# Did I stall my aquarium cycle?



## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

So I flooded this tank on Saturday, dosed ammonia up to (probably above) 4.0ppm and by Monday the ammonia had dropped to around 1.0ppm. I dosed ammonia to get it back to 4ppm. I checked it yesterday and today and the ammonia has not budged. What should I do to resolve this, or just leave it alone and see how it goes?


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Wait it out...


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## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

Raymond S. said:


> Wait it out...


+1
Cycling a tank can take around a month so patience is key.


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## Planted_Edge (Apr 29, 2015)

I've learned to be patient with cycling a tank. Was really hard at first especially with my African cichlid tanks where there's only sand and rocks...now honestly something weird happened...I find myself watching the plants more than I watch the fish...


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

A persons tank need not please anyone but them(well except perhaps for that spouse
issue just to be fair)because mostly just you look at it.
So Fluorescent fake plastic Roman Columns or the "authentic sunken ship" are your
choices cause it's your tank.
Said that because my ideal tank might not appeal to people who have other ideals.
I'd like to think that when I look at my tank that it looks at least slightly like
a natural setting I might see in a stream or pond that was clear enough to see into.
So I don't actually have that much interest in fish either. But then I like the algae it
seems, just as much as the plants. Cultivate what you like.
Just not that interested in learning all the scientific names but the first colony of bacteria that work on the ammonia usually takes about a week. Then the secondary colony which work on the nitrites takes about 13-15 days after that...usually.
I've had some collected native DHG in there for well since Sept and have counted the number of "blades" on it many a day till it finally sent out a runner...LOL...


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Don't forget, the object of cycling a tank is to make it able to get rid of the ammonia from the fish waste products. Plants also "eat" ammonia, as a source of nitrogen, so if you have lots of plants growing in the tank, they can handle most, if not all of the ammonia produced by a fair amount of fish. Introducing fish gradually, spread out over a month or so, is also an effective way to cycle a well planted tank.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Hoppy said:


> Don't forget, the object of cycling a tank is to make it able to get rid of the ammonia from the fish waste products. Plants also "eat" ammonia, as a source of nitrogen, so if you have lots of plants growing in the tank, they can handle most, if not all of the ammonia produced by a fair amount of fish. Introducing fish gradually, spread out over a month or so, is also an effective way to cycle a well planted tank.


5 Corkscrew vals, 1 Anubias congensis, 10-12 Dwarf Sag, 2 Crypt Wendtii, 4-5 Alternanthera Reineckii, Java Moss and some Frogbit in a ten gallon. I'd say I'm bordering on decently planted haha


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

So checking the ammonia levels again tonight, we're still hanging out at 4.0 ppm still. I know I need to wait it out, but at what point do I need to start considering a small water change etc?


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## Planted_Edge (Apr 29, 2015)

^Never ...IF you do as I did and add a bottle of Tetra Safe Start to the tank...
My experience with AS :
Only changed water when nitrites went over 5ppm
Another right before putting fish in to bring nitrates down...

TSS says not to change the water until cycle is over which is around 2 weeks...mine took about that much.
Stocked the tank with 27 fish even though I knew I'm gonna have to do small WC cuz of the ammonia spike...after 2..3 days bacteria caught up and I was good to go.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Maybe I'm reading these wrong? Is my ammonia higher than 4.0ppm?


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## Planted_Edge (Apr 29, 2015)

It's about 4
Nitrite 0.25
I'd say don't do anything just wait
Until nitrite is high enough (deep purple)
Change 50% water
If ammonia is 0 at this point, dose 2ppm 
If it's consumed within 24 hrs and nitrite is 0, 80-90% WC and stock the tank


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Thanks, I was doubting my ability to judge colors haha. You would think with automated cars and check cashing by pictures we could get water testing that reads out numbers


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Here is the fishless cycle. 
Cycle: To grow the beneficial bacteria that remove ammonia and nitrite from the aquarium.

Fish-In Cycle: To expose fish to toxins while using them as the source of ammonia to grow nitrogen cycle bacteria. Exposure to ammonia burns the gills and other soft tissue, stresses the fish and lowers their immunity. Exposure to nitrite makes the blood unable to carry oxygen. Research methemglobinemia for details. 

Fishless Cycle: The safe way to grow more bacteria, faster, in an aquarium, pond or riparium. 

The method I give here was developed by 2 scientists who wanted to quickly grow enough bacteria to fully stock a tank all at one time, with no plants helping, and overstock it as is common with Rift Lake Cichlid tanks. 

