[ironspider]

I'm currently in step 2 of fishless cycling... It reads:

"--Now that ammonia reads zero after 24 hours, you will need the note that you made regarding your initial ammonia dose. However many drops/teaspoons you added initially, add that many again now. You will add this same dose every 2-3 days. Go for consistency, but it is ok if you forget or get busy and skip a day. It will not derail the processes that are happening. In addition, you do not have to add the dose at exactly the same time each day, but best to be somewhat consistent when adding and testing. Try to set aside a time each day for this."

So I added the second dose of ammonia, tested yesterday at about 1-2ppm, then today at the same reading. According to the above paragraph, I should be adding another dose today, but I'm still at 1-2ppm. Should I continue adding or wait for a 0 reading again?

 

[morrismorris]

After the initial dose, I took that amount and cut it in half, and that was my dose for the remaining days of the cycle. I dosed daily. You probably won't see 0 ammonia for a couple of weeks. Eventually it will begin converting to nitrite, which will then convert to nitrate. This entire process will probably take about a month. You know you are cycled when you dose your tank, read it the next day, and you have 0 ammonia and nitrite with some nitrate. To be safe, make sure it is doing this for a couple of days at least.

Good luck and be patient.

 

[ironspider]

After the initial dose, I took that amount and cut it in half, and that was my dose for the remaining days of the cycle. I dosed daily. You probably won't see 0 ammonia for a couple of weeks. Eventually it will begin converting to nitrite, which will then convert to nitrate. This entire process will probably take about a month. You know you are cycled when you dose your tank, read it the next day, and you have 0 ammonia and nitrite with some nitrate. To be safe, make sure it is doing this for a couple of days at least.

Good luck and be patient.

Thank you! Patience is not a strong point for me...I used to just throw fish in and let it cycle that way but that was over a decade ago, I'm a bit wiser now I think. It is frustrating, after you posted yesterday I put in the dose as per the cycling instructions, tested this morning and I could be close to 4ppm now. I just want this to be over with and stock the tank.

 

[NewkeeperRico]

LOL I swear you and I are twins because I was like you back in the day, just throw fish in and cycle that way. I'm wiser now and thinking things through the right way. I'm frustrated because I just want to stock the tank NOW! LOL! I also have a 75 gal and will be stocking Mbunas.

Do you have a pic of your setup?

 

[morrismorris]

It will get to a point where you think it will never happen, then one day the ammonia reading will literally drop like a stone. Once your ammonia starts converting to nitrite, the rest of the process goes a lot quicker.

 

[ironspider]

LOL I swear you and I are twins because I was like you back in the day, just throw fish in and cycle that way. I'm wiser now and thinking things through the right way. I'm frustrated because I just want to stock the tank NOW! LOL! I also have a 75 gal and will be stocking Mbunas.

Do you have a pic of your setup?

 

[ironspider]

It will get to a point where you think it will never happen, then one day the ammonia reading will literally drop like a stone. Once your ammonia starts converting to nitrite, the rest of the process goes a lot quicker.

I'm at that point now. It's been a week of following the instructions for step 2, even after 3 days after a dose I still have the same ammonia level. So, to clarify, even though I'm still showing ammonia levels @2-3 ppm, I should still be adding ammonia? I'm doing my initial dose every 3 days now.

I'm on like 3-4 weeks of cycling and I feel like I've gotten nowhere. And Nitrite takes even longer to control, right?

 

[Old Newbie]

It will get to a point where you think it will never happen, then one day the ammonia reading will literally drop like a stone. Once your ammonia starts converting to nitrite, the rest of the process goes a lot quicker.

I'm at that point now. It's been a week of following the instructions for step 2, even after 3 days after a dose I still have the same ammonia level. So, to clarify, even though I'm still showing ammonia levels @2-3 ppm, I should still be adding ammonia? I'm doing my initial dose every 3 days now.

I'm on like 3-4 weeks of cycling and I feel like I've gotten nowhere. And Nitrite takes even longer to control, right?

