPG (89.9 KB, 12 views)

K. Sear

It seems to me that your cycle probably hasn't started. I'm new to this as well and in the tank that I have been cycling, I started getting significant ammonia readings (>1 PPM) after a week or so. Around the 2.5 week period I started getting high nitrite levels (>2 ppm) with decreasing ammonia. I am currently at the 3.5 week point and am still waiting for the nitrite levels to decrease to 0ppm, but have no ammonia reading. I give the tank a bit of fish food twice a day.

I wouldn't be concerned about having missed the ammonia increase. Speaking as a chemist (that's my training), the ammonia has to turn into something. If you had missed it, you would have significant nitrite or nitrate readings. Since you don't, I think the cycle never started. Do the prawns look like they are rotting? I found that turning the tank temp up to 28 or so degrees helped me get things going quicker.

I guess another question would be if you are dechlorinating the water? If not, that may be inhibiting the growth of bacteria.

I hope that helps. Like I said, I'm new to all of this too!

MissMTS

While your tank is cycling I would reccomend doing frequent water tests, every day if you can. Log your results so that you can keep track of what is going on. That way, if you have a question, you can post your results in the forum. Usually the ammonia spike lasts at least a week, so I wouldn't worry about missing it unless you are just doing tests once in a while. Like K.Sear said, the ammonia has to turn into something, so you definetly haven't had it yet. If you have it available to you, bio-spira works really well and cycles tanks in only a couple of days.

slider6542

many thanks for the info. I have just come back from skiing and tested the water after a 4 day gap and the readings are Ammonia-0.0, nitrite-0.1, nitrate-1
The point about chlorine is a good one, I didn't dechlorinate on the initial fill but now have the stuff for subsequent water changes.
Algae is starting to appear on the glass and ornaments and also on the plant leaves, is this a problem?

K. Sear

I don't think algae is a problem. My understanding is that it is a sign your cycle is working. As nitrates build up, the algae will grow. If it starts to build up a lot, you can just clean it off. Perhaps someone with some more knowledge than me can chime in on that though.

susitna-flower

I would still try to find some pure ammonia, or do something to up the ammonia in your tank. Problem is a few bacteria that process the ammonia won't take care of fish when you add them. You have to SEE an ammonia reading, then the ammonia go back to 0 and See nitrites go up, then go back to 0, and the nitrate at 5-10 for the tank to be safe for fish....Other wise when you add fish it will all happen again, because there just aren't enough bacteria in there to process their waste.

You shouldn't be getting green algae, unless you have lights on. If so you should limit light to your tank to no more than 10 hours a day. If it is brown, that is diatoms, which is a natural occurance in new tanks, and after the tank is cycled you can add otoe's and they will eat it...

susitna-flower

Welcome to Fishlore, K. Sear, Have you posted on the welcome page? Tell us about yourself....

slider6542

thanks, the algae is more brown than green and I have now reduced the light from 12 to 8 hours a day and it isn't too bad now. Still waiting for the ammonia peak and subsequent nitrite peak. Todays readings were ammonia-0, nitrite-0.1, and nitrate-0.
Does anyone else have problems interperating the colours correctly. I find that I can almost talk myself in to 'seeing' the safer colour when it is close.

mlinden84

From the sounds of it, the brown algae may be diatoms... which are common in new tanks (ive had them in every single tank of mine, then it seems like one day they all just disappear!)
I have problems with the colors sometimes... some of them don't have a big difference between two amounts

bpsmicro

In my chart that I maintain, if the color is somewhere between two bars, I just mark something like "<1.2". The *exact* number isn't really critical. The reality is what you really care about is "zero", "NOT zero" and "too high" (with the latter two being the same when talking about ammonia/nitrite).
I use a white LED flashlight when reading the colors. Anything else and I'll get a definite color shift which will skew the results.

Brad.