jennyandpeter

Hi
We are currently cycling our 30 litre tank with undergravel filter, we are using prawns as have found it very hard to find a pure ammonia here in the UK, and am testing with Nurafin Master Test Kit. Here are our readings:

16/3/08 - Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0.1, Nitrate 5, PH 8
17/3/08 - Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0.1, Nitrate 10, PH 7.5
18/3/08 - Ammonia 2.4, Nitrite 1.6, Nitrate 80, PH 7.5
19/3/08 - Ammonia 6.1, Nitrite 1.6, Nitrate 110, PH 7.5
20/3/08 - Ammonia 7.3, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0 , PH 8

1. The Nitrite and Nitrate tests were completely clear not even a hint of colour, and i tested twice. Is this usual for this to happen considering i had such high readings yesterday?
2. Has anyone got any suggestions on what i need to do, am i doing the right thing?
3. Using Prawns we have found is rather stinky and the only thing we have done is change them once they smell, at the moment we after this evenings readings we do not have any source of ammonia in the tank, should i now perhaps just continue by using fish food as the levels have peaked quite high?

Any help and suggestions would be much appreciated, oh the temperature of the tank is 28 degrees celcius and the water is extremely cloudy.

Thanks

SereneReyn

if the prawns still have the shell, they can cause a lot of cloudiness, btw (the shell decomposes). i would just continue with fish food, if it were me. what kind of test kit are you using? your readings are pretty weird. especially the last test. if you're not using a liquid kit, then i'd recommend you do so. i'm kinda flummoxed when it comes to actual helpful advice though. did you use bio-spira or any sort of cycling product?

jennyandpeter

I am using a liquid test kit, and i did the nitrite and nitrate test twice incase i did something wrong but certainly didn't
Unfortunately you can not get bio-spira in the UK, but i did use a chemical called tretra safe start.
I certainly think i will go back to continuing with the fish food, i might even try and see if i can source some ammonia which would help.
It certainly flummoxed me too....
Do you think it might be worth doing a slight water change with some new safe start in?? Or just leave it to its own devices and let it continue

SereneReyn

i'd probably do a water change, it will help slightly with cloudiness, and you certainly have plenty of ammonia that i don't think you'd be starving any bacteria. i'm not familiar with safe start in particular, but so long as it doesn't mess with ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, and only takes care of chlorine/chloromines it should be fine (maybe with some vitamins or whatnot for the slimecoat). if it makes any reference to altering the ammonia and stuff, i'd look for a different product. i like novaqua+, personally.

just for the heck of it, i might test the tap-water too...

COBettaCouple

The numbers are definitely unusual. You're showing a typical ammonia spike and nitrite
spike, but the nitrite spike seems to have gone down and started at odd points. The nitrates going up seems normal, but it going to 0 suddenly doesn't make sense. Is there any coloration to the water itself? I'd definitely go with fish food, but with ammonia that high, the tank will still smell pretty bad.

HatchetHaven