Just keep testing the water daily; if the ammonia is 2-3 ppm don't add more ammonia. Once ammonia drops to 0 ppm in 24 hrs, start checking for nitrite, then add ammonia every other day. If nitrite gets off of the scale do 50% water changes to keep it somewhere in the middle of the scale. Wait for nitrite to go to 0 pmm over night, like the ammonia, and you are good.

 

[ironspider]

It could be somewhere between .5-2, I can't really discern the shades of yellow.

 

[DJRansome]

Are you looking at the nitrate test?

Nitrate is yellow/orange in my kit and nitrite is blue/purple.

 

[morrismorris]

It will get to a point where you think it will never happen, then one day the ammonia reading will literally drop like a stone. Once your ammonia starts converting to nitrite, the rest of the process goes a lot quicker.

I'm at that point now. It's been a week of following the instructions for step 2, even after 3 days after a dose I still have the same ammonia level. So, to clarify, even though I'm still showing ammonia levels @2-3 ppm, I should still be adding ammonia? I'm doing my initial dose every 3 days now.

I'm on like 3-4 weeks of cycling and I feel like I've gotten nowhere. And Nitrite takes even longer to control, right?

I added every day, but half the dose I put in on day 1. Three weeks and no movement in levels is normal. If I had to guess, 1 more week, 2 at the most, you will test one day and your ammonia will have dropped and you can start looking for nitrite. At that point you are coming down the home stretch.

 

[ironspider]

Are you looking at the nitrate test?

Nitrate is yellow/orange in my kit and nitrite is blue/purple.

I'm not looking at nitrate yet, the cycling instructions say test for nitrate after ammonia is 0 after 24 hours.

 

[ironspider]

Are you looking at the nitrate test?

Nitrate is yellow/orange in my kit and nitrite is blue/purple.

I just did the nitrite and it's close to 0. I don't have a nitrate test?

 

[DJRansome]

You are talking about the yellow ammonia test? It should have no hint of green...just lemon yellow for zero.

 

[morrismorris]

Are you looking at the nitrate test?

Nitrate is yellow/orange in my kit and nitrite is blue/purple.

I just did the nitrite and it's close to 0. I don't have a nitrate test?

Let's start over because like DJ is saying, yellow is only a color in the ammonia test when ammonia is 0 but from a prior post, you said you have an ammonia reading, which should be green. This is all if you are using the API liquid test, which most people use.

Which kit are you using to test your water and tell us what that kit is returning for ammonia.

 

[ironspider]

Are you looking at the nitrate test?

Nitrate is yellow/orange in my kit and nitrite is blue/purple.

I just did the nitrite and it's close to 0. I don't have a nitrate test?

Let's start over because like DJ is saying, yellow is only a color in the ammonia test when ammonia is 0 but from a prior post, you said you have an ammonia reading, which should be green. This is all if you are using the API liquid test, which most people use.

Which kit are you using to test your water and tell us what that kit is returning for ammonia.

Now I'm crazy confused. I use somethign called master test kit (not the api master test kit I see online), unless it's a really old one in different packaging. But when I look at the color for the ammonia test, clear is 0, then light yellow, all the way up to green. I'm in a yellow tint which corresponds to somewhere between 1-2ppm.

 

[morrismorris]

Ok, that is fine, as long as the test kit you are using is working properly. I would continue to test for ammonia and nitrite each day. At some point, you will start to see your nitrites show up. Keep adding ammonia until you get at least a couple days in a row where you've added ammonia the day before and the next day, ammonia and nitrite are zero. Then after doing a water change, you are ready for fish.

 

[ironspider]

Ok, that is fine, as long as the test kit you are using is working properly. I would continue to test for ammonia and nitrite each day. At some point, you will start to see your nitrites show up. Keep adding ammonia until you get at least a couple days in a row where you've added ammonia the day before and the next day, ammonia and nitrite are zero. Then after doing a water change, you are ready for fish.

I need a new test kit anyway as I don't have a nitrate test.

 

[ironspider]

Another 3 days since my last dose and I'm still at .5-1ppm ammonia. Nitrite still close to 0...I'm losing my patience.

 

[NewkeeperRico]

Hmm you should be at zero ammonia after 12-24 hours. What are you using for bio media?