Woohoo!....ammonias goin down!...we're cycling!

[dishmando]

Just finished testin our waters, relieved to finally find the ammonia level down to 0.25 ppm. What strikes me as odd is the fact that the nitrATEs are higher than the nitrITEs. Ph is fine at 7.2. That level hasnt changed much.
I also checked our tap water and it has the same Ph. Should i be checking it for the other 3?.....
Besides all this, i should note that during this cycling, we have lost 4 fish. 3 Dalmation mollies, and 1 platy. I guess i hopped into this hobby too soon and without much research. Next time i'll be cycling "fishless"!! Thank god i didnt start with a saltwater setup!!! The price of some of those fish boy!....whew!! :hmm3grin2orange:

[Sasquatch]

Keep an eye on the nitrites now, it's the second part of the cycle and can be just as dangerous. You likely started out with too many fish at once and the levels rose too fast for the bacteria to catch up.

As for the nitrates, test your tap water. Sometimes tapwater can have nitrates in it (as well as other things like iron and phosphates).

Best of luck and don't worry, we all do the same thing the first time (Fishless cycle! What's that?). As long as you learn from your mistakes, it's not wasted.

[jeffs99dime]

congrats!!!

[cocoa_pleco]

con-g's:1:

[Lady Hobbs]

Nitrates are probably higher right now due to food rotting in the tank. Cut back on the feeding to once every few days and that should level off as well. As long as readings on nitrates are below 20, they are fine, however.