Stumped On The Nitrogen Cycle

Thanks mattgirl, see I was telling the truth when I said the thread was too long for me to go back and read. But hey, it was still good info right?...(come on, throw me a bone)

Yes, it was very good information

 

Yes, it was very good information

Hello again everyone, so I did two 75% water changes. And these are my results. These are what they look like to me but please give the pictures a look because my eyes aren't 100% accurate for colors.
Ph: 6.6
Ammonia: .25
Nitrite: .25
Should I keep doing water changes to get the PH higher? Or should I use the PH up now & dose ammonia?

 

Numbers look much better. I think if it were me I would go ahead and use the PH up and then add the ammonia. Just keep a very close eyes on the PH level and try to keep it above 7 until the cycle is complete. Keep in mind I have never used this product so can't say how well it will work.

Once the cycle is complete, hopefully the weekly water changes will keep the PH up. If not you may want to consider something more permanent to keep it up and stable.

 

Numbers look much better. I think if it were me I would go ahead and use the PH up and then add the ammonia. Just keep a very close eyes on the PH level and try to keep it above 7 until the cycle is complete. Keep in mind I have never used this product so can't say how well it will work.

Once the cycle is complete, hopefully the weekly water changes will keep the PH up. If not you may want to consider something more permanent to keep it up and stable.

Okay great. I’m just testing it out but in all likelihood, I will end up getting crushed coral considering I’ve never heard of this ph up product.

 

Numbers look much better. I think if it were me I would go ahead and use the PH up and then add the ammonia. Just keep a very close eyes on the PH level and try to keep it above 7 until the cycle is complete. Keep in mind I have never used this product so can't say how well it will work.

Once the cycle is complete, hopefully the weekly water changes will keep the PH up. If not you may want to consider something more permanent to keep it up and stable.

A day later & I checked up on things. My PH has again dropped to 6.0. I’m not really sure why.
Ammonia : 2.0
Nitrite : .25/.50
I’m currently trying to find somewhere near me that sells crushed coral.

 

A day later & I checked up on things. My PH has again dropped to 6.0. I’m not really sure why.
Ammonia : 2.0
Nitrite : .25/.50
I’m currently trying to find somewhere near me that sells crushed coral.

It looks like you have little to no buffering agents in your source water.

It seems arogonite sand is easier to find. I prefer the chunks of coral but it seems to be harder to find. If the sand (it isn't really sand but much smaller than the smallest gravel) is all you can get you will just have to do some testing to see how much it is going to take to stabilize your PH.

I have been reading and it seems cuttlebone may also help with this. It can be found in the bird supply section of most general stores. If you go this way be sure you get the pure while ones.and not the flavored ones. I actually keep a piece of cuttle bone in my snail breeding jar to add extra calcium for their shells.

Start out with 1/2 cup in a media bag. It isn't going to stabilize it instantly so add more or remove some if necessary after a couple of days. Once the PH stays up at least 7 for a few days in a row you will know you have the right amount.

 

It looks like you have little to no buffering agents in your source water.

It seems arogonite sand is easier to find. I prefer the chunks of coral but it seems to be harder to find. If the sand (it isn't really sand but much smaller than the smallest gravel) is all you can get you will just have to do some testing to see how much it is going to take to stabilize your PH.

I have been reading and it seems cuttlebone may also help with this. It can be found in the bird supply section of most general stores. If you go this way be sure you get the pure while ones.and not the flavored ones. I actually keep a piece of cuttle bone in my snail breeding jar to add extra calcium for their shells.

Start out with 1/2 cup in a media bag. It isn't going to stabilize it instantly so add more or remove some if necessary after a couple of days. Once the PH stays up at least 7 for a few days in a row you will know you have the right amount.

This is really like the most annoying problem ever lol My fish stores around me don't sell the crushed coral so I don't have an immediate fix.

id have to add a lot of cuttlebone for a 20 gallon, no?

I ordered some of this stuff and it will hopefully come tomorrow . Any ideas on a way I can help the PH right now?

 

id have to add a lot of cuttlebone for a 20 gallon, no?

I can only imagine your frustration right now. You would think an aquarium would be a simple thing to take care of and in a lot of cases it is. The problems arise when we have to add thing to make out source water work for us.

I'm not sure how much it would take but I would just start with one. I can't swear that it would work since I've never used it for this purpose but might be the easiest thing to find. I had to get my crushed coral on-line. I found it on ebay.


Last week I went ahead and bought a 10lb bag of arogonite sand. I put a layer of it in the bottom of my snail jar.

