After the cycle: the next steps

[Kruse]

It would appear today that my tank has cycled fully. It is exactly 3 weeks to the day since I started it. My nitrIte readings even yesterday were coming back ~1ppm, but today's readings are light blue, indicating 0ppm. The nitrAtes have definitely spiked though. That test came back as a deep red, indicating 160ppm or more.

So...my question is, what next? Do a large water change and dose with ammonia to see how well it processes it? Any other things I should be aware of? I think I will have to keep giving it ammonia for a few days, because I probably won't have time to get the first group of fish until the weekend.

Slightly off-topic...since I added plants about a week ago, I noticed a tiny snail crawling around. Can these guys be more harm than good? Should I leave it or try to remove him?

 

[Newman]

Do a large water change and dose with ammonia to see how well it processes it? Any other things I should be aware of? I think I will have to keep giving it ammonia for a few days, because I probably won't have time to get the first group of fish until the weekend.

exactly that. water change, get nitrate down to 20ppm or so, and keep adding just a few drops of ammonia daily. dont add any ammonia on the same day you go to get your fish though...

yes remove that snail right now because later youre going to whine about millions of them in your tank making it look unsightly lol. I know I whined a ton when my 10 gal got taken over by them (I had mini mystery snails and ramshorns. you probably have a pond snail) I have pond snails in my 40 gal right now. from time to time i pick some out. best way to control them other than cutting down on food(which takes ages to have any effect on pop.).

 

[Kruse]

Ok, just did a water change of about 75%. I'll let it settle for about an hour and then check where the nitrAtes are at.

It appears that my filter cartridges (I have two) are getting dirty because the water is starting to spill over a little before it goes through the filters. When should I and what are your suggestions for cleaning these? It's a Penguin 150B filter.

 

[Newman]

theyre clogged? rinse them out with tank water during your next water change. keep up the daily ammonia.

 

[Kruse]

They aren't completely clogged, just getting built up with sludge so the water isn't flowing efficiently.

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

You can rinse them in old tank water to get rid of some of the gunk or in clean dechloranated water. Since you have two, you can clean one in the sink and leave the other one alone (or move it to the first spot) and you still should be fine as the beneficial bacteria live on the wheel as well.

 

[Kruse]

How long does it roughly take for the nitrifying process to complete? I did a smaller water change last night and dosed with a little ammonia, and tonight I'm still getting some (.25-.50ppm) nitrIte readings. I'm also having a tough time getting the nitrAte to go below 40ppm.

Should I cut back even more on the daily ammonia dose? I've been giving it ~1ml a day.

 

[Newman]

1mL is a bit much i think, try around 5 drops, which is about .25 mL or so.

the goal is to add the ammonia and see no reading in ammonia or nitrite. to get nitrate below 40ppm just keep doing 50% WCs, but keep adding that ammonia too.

 

[Kruse]

Alright, I'll cut back the ammonia.