Hi everyone! (I'm sorry to be nagging for your help again!)
This is my first tank and my first go at cycling. I am a bit stuck as it hasn't seemed to flow as per instructions, and I think I have either done something very wrong, or should be on step 8/9 of Sue's instructions but feel like its skipped to step 10. Please help!
Temperature 28 degrees, 54 litre tank (but treating it as 50 litre), few plants, sand substrate with small amount tropica substrate underneath, few rocks and small piece of bonsai wood. Everything cleaned before putting into tank, except the bonsai wood, but this was bought from maidenhead aquatics..... and has turned the water yellow. I did add tetra safe start at the beginning (guilty as an excited new fish keeper).
I have been using the API master kit for testing- I have looked at the colour chart in daylight for every test and also used two different windows (a bit crazy I know!).
Tap water:
pH-7.6
High range pH- 7.4
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
KH 2 degrees
GH 4 degrees
Tap water stood for 24hrs:
pH- 7.6
High range pH- 7.4
Ammonia 1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
KH 3 degrees
GH 4 degrees
Day 1- Filled tank with dechlorinated water, set temperature. Added 1ml ammonia, waited 30 minutes and tested water- Ammonia 3ppm so stopped there.
Day 4- Ammonia 4ppm, Nitrite 5ppm
Day 7- Ammonia 0, Nitrite 5 - Added 1ml ammonia
Day 9- Ammonia 0.25, Nitrite >5
Day 11- Ammonia 0, Nitrrite >5
Day 13- Ammonia 0, Nirite 0.5- Added 0.33ml ammonia
Day 15 (Today)- Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0
Step 9 mentions 'Whenever the tests show zero ammonia on two consecutive tests but the nitrite is over 1.0ppm, add the one-third dose of ammonia' ....... does this mean BOTH ammonia is 0ppm AND nitrite >1ppm on two separate occasions?
Looking at my ammonia 0, nitrite 0 reading today (I tested twice, two windows and got my partner to look), I am assuming my nitrite level won't be increasing if there is no ammonia in my tank. Do I add a full dose ammonia today and test tomorrow? Or have I gone wrong somewhere? ......... have I jumped to step 10 (fingers crossed?!)
Another question I have...... I have successfully managed to grow every type of algae possible in the tank. I have had a good read through the forums and am under the impression that this is common in a new cycling tank- is this right? Should I be cleaning it?..... as I have left it alone to deal with at the full water change at the end of the cycle. Also it has spread like wild fire on the moss I planted in the bonsai- to the point where I don't know if there is any hope of it leaving- should I remove and replace the moss when I do my full water change, or is there hope yet?
I do have a CO2 diffuser, I initially was doing a half dose as I don't have many plants, then stopped. When I had a lot of algae I read that CO2 can help and using a graph I found on here using pH and KH (I can't remember which post) I found the CO2 level in the tank was very low, so started using it again. I have the lights on for 6 hours in total but with a 2 hour period of darkness in the middle. I have full spectrum LED lighting. I also dose the tank weekly with fertiliser. My pH today has gone up to 8 (from sitting between the 7.4-7.6 mark, but my GH (7 degrees) and KH (3 degrees) has remained constant.... thoughts?
Sorry for the barrage of questions, I felt a bit lost not getting the results I anticipated and it feels a bit quick, so again I look to your experienced minds for help.
Thanks!