Tony G.

i started my cycle on october 3rd this year. I did a test yesteday out of curiosity and had no nitrites, ammonia and 5 nitrates. i tested my water earlier this week and no difference, the only different thing is my pH which is 7.6 and my tanks is 8.4... coud it be beacuse the tank´s water was really warm? it was in the mid 80´s for about a week and a half...
dont know if that makes any difference. Any chance im cyced? HELP!
thanks

Lucy

According to you readings, you're tank is cycled. That was quick. However, I think I'd feel more comfortable if you continued to feed the tank and see if your nitrates continue to rise. lol, I know you're anxious to get this done.
I don't think the warmness of the water would alter your pH, but I don't know much about pH. Perhaps someone else can address that.
It might be a good idea to try and figure out why there's such a difference between tap and tank.

Tony G.

my tank´s substrate has crushed shells. I cant get it out LOL i tried going one by one but somehow i always miss them. I didnt mean the heat and the pH! LOL shawnie said that the bacteria would colonize faster if my temp was hotter
i will keep feeding the tank as my nitrates were usually at around 15ppm, so i will wait a couple more days before i re introduce my kids

Lucy

Shawnie was right, the higher temps help.
Good deal Tony! You'll want to be sure that tank is properly cycled.
It never hurts to have a nice healthy bacterial bed.

peacemaker92

Almost there... Hang on! haha Keep us posted. can't wait to see pics of your tank after it's done!

aquarist48

Hello Tony. Someone is getting anxious! Your readings do sound good but a few more days and tests will be even better. Shawnie is correct in stating higher temperatures will help to cycle faster. In all of my years of fish keeping I've not come across anything that states that warmer water will alter pH levels.

I'll be looking forward to seeing your new additions! I'm excited for you!
Ken

Melissawater

I had to put my tank at 84 degrees f and it has never changed my pH, although I am doing daily water changes (because of cycling with fish). Hope that helps, I am sure there is someone with more info. Good luck with the cycling you are almost there!

Nate McFin

Hi Tony!
I missed the thread when you started the cycle. What was the method you used. Did you seed from another tank? Safestart?
I got false nitrate readings from my plant food when I first started my tank. I was all excited...then I found out what it was. It ended up taking 4 months to cycle. lol
Question about your tanks Ph.
When you test the tap did you let it sit overnight (preferably with an airstone for water movement) My tap has a high amount of Co2 from the tap which lowers the co2. Once the Co2 off gases the Ph climbs a little. You may have alot of "natural" co2 in your tap as well.

Tony G.

thanks for getting back to me guys. The tank was cycled with the add flakes and wait method. No seeding whatsoever. I tested the tap and waited 10 mins. Thats how long i usually leave the test alone for a little while to give the chemichals a chance to get an exact reading. theyre usually done at around2 mins, but i eave them a little bit for a while. My pH is that high because of the crushed coral and shells mixed with the gravel. Im starting another tank soon so im going to go with different gravel, so i´ll see if the grave mixed with the shells has anything to do with it.