Cycling question, need advice!

RupertxGiles

RupertxGiles

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So I was all excited because I thought my tank had cycled :/ took parameters today and readings were :

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate either 80 or 160 it was really hard to tell.

How is it that ammonia and nitrite are great and nitrate is way too high ? How do I fix this ??
 
Your cycle has complete it's just that there is something in your tank causing extreme nitrate levels. Do you have large stones where food and waste can get caught under without you knowing? Do you do weekly 20% water changes? Have you just added some extra axy/fish? DO you remove leftover food after feeding and all poo as soon as you see it?

Advice: Remove your axy so they don't get nitrate poisoning and do a large (at least 50%) water change. Check to ensure there is no old food/poo that your missed.
 
I just had that problem and had to pull out everything from my tank. My axies had apparently been pooing inside their plants so I hadn't seen it to pull it out. Fouled up the water pretty quick.
 
Ok so now I'm reallly confused...I did a 50% water change... Parameters now are

Ammonia .25 ... Huh???

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 40 ppms

How did my ammonia go up?
 
I should add that this tank is 40 gallons and houses 3 adult axolotls .thanks for all the input so far guys :)
 
maybe re-test again and make sure to follow instructions carefully, that's the most obvious reason that your ammonia could have gone up. It could be something else but check you tested right first.
 
Yes test your tap water, in some places it has ammonia in it already so it will just take a couple of hours for your cycle to remove it.
For a more accurate reading of tank condidtions do it an hour or so after the water change and take the water from the bottom/middle of the tank rather than the top :)
 
layna said:
Yes test your tap water, in some places it has ammonia in it already so it will just take a couple of hours for your cycle to remove it.
For a more accurate reading of tank condidtions do it an hour or so after the water change and take the water from the bottom/middle of the tank rather than the top :)
Click to expand...



Thanks ! I re tested today and ammonia is 0 again :)
 
layna said:
Yes test your tap water, in some places it has ammonia in it already so it will just take a couple of hours for your cycle to remove it.
For a more accurate reading of tank condidtions do it an hour or so after the water change and take the water from the bottom/middle of the tank rather than the top :)
Click to expand...

That's true. My tap water contains .25 ammonia, but my filter gets rid of it soon enough. It's always good to know what the base reading is.
 
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