Finally Cycled

[cartmanis]

I think :)

New test kits in use for both now, and 0 for Ammonia and Nitrites. Nitrates are off the chart, so I'll do a large water change. Now, given I thought I was here before, did the water change, and immediately had high Nitrite readings again, I'll cross my fingers that the new kit turns around and reports 0 Nitrites again after the water change lol. If so, It's fishy shopping I go.

[Severus]

Congratulations. Hopefully this time your readings come out right and you can get some fish! Let us know what happens

[Lady Hobbs]

Since you have your bacteria that eats away at the nitrites, that reading should change right back for you in a couple hours. Nice going and happy fish keeping.

NO CLEANING YET. You can still set that cycle back for a few weeks by messing with it.

[cartmanis]

Thanks.

Yeah, I'll suck up some plant material and such when I change the water, but beyond that, it will remain undesturbed. The filter still looks crystal clear inside, so no issues there (nice that you can see inside so easily to monitor how dirty it is)

I'm leaning towards throwing a bunch of White Cloud Minnows in to start. I kind of like them. Give them a big shock to their system going from the little store tank to a 90 gallon all to their own. Once I've run with live fish for a while, I'll start adding in the cardinals and others.

[cartmanis]

Ive updated my link in my sig
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
with some new pics at the bottom. I still want to find some more plants and put them in as well, but all in good time.

[*Sarah*]

Good stuff! I think my 10g might be cycled too, but I don't have a nitrate test yet to check that out. Last check about a week ago, Nitrites were just barely traceable, and ammonia 0. Those plants I have in there really prolonged the cycling process.

[Chrona]

It's about time! Did you try a different test kit? You had those funky colors coming out for ammonia and nitrites right?

[cartmanis]

:)

Yeah, I bought a newer Nitrite and Nitrate test. I'm not sure if they were old, or what was going on, but using all new tests now.

Ammonia always read ok, it was the Nitrites and Nitrates reading weird.

I'll try to do the water change tonight, and see what the values read afterwards, just in case, since that seemed to be the telling point last time. lol.

[cartmanis]

!%$@%$#!%# frick ding blast!!!!!!!!

Did the bloody water change.

Removed 90% of the water

Filled it back up.

Nitrite readings off the bloody chart.

I don't understand.

I have tested my water out of the tap, no nitrite. I ran it for a while after filling, just in case and tested tap water again, no nitrite. Tank, off the charts.

Now, here is the only difference.

When I did the test earlier, and got the light blue reading that means 0, it was after waiting the 5 minutes it says for the colour to develop to light blue, but started out deep pink/purple.
When I do it after the water change from the tank, it goes purple right away, but stays that way after 5 minutes.
When I test the tap water, it goes to light blue from the start, and stays there.

So what does that mean? :confused:

So, do I
1) Put more ammonia in again, and keep watching it further
2) Do another water change, and see what happens. (Thinking maybe there is so much nitrite in the water that even changing that much still leaves you high readings, and the light blue earlier was wrong because the nitrites were so high)
3) Buy some dynamite, blow the whole thing to dust and take up knitting.

[cartmanis]

Just tested the water again, after letting it sit all this time, still high nitrite readings.

(Just making sure the old/new water is completely mixed together.)

I dunno. Put some more ammonia in, just to keep things going.

[jeffs99dime]

what's up. i would do another water change and see what happens. you could also take up knitting too, if that's your thing. lol just leave out the dynamite part. lol

[cartmanis]

Yeah, I may drain again today, and re-fill. Dilute whatever is there again and see how that changes anything.
I did read some about using too much Ammonia, etc.. causing issues, maybe I slipped into that state somehow, and the extra water change may help.

[cartmanis]

Draining the water now.

[cartmanis]

Water changed.

So, this time, to carefully see what was happening, I tested the water going in off and on through the fillup. Each reading right to the end gave 0 nitrites. So I know nothing is coming from the water.

I filled er up, took a reading, and it reads 5ppm (the darkest colour on the chart)

I added just a bit of ammonia, to keep the bacteria going. and am wondering further now....

Could my concentration of nitrites be sooo high, that even after 2 90% water changes in less than 24 hours, still drives the reading through the roof. I mean, my goodness. Do I wait until tomorrow, test and maybe do a 3rd water change. I'm only leaving maybe 1-2" of water at the bottom of the tank (and whatever is in the filter).

I suppose I could have very much gotten the ammonia added thing wrong at the start, since I started with an older test, but anytime I tested it since the Ammonia went back to 0, after adding new at the amount I'm been doing for "half" of the original, I neve saw the Ammonia go off the chart, so I don't think it was too far off. Bah, what do I know.

I should have just bought some bloody tough fish and did it the old fashion way lol.

[kx125]

sorry to go off topic but I recon your tank need a big peice of drift wood in it that reaches about 3/4 way up the tank it will look real good