Confused about levels, fishless cycle

I’ve been trying to do a fishless cycle on my beta tank by adding fish flakes daily since June 1st. I have a 5 gallon tank set up with a HOB filter and small air stone, my tank also has about 4 plants. Two weeks ago I checked my levels and my pH was 7, ammonia was 2ppm, nitrite was 0ppm, and nitrate was 0ppm. When I checked my levels today my pH is 7, ammonia is 1ppm, nitrite is 0ppm, and nitrate is 10ppm. At this point I’m little confused, do I stop adding fish food and just wait for ammonia to go down, do I need to add something to reduce the ammonia. I’m just not sure where to go from here. Thank you in advance!

 

Just wait for it to go down. Dont add any kind of ammonia reducer.

You are only 2 weeks in. Just be patient for now. You should start to see Nitrite readings soon. I wouldnt worry about testing nitrate right now.

Have you tested your tap water? See what you are starting with?

 

I’ve been trying to do a fishless cycle on my beta tank by adding fish flakes daily since June 1st. I have a 5 gallon tank set up with a HOB filter and small air stone, my tank also has about 4 plants. Two weeks ago I checked my levels and my pH was 7, ammonia was 2ppm, nitrite was 0ppm, and nitrate was 0ppm. When I checked my levels today my pH is 7, ammonia is 1ppm, nitrite is 0ppm, and nitrate is 10ppm. At this point I’m little confused, do I stop adding fish food and just wait for ammonia to go down, do I need to add something to reduce the ammonia. I’m just not sure where to go from here. Thank you in advance!

Keep on ghostfeeding, until both ammonia and nitrite can read zero consistently for ten or so days.

 

It’s always a good idea to test your tap water for nitrates as well as ammonia and nitrites.

In my opinion you could ghost feed a little dry fish food because it will take a few days before it becomes ammonia anyway.

There is nothing wrong with using fish food . However there is a time gap between adding it and it becoming ammonia. Unlike someone adding bottled ammonia.

It’s just a case of waiting I am afraid you don’t really need to do anything but wait.

As mentioned you are only two weeks in.

 

I’ve been trying to do a fishless cycle on my beta tank by adding fish flakes daily since June 1st. I have a 5 gallon tank set up with a HOB filter and small air stone, my tank also has about 4 plants. Two weeks ago I checked my levels and my pH was 7, ammonia was 2ppm, nitrite was 0ppm, and nitrate was 0ppm. When I checked my levels today my pH is 7, ammonia is 1ppm, nitrite is 0ppm, and nitrate is 10ppm. At this point I’m little confused, do I stop adding fish food and just wait for ammonia to go down, do I need to add something to reduce the ammonia. I’m just not sure where to go from here. Thank you in advance!

This doesn't immediately pertain to cycling but I speak from experience when I say if you haven't already, do yourself a favor and buy some ACE Hardware ammonia in advance, to use for testing your cycle (feeding the bacteria) upon its completion. Everyone online talks about it like it's readily available, but every local hardware store I tried said they were out because apparently prepper-adjacent people have been stocking up again for pandemic reasons...

You might not need the ammonia for at least a few weeks, but it's better to have on hand than face a situation where you have none. And don't be fooled by the "LA Pure Ammonia" on Amazon! It actually has 0 ammonia in it! I did my research on every brand I could find online, none were the kind needed for tanks. If you check local stores, you need to shake the bottle and make sure it does not produce a soapy foam on top to know it's right, otherwise it might contain fragrances or other additives. "Clear" is also not the same thing as "pure", you'll actually never find pure 100% ammonia for sale but ACE brand contains the 5-10% average offered for consumer purchase. It's only $4 and you can find it on their website if you're in the US.

Good luck with your tank!