Fishless Cycle & Nitrates

Maybe do a calibration test using your tap water ... test for nitrates using the strips and the API Test Kit to see if they are reading the same thing (which should be 0). Generally though the liquid test kits are much more accurate.
 
I believe I remember reading that extremely high nitrates will cause some tests to show positive for nitrite as well..

Redo all tests with liquid. Make sure they are in date and that everything is done to the letter. Make sure to beat up Nitrate #2 (pretend it's that kid who made fun of you growing up) and post the results you get.
 
Dip tests are notoriously inaccurate. I've read that the production process can cause test strips to have varying amounts of reagents which will affect the results — and that, once a package of strips has been opened, moisture/humidity can effect the reagents on the unused strips, again affecting results. Regardless of the cause, they're not reliable. I recommend you toss the strips and stick with the API liquid kit, which is known to be far more reliable.
 
I just tested again and the results remain the same, but one thing that I noticed was that the water turned dark purple(very high nitrates) immediately upon putting the nitrite drops in the vial, but dispersed to a light purple after shaking, and eventually to light blue(0 nitrates) after 5 minutes.

I read somewhere that the kit i'm using only tests up to a certain level, then gives a false zero reading beyond that. I think this is what i'm experiencing...and the extremely high nitrites may be giving a false nitrate reading on the strips, as suggested by someone else above.

So, assuming this is the problem and my ammonia is zero, nitrites are off the chart, and nitrates are 5-10ppm, what is my next step?

Do I do a water change to lower the nitrites or just let them come down naturally? Do I continue to add small amounts of ammonia?
 
As I said the correct reading should be taken when the directions state. If the color is different at any other time than that reading is incorrect. AFAIK API tests do not show zero ppm if they are over the limit. They show the color that is last on the chart.

I am also confused by your descriptions as blue/purple is for nitrITE. Nitrate tests are yellow-orange-red.
 
You should do a 50% water change to get your nitrites down as high nitrites or ammonia will hinder the growth of the N-bacteria. Once you do the 50% PWC, dose your tank back up to 3-4ppm (no more than 5ppm) of ammonia and monitor it again.

It usually takes 4-6 weeks to fishless cycle from scratch. Did you have anyone give you some cycled filter media or gravel or did you start from scratch? If from scratch and since you're seeing high nitrites, you've still got a little ways to go.
 
Yes, the color is a deep purple when I add the drops for the nitrite test...I was trying to make a connection with possible high nitrites with low nitrates. If there were no nitrites in the water, then why would the blue drops immediately turn purple, then fade back to light blue 5 minutes later? My test strips also show an extremely high nitrite level, which is also why I question the validity of the liquid test. BTW, my nitrates on the liquid test consistantly read 5ppm....even after shaking bottle #2 and the vial for several minutes each. If my ammonia and nitrites spiked and then dropped to zero, shouldn't my nitrates have shot up really high?
 
GoldLenny -Well, that's the problem...my nitrites were really high and did eventually come down to zero along with the ammonia...nitrates were also present. I thought my cycle was about done and expected to see a really high nitrate level, but I didn't. It never went above 20ppm and is at about 5ppm right now. I decided to try my test strips and the nitrites and nitrates were both off the charts, which really fried my brain. Is it possible to cycle a tank without the nitrates shooting way up? I'm just not sure what to do.
 
The final nitrate number, if no partial water changes were done during the fishless cycle, would correlate to the amount of ammonia you added during the process. If your tank somehow got all the right bacteria into the tank a lot quicker than others, then you wouldn't have been dosing as much ammonia from the beginning till now and therefore your nitrate level would be lower. As I stated earlier, it usually takes 4-6 weeks and you're saying you've only been doing it a couple of weeks.

Did you keep a diary to see exactly how much ammonia you've added day by day and then the total amount? Or if you started with a fresh bottle, how much is missing now?
 
I should add... do the 50% PWC, dose the tank to 4-5ppm of ammonia and test it the next day. If the ammonia and nitrites are both 0.0ppm, then your tank is cycling properly and ready to go. If you have any ammonia or nitrite after 24 hours, then it's not ready yet. Some folks even check it after 12 hours of an ammonia dosing to see if the tank is fully cycling the ammonia into nitrate after only 12 hours. That definitely means it's ready!
 
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