1a) Set up the tank and all the equipment. You can plant if you want. Include the proper dose of dechlorinator with the water. 
Optimum water chemistry:
GH and KH above 3 German degrees of hardness. A lot harder is just fine. 
pH above 7, and into the mid 8s is just fine. 
Temperature in the upper 70s F (mid 20s C) is good. Higher is OK if the water is well aerated. 
A trace of other minerals may help. Usually this comes in with the water, but if you have a pinch of KH2PO4, that may be helpful. 
High oxygen level. Make sure the filter and power heads are running well. Plenty of water circulation. 
No toxins in the tank. If you washed the tank, or any part of the system with any sort of cleanser, soap, detergent, bleach or anything else make sure it is well rinsed. Do not put your hands in the tank when you are wearing any sort of cosmetics, perfume or hand lotion. No fish medicines of any sort. 
A trace of salt (sodium chloride) is OK, but not required. 
This method of growing bacteria will work in a marine system, too. The species of bacteria are different. 

1b) Optional: Add any source of the bacteria that you are growing to seed the tank. Cycled media from a healthy tank is good. Decor or some gravel from a cycled tank is OK. Live plants or plastic are OK. I have even heard of the right bacteria growing in the bio film found on driftwood. (So if you have been soaking some driftwood in preparation to adding it to the tank, go ahead and put it into the tank) Bottled bacteria is great, but only if it contains Nitrospira species of bacteria. Read the label and do not waste your money on anything else. 
At the time this was written the right species could be found in: 
Dr. Tims One and Only
Tetra Safe Start
Microbe Lift Nite Out II
...and perhaps others. 
You do not have to jump start the cycle. The right species of bacteria are all around, and will find the tank pretty fast. 

2) Add ammonia until the test reads 5 ppm. This ammonia is the cheapest you can find. No surfactants, no perfumes. Read the fine print. This is often found at discount stores like Dollar Tree, or hardware stores like Ace. You could also use a dead shrimp form the grocery store, or fish food. Protein breaks down to become ammonia. You do not have good control over the ammonia level, though. 
Some substrates release ammonia when they are submerged for the first time. Monitor the level and do enough water changes to keep the ammonia at the levels detailed below. 

3) Test daily. For the first few days not much will happen, but the bacteria that remove ammonia are getting started. Finally the ammonia starts to drop. Add a little more, once a day, to test 5 ppm. 

4) Test for nitrite. A day or so after the ammonia starts to drop the nitrite will show up. When it does allow the ammonia to drop to 3 ppm. 

5) Test daily. Add ammonia to 3 ppm once a day. If the nitrite or ammonia go to 5 ppm do a water change to get these lower. The ammonia removing species and the nitrite removing species (Nitrospira) do not do well when the ammonia or nitrite are over 5 ppm. 

6) When the ammonia and nitrite both hit zero 24 hours after you have added the ammonia the cycle is done. You can challenge the bacteria by adding a bit more than 3 ppm ammonia, and it should be able to handle that, too, within 24 hours. 

7) Now test the nitrate. Probably sky high! 
Do as big a water change as needed to lower the nitrate until it is safe for fish. Certainly well under 20, and a lot lower is better. This may call for more than one water change, and up to 100% water change is not a problem. Remember the dechlor!
If you will be stocking right away (within 24 hours) no need to add more ammonia. If stocking will be delayed keep feeding the bacteria by adding ammonia to 3 ppm once a day. You will need to do another water change right before adding the fish.
__________________________

Helpful hints:

A) You can run a fishless cycle in a bucket to grow bacteria on almost any filter media like bio balls, sponges, ceramic bio noodles, lava rock or Matala mats. Simply set up any sort of water circulation such as a fountain pump or air bubbler and add the media to the bucket. Follow the directions for the fishless cycle. When the cycle is done add the media to the filter. I have run a canister filter in a bucket and done the fishless cycle.

B) The nitrogen cycle bacteria will live under a wide range of conditions and bounce back from minor set backs. By following the set up suggestions in part 1a) you are setting up optimum conditions for fastest reproduction and growth.
GH and KH can be as low as 1 degree, but watch it! These bacteria use the carbon in carbonates, and if it is all used up (KH = 0) the bacteria may die off. 
pH as low as 6.5 is OK, but by 6.0 the bacteria are not going to be doing very well. They are still there, and will recover pretty well when conditions get better. 
Temperature almost to freezing is OK, but they must not freeze, and they are not very active at all. They do survive in a pond, but they are slow to warm up and get going in the spring. This is where you might need to grow some in a bucket in a warm place and supplement the pond population. Too warm is not good, either. Tropical or room temperature tank temperatures are best. (68 to 85*F or 20 to 28*C)
Moderate oxygen can be tolerated for a while. However, to remove lots of ammonia and nitrite these bacteria must have oxygen. They turn one into the other by adding oxygen. If you must stop running the filter for an hour or so, no problem. If longer, remove the media and keep it where it will get more oxygen. 
Once the bacteria are established they can tolerate some fish medicines. This is because they live in a complex film called Bio film on all the surfaces in the filter and the tank. Medicines do not enter the bio film well. 
These bacteria do not need to live under water. They do just fine in a humid location. They live in healthy garden soil, as well as wet locations. 