I have very very soft water that is almost devoid of minerals so have started adding Equilibrium to it. I don't know if it would work to help keep your PH up but might be worth a try. Your local fish stores should have it on their shelves. With it though you won't know how much to add without having a way to test the water.

I ordered some of this stuff and it will hopefully come tomorrow https://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-ACS00110-Aquarium-10-Pound/dp/B000ELY1YQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=U55ORG22DM99&keywords=crushed+coral+for+freshwater+aquarium&qid=1567294597&s=gateway&sprefix=crushed+coral,aps,130&sr=8-1. Any ideas on a way I can help the PH right now?

That is the same product I just bought. Good job

Did the PH up help at all? If so you could add more or just wait until you get your crushed coral and go from there.

 

I can only imagine your frustration right now. You would think an aquarium would be a simple thing to take care of and in a lot of cases it is. The problems arise when we have to add thing to make out source water work for us.

I'm not sure how much it would take but I would just start with one. I can't swear that it would work since I've never used it for this purpose but might be the easiest thing to find. I had to get my crushed coral on-line. I found it on ebay.


Last week I went ahead and bought a 10lb bag of arogonite sand. I put a layer of it in the bottom of my snail jar.

I have very very soft water that is almost devoid of minerals so have started adding Equilibrium to it. I don't know if it would work to help keep your PH up but might be worth a try. Your local fish stores should have it on their shelves. With it though you won't know how much to add without having a way to test the water.


That is the same product I just bought. Good job

Did the PH up help at all? If so you could add more or just wait until you get your crushed coral and go from there.

At first I was like "theres no way my water source would be an issue, I live in a city." now I come to this haha. The PH up didnt seem to do much, but I'm going to add it anyways since itll be a temporary relief, so that maybe the bacteria can have some leway to grow until I get the coral.
Awesome, glad I got the right thing. When I get it, Do you recommend putting a media bag into my filter, or just blatantly putting some in the aquarium itself? about 2 cups maybe?

 

At first I was like "theres no way my water source would be an issue, I live in a city." now I come to this haha. The PH up didnt seem to do much, but I'm going to add it anyways since itll be a temporary relief, so that maybe the bacteria can have some leway to grow until I get the coral.
Awesome, glad I got the right thing. When I get it, Do you recommend putting a media bag into my filter, or just blatantly putting some in the aquarium itself? about 2 cups maybe?

I would put it in a media bag. It is much easier to remove some if necessary if it is contained. It also works better if it can be put in the filter. That way water is running through it and dispersing it through the tank better.

Once you determine how much it is going to take to keep your PH stable you could just pour it out onto the substrate. I can't say exactly how much it is going to take to do the job.

 

I would put it in a media bag. It is much easier to remove some if necessary if it is contained. It also works better if it can be put in the filter. That way water is running through it and dispersing it through the tank better.

Once you determine how much it is going to take to keep your PH stable you could just pour it out onto the substrate. I can't say exactly how much it is going to take to do the job.

You're the best, thank you. I hope this ends up leading me to my cycle ending to be honest. A man can only hope.

 

You're the best, thank you. I hope this ends up leading me to my cycle ending to be honest. A man can only hope.

I feel sure we will get this tank cycled. This is just a bump in the road. It will be so worth it in the end. I can't imagine my life without my fish tanks.

 

According to Momgoose56 you'll want 1 cup of crushed coral per 30 gallons.

I'm a little surprised you're having such a hard time finding it locally. It is used as a substrate in saltwater tanks due to saltwater fish needing a high pH

 

I have some pretty crappy delivery services here so my crushed coral/aragonite isn't here yet. But remember that picture of the white fungus type of thing on my aquarium heater? I'm actually rather curious about it now as I cleaned the heater and put it back in. 2 days later, I can see the same white fungus developing again. Any ideas guys? Ive scoured the internet for this problem, and I can't seem to find it anywhere else.

 

I have some pretty crappy delivery services here so my crushed coral/aragonite isn't here yet. But remember that picture of the white fungus type of thing on my aquarium heater? I'm actually rather curious about it now as I cleaned the heater and put it back in. 2 days later, I can see the same white fungus developing again. Any ideas guys? Ive scoured the internet for this problem, and I can't seem to find it anywhere else.

