Fishless Cycle & Nitrates

J

jojomuscles

AC Members
Aug 29, 2010
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Hello,

I have been fishless cycling my new 29g tank for a couple weeks now and everything has gone as planned except that the nitrates never went really high as I read they would. The ammonia levels were kept at around 5ppm for about a week, then dropped as soon as nitrites were visible.

The ammonia slowly dropped on a daily basis and the nitrites went up past 5ppm for a couple days, then started to come down. I noticed that nitrates were now visible and they continued to rise slowly. I basically kept adding ammonia for a couple days as my ammonia and nitrites were still above zero, but then yesterday they were both zero and nitrates were about 10ppm. I added ammonia again yesterday and retested today with the same result...ammonia and nitrites at zero and nitrates at about 10.

So, my question is...why didn't my nitrates go way up over 100 like everyone says it should? My ammonia spiked, my nitrites spiked, and my nitrates are at a safe level. Is my tank cycled or do I need to do something else?

Thanks in advance!
 
What size tank?
 
Hey guys, thanks for the quick responses. It's a 29 gallon and has a few artificial plants, some small rocks, and two medium sized ornaments. Everything was brand new from the store...no seeded materials.
 
What kind of test kit are you using? It's very odd because you have nothing that would utilize nitrates (live plants).
 
It's an API Freshwater Master Test Kit. I just went to look at the name of the kit and I noticed that I forgot to empty the vials from earlier, so I looked at the nitrate tube again and it's darker now...I must have not waited long enough. The level looks to be between the 80ppm and 160ppm now.

So, now just a huge water change, right?

How long after the water change do I have before I need to add fish?

Do I add all of the fish at once or a few at a time?
 
Those tests will darken over time if left out. If I am remembering correctly the accurate results are after 5 minutes. I would make sure you are following the the directions 100% (ie. shake bottles when it says to, etc.)
 
Yeah.. the API liquid kit can be difficult. The nitrate bottle #2 has to be VIGOROUSLY shaken for 60 seconds before dropping into the vial then the vial has to be shaken just as hard for 60 seconds.

Do as big of a water change as you can.. 80%+ and you can add fish today once you make sure that ammonia and nitrite are at zero.

You can add fish all at once now since you did a fishless cycle you maxed out the bio-load so it's ready to go.
 
You might want to redo all your tests, making sure to follow the instructions precisely.

FYI, in an old thread, someone posted info from an API rep who explained that the contents of the Nitrates #2 bottle, in particular, settle/solidify over time. The rep said that it's best to knock the bottle on a desk/counter etc. to jar everything loose before starting the test — and to follow all the shaking instructions to the letter.

Also, as pointed out, it's important to check all tests at the correct time, as colors will continue to change. Reading the chart early or late will give inaccurate results.
 
Ok, so I have some Jungle quick dip test strips. The nitrate level immediately turned dark purple, which indicates 160-200ppm. The odd thing is that the nitrite also turned dark purple, which means extremely high nitrites(10+). I also tested an ammonia strip and the reading was zero.

I never really trusted those strips, but i'm seeing some major differences between the strips and the drops. I retested with the drops, following the instructions exactly and banging the nitrate #2 against the table like I was mad at it. Results at exactly 5 minutes:

Ammonia: 0 - 0.25 (very hard to tell which one)
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 5.0

Needless to say, i'm pretty confused right now with such a huge difference between the strips and drops...and with the nitrates being so low. Any suggestions?
 
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