another cycling question...sorry.....

[8isenuf]

I added 10 mls of ammonia to the 28 gallon tank, and, the ammonia level is too high, it looks close to 8, the test kit I have goes from 4 to 8 in the colour guide. I took some water out, but it did not change it much. Will it not over a few days just lower on its own to the desired 5? or...do I need to dump half the water out and start over?

thanks, Wendy

 

[Phil22]

Wendy, I think it would be best to do another water change (about 40-50%) to get it down to 5.

 

[DisgruntledUser]

heh, i was going to mention that with my tank, I never dosed more than 1 - 2 ml ammonia per 10 g daily (about 4 - 6 ml for my 29) I think your ammonia levels will drop after a few days.. test the ph, am, ni, and na levels once daily and see what happens. my ph was dropping quickly during ammonia cycle, so I checked my gh and kh levels, an occasional water change solved the decrease in ph. You'll probably find that the water needs to be changed every few days during a fishless cycle to keep the cycle from stalling. Luckily you wont actually have to start over, the water change is beneficial.

 

[Phil22]

Wendy, don't worry about ph, just keep ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels checked. Just do water changes and add ammonia to keep the ammonia level around 5.

 

[southpaw]

Do another water change...ammonia will not just magically drop on its own until you have established nitrites. Ammonia levels over 6 are known to kill off good bacteria ,so with the level as high as you have you need to get it down to 4-5ppm so your cycle can even start.