It's a harmless white fungus that seems to like growing in cycling tanks. I had it all over driftwood in my tank. It will eventually fall apart and disappear once the tank is cycled. It even grows on sterilized stuff. My pleco Cichlids aand rainbow fish munched on it after they were in the tank. I have no idea what kind of fungus/algae it is but apparently it's delicious. Maybe someone else does

 

It's a harmless white fungus that seems to like growing in cycling tanks. I had it all over driftwood in my tank. It will eventually fall apart and disappear once the tank is cycled. It even grows on sterilized stuff. My pleco Cichlids aand rainbow fish munched on it after they were in the tank. I have no idea what kind of fungus/algae it is but apparently it's delicious. Maybe someone else does

That helps alot, thank you. Ill try to manage it so it doesn't spread anywhere else. That's a worry off my shoulders, thank you very much.

 

That helps alot, thank you. Ill try to manage it so it doesn't spread anywhere else. That's a worry off my shoulders, thank you very much.

Even if it spreads, it's harmless and will totally go away. So no worrys!

 

HI everyone, I just got the crushed coral and put 3/4ths of a cup in a filter media bag and let it hang inside the aquarium as I had no space in the filter.

 

Sounds good. Now you should see a change pretty soon

 

HI everyone, I just got the crushed coral and put 3/4ths of a cup in a filter media bag and let it hang inside the aquarium as I had no space in the filter.

Were you able to hang it under the out put of your filter? If you have a HOB and put it there the water will run through it and will be pulled into the filter from it. I don't know that is is absolutely necessary to have it there but it makes sense to me that it would work best if situated there.

 

Hopefully this kicks off my cycle, fingers crossed everyone!

Were you able to hang it under the out put of your filter? If you have a HOB and put it there the water will run through it and will be pulled into the filter from it. I don't know that is is absolutely necessary to have it there but it makes sense to me that it would work best if situated there.

I hung it in front the outtake so that the water would hit the media bag and maybe disperse it throughout the aquarium faster.

HI everyone, my PH is now at 7.0 and ammonia still at 2.0. I’m going to leave the coral alone til tomorrow night and test again to see if I need to remove any. Fingers crossed on cycle getting jump started again.

This is my ammonia reading. Looks like a little more than 2.0, which is kinda weird lol

 

Now that you have the CC in there and if it is holding the PH up at 7 or above I expect the cycle to start moving forward. Right now it is just a waiting game. All of the conditions are right for growing bacteria. It may take a few days for the ammonia to start going down so please try not to stress over it too much.

 

So today I decided to dose a bottle of Dr.tims everyone. Hopefully this speeds things up.
Ammonia: 2.0
Nitrite : 0
PH: 7.2

 

HI everyone, as of two days ago.
Ammonia - 2.0
Nitrites - 1.0
Weird or not weird?

 

HI everyone, as of two days ago.
Ammonia - 2.0
Nitrites - 1.0
Weird or not weird?

not weird. It is a little bit weird that the ammonia is still the same but not weird that you are now seeing nitrites. How about nitrates? Are you seeing any yet? How is your PH level looking?

 

not weird. It is a little bit weird that the ammonia is still the same but not weird that you are now seeing nitrites. How about nitrates? Are you seeing any yet? How is your PH level looking?

I’m going to recheck everything in an hour. I’ll let you know.

My ph is at 7.2 or a little higher. I ordered a high range PH kit that’s on the way. The one I have right now only goes up to 7.2.

 

My ph is at 7.2 or a little higher. I ordered a high range PH kit that’s on the way. The one I have right now only goes up to 7.2.

7.2 is good. Keeping it at least that high should keep your cycle moving forward.

 

Hi, these are the newest readings
Ammonia - 2.0- 4 (assumed 2.0)
Nitrite - 2.0 - 5 (assumed 2.0)
Nitrate - 5.0 - 20.
PH - 7.2 or above.
I put assumed because the colors are weird to me, even my girlfriend has trouble seeing the direct number sometimes. I’ll post the pictures as well to be sure.

 

I think your assumed numbers are the correct numbers. Now that you've gotten the PH up I have a feeling you will start seeing some movement forward. What temp are you keeping the tank at? Higher is better. Bacteria grows faster at higher temps so 80-84 would be good.

 

I think your assumed numbers are the correct numbers. Now that you've gotten the PH up I have a feeling you will start seeing some movement forward. What temp are you keeping the tank at? Higher is better. Bacteria grows faster at higher temps so 80-84 would be good.

the current temperature is at 82 degrees. Isnt it odd that the nitrite is going up before the ammonia goes down?

also, the reason I'm getting the high range PH kit, is because I can only see up to 7.2, if the PH went higher then that then I'm shooting blind. With these readings, do you think the PH is in a good place?

