Still Stuck, Stuck, Stuck, Stuck..........

Ok guys, what does this tell you. Today's tank only reading is... Ammo = 0.50ppm  Nitrite = 2-5ppm

Tap water only Ammo = 0.25ppm  Nitrite = 0

50/50 tap and tank
Ammo-=(didn't read, should i have?) Nitrite = 0.50 ppm
 

And your nitrite isn't so high that it would stall the cycle.

Not sure what to do next though, what does everyone think? Time to top up ammonia or wait?

It is possible to have trace amounts of ammonia in tap water. Firstly, ammonia testers can be quite hard to read. Many people using the API liquid tester reckon they've never seen the zero colour even when the tank has been running for years. Then legislation allows up to 0.5ppm ammonia in drinking water. If your water company uses chloramine rather than chlorine, the ammonia half of that molecule shows up in the ammonia test.

Since you are going to MA, let us know what they make of your water and we can work from there.



And I should have finished laying carpet tiles in the downstairs loo by then. My knees hurt.........

I've just had a read back on this thread and another look at the cycling instructions and I reckon you're about here although I'm willing to stand corrected.....a day where the ammonia reading is less than 0.75 ppm and the nitrite reading is over 2.0ppm.


If thats the case you now need to add the amount of ammonia you used on the first day to get 3ppm and then start testing every 2 days until you have 2 tests that show no ammonia which will be step 8

*edited to add this stage can take quite a while so be patient 

I know cycling can get very frustrating and I mean REALLY  frustrating but your fish will love you for it. Chin up ducks we've all been there at some point, i did 2 fishless cycles cos I decided to re-scape my tank and then because the filter was inadequate I had to do a semi fish in cycle until the new filter had cycled and that was NOT fun involving up to 75% water changes frequently x2 a day.

Oooo I could quite cheerfully biff that twerp in your shop on the nose. You really dont need advice like that 

Fish-in is more predictable - I predict your fish will get sick 

OK, nitrite.
I'm going right back to basics, bear with me.

Which brand tester are you using?
If it's API, are you adding 5 drops from the one bottle labelled 'nitrite', shaking quickly and letting it stand 5 mins?
What are the colours on your shade card? I have 2 cards for nitrite, they show different colours for 0.5 and 1.0 

The dilution test won't be terribly accurate as you need pure water and very accurate measuring equipment for that, but it does let you know that the undiluted reading is not way off the top of the scale. Once the level goes past the highest on the colour chart, a lot of tester show the highest colour regardless of how high the level really is. The fact that your dilution test shows roughly half the undiluted test means it is not way off the top of the scale.

Right. Since we are trying to fathom out what on earth is going on in your tank, add enough ammonia to give a reading of 2ppm. The API tester has a colour for 2.0 so it's not like guessing 3ppm at half way between the 2 and 4 colours. Wait half an hour then check the ammonia level to confirm it is 2.0 Then wait 24 hours and test ammonia and nitrite.




Hmmmm....... just a thought. What ammonia are you adding? Brand and, if possible, a photo of the bottle.

Well I'm not sure what to suggest as I'm on to stage 7 and tested today and have ammonia at 0 and nitrite at 2ppmso need to test in another 2 days time  and should be ok to add the maintenance dose. What is strange is that your nitrite test and MA's vary and by quite a lot! Which is just very strange!
I have to say when I shake my testers I count 5 Mississippi's before I start the 5 minute countdown so I know I have the same timings so the results shouldn't be affected by any wrong timings.

I just had a look at my notes and it took me 46 days to fully cycle my tank and that's not including the first time I started when I decided to re-scape and doesn't include the days I was doing a fish in mini cycle when the first filter started to pack up and I had to add a second filter to the tank.

I actually find the API scale chart quite hard to read at times, you have to make sure you have very good light and the angle you view it at can actually drastically change the results, the nitrate test in particular is hard to read accurately so I'm not suprised at the different readings.

I'd say grit your teeth and add the ammonia, those bacteria need feeding and need a certain level of ammonia to flourish and build up. Then test it again in 2 days...we know where you are in the cycle now so we can give you some moral support.

Ok will do tomorrow  thanks all