Are my water readings correct?

I am in the process of cycling my tank, been just over a week now and although I am getting results for Ammonia and Nitrate, my Nitrite has always measured at 0. Is my tank cycling, or starting to cycle. I dont quite understand why my nitrite remains at zero.

Test results today.


PH: 7.6
Ammonia : Its reading somewhere between 0.50 and 1.0. ppm. Difficult to distinguish the colour.
Nitrite: 0. Again this is reading at zero
Nitrate: Between 5.0 and 10 ppm. Again its difficult to distinguish the colour. Its between those values.

I have kept a diary/blog since the start of the process which can be found in my signature if you need further info. Would just like to know that I am doing everything correctly.

I can't say whether or not it's normal but my tank did that when I first cycled it.

Thats a little reassuring, I was expecting the ammonia and nitrite levels to rise first but as long as im going in the right direction > Tested the water again today and still no nitrite reading but a significant increase in ammonia and nitrate.

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: between 1.0 & 2.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10

Bobert said:

Thats a little reassuring, I was expecting the ammonia and nitrite levels to rise first but as long as im going in the right direction > Tested the water again today and still no nitrite reading but a significant increase in ammonia and nitrate.

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: between 1.0 & 2.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10

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My readings are the same and I have been cycling my tank for over 2 months with 2 goldfish, think I need a better and bigger filter, wishing you all the best with yours.

I really hope it doesn't take that long. I was kinda hoping between 6-8 weeks. I am cycling with 6 Zebra Danios and I'm using a fluval u2 filter which I thought would have been adequate for my 2.5ft tank.

Day 12 today and still no nitrite reading.

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: Zero
Nitrate:5.0 ppm

The ammonia and nitrate levels have slightly lowered but still no nitrite. If i do not get a reading soon I may buy some water treatment that will do the job. I just have a bad feeling my tank is not cycling as it should. Getting soooo impatient, I wanna get a new baby axolotl lol

I have just tested the water straight from the tap and it contains nitrate 5.0 ppm. This might explain why I have nitrate readings before nitrite. However is this a good thing, or bad thing? What do I do?

edit: I assume the nutrafin Aqua plus I use to treat the water for chloramine does not remove the Nitrate.

I got the answers i need from a tropical fish website but thanks for the rush of help.

Bobert said:

I got the answers i need from a tropical fish website but thanks for the rush of help.

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Right I can't tell if your being sarcastic or not so here it goes anyway:

-Firstly, I am sorry you felt like you didn't get the help you needed.

-Secondly, people on this site are all from different time zones, and do have other things to do besides this website, so they may not get in touch with you minutes later.

-Thirdly, everyone on here has different levels of experience, and prehaps avoided this post as they themselves aren't too sure about the subject either, for example me. When I first got into axolotls I knew nothing about them, so I never cycled my tank when I first bought Mr Bojangles, so my cycling information isn't very vast.

Just try and be patient, I know you feel you have sorted it now, but hopefully my reply will bump this thread and someone with more experience can share advice. We are all here to help one another, not just individuals. :happy:

P.S I'm not trying to be mean as it is hard to express emotions over text

Nitrates in your tap water is normal, and it's not harmful (to you or your axolotls). 5.0ppm is easily managed through water changes. Just be mindful the fact that you've already got nitrate when you're doing your cycling and you're waiting for your nitrate levels to rise.

Bobert said:

Day 12 today and still no nitrite reading.

Getting soooo impatient, I wanna get a new baby axolotl lol

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Hey babe, just wanted to check how the cycling is going? Dont worry about how long its going to take. I first got eggs, when they hatched (I now have 22 hatchlings) they were put into 6 takeaway tubs, they are now in 6 industrial size mayonnaise tubs, 4 or 5 in each, and the largest is on his own. I find this is easier to cope with than the tank as I can do water changes twice a day and each time only takes about 15 minutes, whereas my large tank takes nearly an hour to sort out. I find its a bit more intimate having that daily one to one time with them when they are small. I am finding that they are so easy to catch with the net, they virtually swim into it, knowing its time for a water change, and then some food. So just dont worry about the timings of your cycle, just get your little one and love it and it will all work out fine!!

wOOt wOOt!! I have today measured nitrite in my tank. I know I shouldnt really celebrate the fact i got nitrite but I had real doubts that my cycle was not going well. Its day 21 and Its only at 0.25 at most but its a reading. I am chuffed. My ammonia is at 1.0ppm, Nitrite 0.25 and nitrate 5.0ppm

ps, I apologise if my last post sounded a little sarcastic, I was having a really bad day (have a 8 week old son to look after too) and got a little impatient. Thanks for all your help