 

the current temperature is at 82 degrees. Isnt it odd that the nitrite is going up before the ammonia goes down?

also, the reason I'm getting the high range PH kit, is because I can only see up to 7.2, if the PH went higher then that then I'm shooting blind. With these readings, do you think the PH is in a good place?

It isn't a problem if your PH is higher than what your test is showing right now. Some folks say the cycle will finish up quicker with the higher PH. I don't know if that actually happens but don't think having it higher will affect the cycling process.

normally the ammonia does at least start going down some before nitrites show up but it is possible it is happening this way because of the Dr Tim's you added. I am thinking you meant Dr. Tim's one and only bottled bacteria instead of Dr. Tim's everyone. .

 

It isn't a problem if your PH is higher than what your test is showing right now. Some folks say the cycle will finish up quicker with the higher PH. I don't know if that actually happens but don't think having it higher will affect the cycling process.

normally the ammonia does at least start going down some before nitrites show up but it is possible it is happening this way because of the Dr Tim's you added. I am thinking you meant Dr. Tim's one and only bottled bacteria instead of Dr. Tim's everyone. .

Yeah the one and only bacteria. Thank you for all the information.

 

Yeah the one and only bacteria. Thank you for all the information.

You are so very welcome. I am anxiously waiting to hear you are doing a happy dance when this tank finally finishes its cycle.

 

HI everyone! Ammonia finally dropped, here are the readings.
Ammonia - .25/.50
Nitrite - 2.0/5.0
Nitrate - 5.0.
What should be my next steps? This is actually where I’m lost on what to do next lol. Like do I wait for nitrite to hit 0 before I dose ammonia back to 2.0? Or do I just dose ammonia to 1.0 and try to wait for nitrite to go back to 0 with that? Curious step here.

You are so very welcome. I am anxiously waiting to hear you are doing a happy dance when this tank finally finishes its cycle.

These are the readings in case I was inaccurate with any.

 

These are the readings in case I was inaccurate with any.

Check ammonia levels every couple days and keep dosing back to 2 ppm when ammonia level drops below 1ppm. When ammonia drops to 0ppm within 24 hours and nitrites remain at 0 your tank will be cycled and ready for a full load of fish.

 

Check ammonia levels every couple days and keep dosing back to 2 ppm when ammonia level drops below 1ppm. When ammonia drops to 0ppm within 24 hours and nitrites remain at 0 your tank will be cycled and ready for a full load of fish.

Dr Tim’s instructions say to dose back up to 2ppm when both nitrite & ammonia are below 1ppm. This is what’s confusing me because when I started before my cycle crashed. I dosed ammonia up to 2ppm when it went below 1ppm and that caused nitrite to spike above the 2/5.0ppm it already was & my PH to crash as a result. This is what I’m afraid of happening again. So you think I should dose back up to 2ppm, but keep the crushed coral in there to make sure the PH doesn’t crash again?

 

Now that you have the crushed coral in there to keep the PH from crashing again I don't think you will experience another crash when getting the ammonia back up to 2ppm.

Please forgive me but just know that my memory isn't what it used to be. How long has it been since you did your last water change?

 

Dr Tim’s instructions say to dose back up to 2ppm when both nitrite & ammonia are below 1ppm. This is what’s confusing me because when I started before my cycle crashed. I dosed ammonia up to 2ppm when it went below 1ppm and that caused nitrite to spike above the 2/5.0ppm it already was & my PH to crash as a result. This is what I’m afraid of happening again. So you think I should dose back up to 2ppm, but keep the crushed coral in there to make sure the PH doesn’t crash again?

Even with the crushed coral, your pH will still fluctuate some while your tank is cycling. But, as mattgirl said, the crushed coral has raised your KH and that has stabilized your pH and should prevent a crash. Keep dosing up to 2 ppm and your tank will cycle. Have faith and patience!

 

Now that you have the crushed coral in there to keep the PH from crashing again I don't think you will experience another crash when getting the ammonia back up to 2ppm.

Please forgive me but just know that my memory isn't what it used to be. How long has it been since you did your last water change?

That’s fine! Always ask what you need, it no problem for me. My last water change was almost a month ago, August 29th or 30th. And okay, I get it. I’ll be dosing back up to 2ppm.

 

That’s fine! Always ask what you need, it no problem for me. My last water change was almost a month ago, August 29th or 30th. And okay, I get it. I’ll be dosing back up to 2ppm.

I would change out at least half the water before dosing the ammonia back up. It will refresh the minerals present in our tap water and necessary for most life including the bacteria we are growing..