Help?

Hello, I have been having a bit of an issue. I added the full bottle of bacteria to my 29g tank, and the ammonia level has been staying constant for the past few days, and the nitrates appear to be VERY low. I am thinking maybe I started out adding ammonia too fast.

Any tips? Thank you!

 

What did you add exactly, and how big of a bottle? What else did you add for a source of ammonia and how much? What is your current ammonia reading?

 

Hello

Need more info:

What is the ammonia value?

What is the test kit?

What was your ammonia source?

Now high did ammonia get?

Did you ever see nitrite?


If using an API nitrate test kit - these do not read low nitrate very well - what is your nitrate?

 

Hello!

The ammonia right now is about .75ppm.

Nitrate about 2.5 ppm

(It is so difficult trying to figure out what those API test reading are!)

API test kit

I used your Ammonia solution.

Unfortunately, I do not have a nitrate test kit! :-[

Moreover, I am not entirely sure of the highest the ammonia was. If I remember correctly, a little over a week ago I dosed a little bit (probably a little around 2ppm) I then dosed a bit from there on, and eventually stopped when I realized the ammonia was not really changing. I tried to go with a little less than 2ppm each time (or way less, maybe just a few drops if I only wanted to up it a little bit). Stupidly, I did not test during this process. I figured that the bacteria would be breaking down it as it was added.

Thank you so much for your help! (

 

Sorry but your answer is confusing. You don't have a nitrate test kit but your nitrate reading is 2.5. One of those "nitrates" is nitrite - which one?

 

I am so sorry! My nitrate is 2.5, the nitrite is what I am lacking.

Thank you!

 

Without a nitrite test kit you are kinda of flying blind. I will explain below.

However, more than likely the tank is fine. The API ammonia test kit does not read low levels well and when it 'always' reads the same, stuck around 0.5 to 0.75, that's is an indication your ammonia is zero. The API nitrate test does not really start to read well until you get above 10. So I think your tank is fine and cycled.

All that said - you would know for sure if you had a nitrite test kit. The way the nitrate test kit works is that all the nitrate is converted to nitrite first and then measured. Without measuring nitrite at the same time and subtracting the nitrite from the nitrate it is possible that all the nitrate you're seeing is actually nitrite (I don't think it is but it could be). Also if the nitrite is zero that tells you the tank is cycled because the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria are the slow growing bacteria.

So to sum up - I think your tank is fine but next time get a nitrite test kit instead of a nitrate test kit

 

Thank you! The bacteria basically automatically cycles the tank, right? My only concern at this point would be that I haven't added ammonia in a few days, so I was a little worried that some of the bacteria may have died off. I am thinking I will start will a small fish that I would like (I really like the Clown Gobies), that way a huge ammonia source will not be present. So you think a small fish is pretty much okay at this point?

Thanks so much! Never before have I had the owner of a product work so well with me to figure out a problem.

 

Your welcome. Yes the bacteria automatically cycle the tank. Your tank should be fine and you can add some small fish. Don't worry about not feeding the bacteria everyday - they don't need to be.

Enjoy your tank.

 

Thank you!