Water Test Results

[Gimli]

Alright I did my first water test. Here are my results after 1 day of putting in new water

pH Low: 6.8-7.0
Ammonia: 0-0.6 (non-existant)
NirIte: 0 (non-existant)
Hardness: > 20 ppm (silky smooth )

So.. what does this mean? I need to add some of that pure Ammonia in for a bit or something to start the bacterial growth and then watch it carefully for weeks?

My tank is running with its carbon filter in place and its old bio-wheel. Its looking pretty lonely without any fish in it

I'm looking to perhaps put in a couple blue gourmies if this helps you explain to me what i need to do to help cycle my tank.

I'm trying to be patient and not drop in feeder fish this time.

Thanx

 

[OrionGirl]

Without an ammonia source, the tank will never cycle. Check in the FW Archives for some threads on the process-there's a bit more to it than just pouring ammonia in at random.

 

[Gimli]

I added some ammonia (one site I found said add about 5ml to ever 1gal)

Anyway, it seems I might of added a bit much though I cant really figure out how to read my ammonia reading.

The colour chart is from 0.0 - 7.3 and mine is 7.3+
But there is also a Colour Number Chart, and if I match up my ammonia reading with the tank's PH it then reads: 0.06 for Un-Ionized Ammonia(Toxic-Form) NH3 mg/L (ppm)

So.... I'm confused what my ppm reading of ammonia would be?

Now I've also just did a 30% water change to see if I could bring down the Ammonia level but no go. Should I wait a couple of more days? NirIte level is non-existant still. Though I doubt that will happen over night.

Last time, I just put in a couple of feeder fish and the tank did fine for a couple years (had Angels, Neon Tetras and a Betta) after I gave the feeders away to a friend.

I just dont see why this Fishless Cycle is being somewhat...unclear for me.

 

[JayCreek]

Im not sure about the test results, but it sounds like you're having the same problem i was having.
Basically you need to keep the ammonia (from fish waste or otherwise) in your tank long enough for the *helpful* bacteria to establish. After a week or so, you'll notice your nitrite levels rise and they'll stay high for 5 to 7 days then everything will start to balance out, as the first stage bacteria starts to break down the ammonia. A couple weeks later your second stage bacteria will be firmly established and the nitrite will be broken down into harmless nitrate.
So...basically, just keep some ammonia in and keep testing your water every week or so to ensure that your bacteria are blooming. Hope this helps.

 

[OrionGirl]

The ammonia has to remain in the tank for a week or so, and you have to keep adding ammonia. There are threads in the archive that outline the entire process. It takes a while for the bacteria that consume ammonia to establish, and then an additional time period for the bacteria that consume nitrites to establish. As long as there are not any fish in there, you don't need to perform water changes.