ok guys so u wanted my numbers so here they are: PH 8.4 alkalinity 180 total chlorine safe total hardness 25 nitrite safe nitrate safe Ammonia between 3.0-6.0 according to test strip extremely dangerous but my seachem in tank reader keeps reading0.05 under alert so i don't know and just some other tidbit of information My 5 gallon tank that has been cycling for three weeks is reading the same thing and has had no fish at all in it....so what is going on?????
Help my ammonia levels won't drop!!!
- Thread starter luv2fish35
- Start date
Maybe your test strips are out of date.
How are you cycling the 5 gallon tank? Did you add ammonia to start the cycling process? If not, and it has never had fish in it, then it is not cycling at all. Running a tank empty is not cycling. Its ammonia should read 0 in that case. If it doesn't there is likely a problem with whatever you are using to test it.
If you're really worried about your main tank, do a 75% water change using nothing but dechlorinator, being sure to match the temp. Then don't add any chemicals to the tank.
Forget about the pH, the chlorine (as the dechlor takes care of that), the hardness-- just be concerned with the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.
After you do the 75% w/c, the level of ammonia will reduce by 75%. If it doesn't, then your test strip is inaccurate. In other words, your level should read from .75-1.5 after a 75% w/c.
How are you cycling the 5 gallon tank? Did you add ammonia to start the cycling process? If not, and it has never had fish in it, then it is not cycling at all. Running a tank empty is not cycling. Its ammonia should read 0 in that case. If it doesn't there is likely a problem with whatever you are using to test it.
If you're really worried about your main tank, do a 75% water change using nothing but dechlorinator, being sure to match the temp. Then don't add any chemicals to the tank.
Forget about the pH, the chlorine (as the dechlor takes care of that), the hardness-- just be concerned with the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.
After you do the 75% w/c, the level of ammonia will reduce by 75%. If it doesn't, then your test strip is inaccurate. In other words, your level should read from .75-1.5 after a 75% w/c.
because it hasn't had a source of ammonia until recently. you must have dropped something organic in there, or something some how made its way in there and started to rot/decompose. OK, yes this is highly unlikely, so that means, like homebunny said, your test could be out of date, and the actual amonia reading in your tank is 0, and the reading in your main tank could be fine. Maybe get another test?
You really need to supply a constant source of ammonia to your 5gal to get it through cycling.
So far it has just been sitting there, wasting your time. there are many ways to supply ammonia. just read up on another fishtank cycling article online or look in MissFishy's sig for the link to a good source.
You really need to supply a constant source of ammonia to your 5gal to get it through cycling.
So far it has just been sitting there, wasting your time. there are many ways to supply ammonia. just read up on another fishtank cycling article online or look in MissFishy's sig for the link to a good source.
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