Nitrification Cycle... Ammonia And Nitrates But No Nitrites

Here are the readings for my 30 gallon tank:

pH 8.3
ammonia .5
nitrite 0
nitrate 20

I would think that if there is some ammonia in the water, there would also be some nitrites. I am using StartSmart Complete. These readings are after 24 hours.

Of course, I'll keep testing, and working with the pH situation, but just curious.

 

It can take weeks for the bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrite to become established.

 

I though the ammonia to nitrite bacteria grows faster than the nitrite to nitrate. Maybe the nitrates are coming from something I put in the tank? Hmmm.

 

Maybe the are coming from something I put in the tank?

The nitrates could be present in your tap water.

Are you dosing additional ammonia?

 

My guess would be that the bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrites is not established yet.

 

I agree with Minnow.

Until you test your tap water it’s hard for us to tell since 20ppm nitrates in your tap is possible.

 

Testing the tap water will be interesting. Good idea. I let it sit out for 24 hours and stir it fairly frequently to aerate it before testing, is that right?

It can take weeks for the bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrite to become established.

Even with a product that claims to instantly cycle in 24 hours? I don't believe everything I read but... .

The nitrates could be present in your tap water.

Are you dosing additional ammonia?

I will test the tap water. No, I'm not dosing additional ammonia since I used StartSmart Complete which claims to instantly cycle an aquarium. Going to research the product now. I had some on hand so for another reason so decided to try the "instant cycle".

 

There really is no such thing as an instant cycle in a bottle. There are some that claim to do so but I am thinking those that do expect you to add their product from now on. One can instantly cycle a tank with enough seeded media from a well established tank but as far as I know that is the only way to instantly cycle a tank.

A cycle takes time. There are some products that some folks have used that will help them cycle in a couple of weeks but one has to follow the directions to a tee or it will fail. Most of the time one can expect it to take 6 weeks or more.

The nitrates you are seeing could be coming from the product you are using or from your tap water. We can't know for sure until you run the test on your tap water. You don't have to wait to run the test. You can do it straight out of the faucet. When running the PH test it is best to wait to allow the PH to stabilize but that isn't the case for the nitrates.

 

There really is no such thing as an instant cycle in a bottle. There are some that claim to do so but I am thinking those that do expect you to add their product from now on. One can instantly cycle a tank with enough seeded media from a well established tank but as far as I know that is the only way to instantly cycle a tank.

A cycle takes time. There are some products that some folks have used that will help them cycle in a couple of weeks but one has to follow the directions to a tee or it will fail. Most of the time one can expect it to take 6 weeks or more.

The nitrates you are seeing could be coming from the product you are using or from your tap water. We can't know for sure until you run the test on your tap water. You don't have to wait to run the test. You can do it straight out of the faucet. When running the PH test it is best to wait to allow the PH to stabilize but that isn't the case for the nitrates.

Cool; just read about how the instant cycle stuff is met with mixed results at best. I'll save it for other purposes and get some pure ammonia as well as ask a friend for a "dirty" filter pad. Readings on tap water:

ammonia 1.0
nitrite 0
nitrate 20 (10-20; I can't really tell a diffrence between the 10 and 20 colors on the API Freshwater Mater Test Kit color scale.)

So there we have it. My tap water contains ammonia/ammonium and nitrates and is high pH. (I will test in 24 hours after aeration but I'm sure it will be high. As long as I've been testing my tank, it's been high.) So now I have to figure out how to handle the problematic tap water. If the nitrates are high in the tap water, it seems water changes won't help. Some people say nitrates below 40 are fine, so it might be okay. I guess it depends on how costly and difficult the cures are.

 

Well alright then. If it were me I wouldn't be to concerned with the PH. Unless you plan on having fish that absolutely have to have a lower PH then most of the fish available to us can acclimate to whatever our PH is so it is best to just leave it alone. Stable is much more important than a specific number.

The nitrates in your tap water is concerning but isn't as bad as some of the other folks here on the forum. It just means that we can't go by seeing nitrates as proof that the cycle is progressing.

The well seeded filter pad is going to be the best thing you can do for cycling this tank. Before you get it be sure you have your pure ammonia so you can start feeding the bacteria on it right away.

When you get it just be sure it is pure ammonia. If you shake it and the bubbles don't almost instantly dissipate then it has soap in it and you don't want to use it. Lots of folks recommend Dr Tims ammonium chloride and other have found theirs at places like Ace Hardware.

Once you install the seeded media add enough ammonia to bring your level up to at least 2 ppm. Test the next day and if it has dropped below 1 add more ammonia. If it hasn't dropped any wait and test the next day. If the seeded media has done its job you should read zero ammonia within 24 hours of adding it. You may or may not ever read nitrites when using well established seeded media because it will already have the bacteria you need. Your nitrates should start going up though.

 

Well alright then. If it were me I wouldn't be to concerned with the PH. Unless you plan on having fish that absolutely have to have a lower PH then most of the fish available to us can acclimate to whatever our PH is so it is best to just leave it alone. Stable is much more important than a specific number.

The nitrates in your tap water is concerning but isn't as bad as some of the other folks here on the forum. It just means that we can't go by seeing nitrates as proof that the cycle is progressing.

The well seeded filter pad is going to be the best thing you can do for cycling this tank. Before you get it be sure you have your pure ammonia so you can start feeding the bacteria on it right away.

When you get it just be sure it is pure ammonia. If you shake it and the bubbles don't almost instantly dissipate then it has soap in it and you don't want to use it. Lots of folks recommend Dr Tims ammonium chloride and other have found theirs at places like Ace Hardware.

Once you install the seeded media add enough ammonia to bring your level up to at least 2 ppm. Test the next day and if it has dropped below 1 add more ammonia. If it hasn't dropped any wait and test the next day. If the seeded media has done its job you should read zero ammonia within 24 hours of adding it. You may or may not ever read nitrites when using well established seeded media because it will already have the bacteria you need. Your nitrates should start going up though.

Thanks so much!

 

Put the seeded media in your filter on the upstream side of your filter media so the water runs through the old stuff into your new filter.

And if you ever change your cartridge in the future, do the same.