FISHLESS CYCLING Discussion Thread

Can i ask what method/kit you are using to test for ammonia?

It is usually the nitrite stage that takes forever.

When you read the ammonia test, what is the lighting - daylight, electric light? If electric light, what kind? Fluorescent lights, both traditional tubes and compact fluorescent energy saving bulbs, are known to make the ammonia test look greener than it really is.

A lot of people never see the yellow of zero ammonia even after several years. I have even seen a suggestion that some people have eyes that see colours differently.


Before you give up completely, can I suggest you enter your reading in this calculator.
https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/FreeAmmonia.php
Set salinity to zero, enter your ammonia reading, temp and pH then click calculate. You want the lower number on the right hand side, NH3 concentration.
Ammonia exists in two forms in water - toxic ammonia and much less toxic ammonium. Our test kits test for them both combined. The amount that is ammonia varies with temp and pH, and the calculator tells you how much much of your 'ammonia + ammonium' reading is actually ammonia. If the number from the calculator is 0.02 or less you are cycled regardless of the colour of the tester.
Are you using a higher temp for cycling, and will turn the heater down when you get fish? The proportion in the ammonia state is higher at higher temps, so when you lower the temp for fish, the amount of ammonia will be even lower.