I'm having a disastrous time trying to cycle a 2.5 gallon tank - can anybody help figure out what's going on?
I started cycling in mid-January, and after a few weeks my ammonia levels were beginning to drop (ammonia was down to 2.0, but no nitrites showing yet). I added a little more ammonia to the tank, but accidentally added too much. I did a partial water change, added more ammonia to bring it up to 4.0 ppm, then left the tank alone. I tested every 3-4 days, and after 7-10 days, my ammonia levels had somehow crept up to nearly 8.0. I have no idea how this happened - I didn't add more ammonia, there is no ammonia in our tap water, and there's nothing in the tank to create more ammonia - no fish, no fish food, etc. I waited for another week, and the ammonia level did not drop.
I did a 99.9% water change, and refilled the tank with conditioned water. I waited for a few hours, then tested the water, which showed a .50 ammonia. I was surprised that the ammonia tested that high, but figured it was from the leftover water in the tank (although it was a very small amount). I very slowly dosed the tank with more ammonia anyway, testing every 3-5 hrs before adding another drop. I got the ammonia to 4.0, then quit adding ammonia. The ammonia registered at 4.0 for the next 5 days. Today I tested the water (3 days after my last test), and the ammonia reading is definitely over 4.0. I'm using the API master test kit, which I do find a bit hard to read, but the reading is somewhere in between 4-8.0. How is this possible? This are the tank specs:
2.5 gallon tank
silk plant
plastic rock cave
flat marbles
Red Sea Nano filter
mini heater
thermometer
I'm using the API master test kit, which I bought a few months ago. I wouldn't think it was expired, but I also don't see any kind of expiration date on it. Where do they list that information?
I should say that I started a cycle with fish food in early January, because I couldn't find the proper ammonia. After a week, I found liquid ammonia and started over from scratch (no ammonia levels were even registering in the tank yet). I cleaned out the tank, cleaned the filter under tap water to get the decayed food out (I know you shouldn't do that once a tank is cycled), washed the marbles, plants, etc. I washed everything thoroughly. Then I started cycling with the liquid ammonia as described in the beginning of my post.
I am SO frustrated. Any idea what is happening, and what I should do? I'm so tired of staring at an empty tank, and not seeing any progress whatsoever in the cycle.
I started cycling in mid-January, and after a few weeks my ammonia levels were beginning to drop (ammonia was down to 2.0, but no nitrites showing yet). I added a little more ammonia to the tank, but accidentally added too much. I did a partial water change, added more ammonia to bring it up to 4.0 ppm, then left the tank alone. I tested every 3-4 days, and after 7-10 days, my ammonia levels had somehow crept up to nearly 8.0. I have no idea how this happened - I didn't add more ammonia, there is no ammonia in our tap water, and there's nothing in the tank to create more ammonia - no fish, no fish food, etc. I waited for another week, and the ammonia level did not drop.
I did a 99.9% water change, and refilled the tank with conditioned water. I waited for a few hours, then tested the water, which showed a .50 ammonia. I was surprised that the ammonia tested that high, but figured it was from the leftover water in the tank (although it was a very small amount). I very slowly dosed the tank with more ammonia anyway, testing every 3-5 hrs before adding another drop. I got the ammonia to 4.0, then quit adding ammonia. The ammonia registered at 4.0 for the next 5 days. Today I tested the water (3 days after my last test), and the ammonia reading is definitely over 4.0. I'm using the API master test kit, which I do find a bit hard to read, but the reading is somewhere in between 4-8.0. How is this possible? This are the tank specs:
2.5 gallon tank
silk plant
plastic rock cave
flat marbles
Red Sea Nano filter
mini heater
thermometer
I'm using the API master test kit, which I bought a few months ago. I wouldn't think it was expired, but I also don't see any kind of expiration date on it. Where do they list that information?
I should say that I started a cycle with fish food in early January, because I couldn't find the proper ammonia. After a week, I found liquid ammonia and started over from scratch (no ammonia levels were even registering in the tank yet). I cleaned out the tank, cleaned the filter under tap water to get the decayed food out (I know you shouldn't do that once a tank is cycled), washed the marbles, plants, etc. I washed everything thoroughly. Then I started cycling with the liquid ammonia as described in the beginning of my post.
I am SO frustrated. Any idea what is happening, and what I should do? I'm so tired of staring at an empty tank, and not seeing any progress whatsoever in the cycle.