Last week I topped up the water on my 25g tank, but I have not really done a water change in a good three weeks or so - so this morning I figured I would take a look at how much nitrate is in there. According to the test, there is none.
None? That doesn't seem right.
Check ammonia, nitrite, phosphate - none, none, 0.5 mg/L. Well, okay... at least the fish seem happy and healthy. I still thought I would get some kind of nitrate reading, more because of the pleco than the danios. As for the phosphate, that just comes from the food and isn't part of the cycle, correct? I don't even know how much is considered safe.
In the meantime, my 45g tank currently seems to have 1ppm ammonia, no nitrite, no nitrate, and no phosphate. The bubbles on the surface have started to decline. I'm going to add some more ammonia today, but I'm wondering where the heck the ammonia is going if I can't find any nitrites or nitrates?
My best guesses include:
- Faulty Nitrate test: every manufacturer has the occasional bad batch.
- Underpopulated: in the 25g, perhaps the fish just don't poop enough to give a reading in three weeks.
- User Error: Honestly, I don't know what I'm really doing, I'm just following instructions and comparing colors. You all did it too.
- Act of God: in the 45g, I'm at a loss. After seeding multiple times from the 25g, I thought I'd see some hint of nitrite by now (8 days).
- Patience is a Virtue: Yeah, I know, I want it all sooner than later. I'm fighting the urge to dump and rinse the 45g and transfer everything over from the 25g, but the urges are starting to win!
Anyway, if I'm clearly doing something wrong again (like changing out all my filter media every two weeks, rookie mistake) please let me know. And I'll try to be patient with the cycling.
None? That doesn't seem right.
Check ammonia, nitrite, phosphate - none, none, 0.5 mg/L. Well, okay... at least the fish seem happy and healthy. I still thought I would get some kind of nitrate reading, more because of the pleco than the danios. As for the phosphate, that just comes from the food and isn't part of the cycle, correct? I don't even know how much is considered safe.
In the meantime, my 45g tank currently seems to have 1ppm ammonia, no nitrite, no nitrate, and no phosphate. The bubbles on the surface have started to decline. I'm going to add some more ammonia today, but I'm wondering where the heck the ammonia is going if I can't find any nitrites or nitrates?
My best guesses include:
- Faulty Nitrate test: every manufacturer has the occasional bad batch.
- Underpopulated: in the 25g, perhaps the fish just don't poop enough to give a reading in three weeks.
- User Error: Honestly, I don't know what I'm really doing, I'm just following instructions and comparing colors. You all did it too.
- Act of God: in the 45g, I'm at a loss. After seeding multiple times from the 25g, I thought I'd see some hint of nitrite by now (8 days).
- Patience is a Virtue: Yeah, I know, I want it all sooner than later. I'm fighting the urge to dump and rinse the 45g and transfer everything over from the 25g, but the urges are starting to win!
Anyway, if I'm clearly doing something wrong again (like changing out all my filter media every two weeks, rookie mistake) please let me know. And I'll try to be patient with the cycling.