C) Planted tanks may not tolerate 3 ppm or 5 ppm ammonia. It is possible to cycle the tank at lower levels of ammonia so the plants do not get ammonia burn. Add ammonia to only 1 ppm, but test twice a day, and add ammonia as needed to keep it at 1 ppm. The plants are also part of the bio filter, and you may be able to add the fish sooner, if the plants are thriving.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Just to update.

Checked water tonight, ammonia is still 4.0ppm nitrites are still .25ppm still no change.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Did you compare other tests to the parameters specified in the fishless cycle? 
GH? The bacteria do use some minerals. 
KH? The bacteria get their carbon needs from carbonates. 
pH? The bacteria grow best with pH well over 7, up to about 8.5.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Diana said:


> Did you compare other tests to the parameters specified in the fishless cycle?
> GH? The bacteria do use some minerals.
> KH? The bacteria get their carbon needs from carbonates.
> pH? The bacteria grow best with pH well over 7, up to about 8.5.


I don't have the kit for GH and KH yet. I had tested the pH previously and it was hanging around 7.4, I'll check it tonight.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Well some progress today! 

Ammonia still looks like it's around 4.0ppm pH is at about 7.6 
Nitrites are at .50 - 1.0ppm?
Nitrates are still at 0ppm

So I assume we're under way now?


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## strangewaters (May 13, 2015)

i thought i stalled mine to but just the other day they all went from high ppm to right where they need to be. like magic


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## Zoomy (Sep 13, 2014)

This is very similar to how my tank cycled. It seemed to stall...then I thought I had added too much ammonia and killed the good bacteria. Then suddenly I was seeing the ammonia and nitrites drop to 0 super-fast! I let it go for almost a week of adding ammonia, watching nitrates climb, adding more as ammonia dropped. Did this a few of times. Then did a 50% water change and added ammonia again -- just to be sure (and also because we were away for nearly 48 hours and I didn't want to add fish until our return). Another 50% change and I added fish. I'm at 20 Danios, 9 Tetras (lost 1), and 7 Nerite snails and ammonia is still 0. Planning to later add some cherry shrimp, CPOs, a pair of Bolivian Rams, and a male Dwarf Gourami once I'm certain the current inhabitants are settled-in.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Just to keep the update train rolling.

Tonight's sample
Ammonia still around 4.0ppm, but it's looking a little lighter.
Nitrites are up to 5.0ppm
Nitrates are looking like 5.0ppm

Also added an AquaClear30 in conjunction with the TopFin10. I figure I'll run both for at least a month before removing the TF10.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Those that are following this, everything look correct so far? I was under the impression the Ammonia would go down before I would see any Nitrites.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Do enough water changes to keep the nitrite under 5 ppm. 
Dose with enough ammonia once a day to return the test to 3 ppm (not 4 ppm).


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Just tested it, ammonia is way down, maybe 0.5 or 1.0! Nitrites are pretty high, the drops turned grape juice colored as they settled on the bottom. Nitrates are maybe a little darker. I added 20 drops of blue ribbon 3% ammonia, will check it for level in a little while.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Diana said:


> Do enough water changes to keep the nitrite under 5 ppm.
> Dose with enough ammonia once a day to return the test to 3 ppm (not 4 ppm).


Will do!

So, 25 drops of ammonia, didn't change a thing.

10 more for a total of 35, still not much

15 more for a total of 50 drops, slight change, and that's where I'll leave it at for the evening! I'd say it's right around 1.0ppm at 50 drops. That sound about right?

Picture is in order from left to right.

25, 35 and 50.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Wow, big change tonight!

I wish I would've dosed more ammonia last night, when I got home from work and tested it, there was no ammonia, hopefully that won't screw things up?

Ammonia - 0ppm?
Nitrites - 5.0ppm?
Nitrates - 80-100ppm

Dosed 75 drops of blue ribbon 3% ammonia, will check it in 45 minutes to see where I stand.


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## strangewaters (May 13, 2015)

ebrammer252 said:


> Wow, big change tonight!
> 
> I wish I would've dosed more ammonia last night, when I got home from work and tested it, there was no ammonia, hopefully that won't screw things up?
> 
> ...


This is how mine looked for the longest

Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

I dosed 75 drops of ammonia and tested after about 45 minutes, that brought me up to about 1.0-2.0 ppm, I added 35 more drops for a total of 110 drops and will check again in 45 to see if I'm close to 3.0ppm as Diana stated I need to be at. 

So, now it's just a waiting game until the nitrites drop, correct? How long did that take for yours?


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## strangewaters (May 13, 2015)

Heres mine now









Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Coming into this a little late but did skim thru the previous posts...
Sounds like your ammonia eating bacteria have matured nicely. Now they are pooping out a whole bunch of nitrite. From my experience, the next part of the fishless cycle may take up to a week longer than the ammonia cycle - be patient.
Keep adding ammonia - shooting for around 2-3ppm. Just remember it is like feeding fish - it may stay at 2-3 for a little while ( a few hours), but will drop rapidly. 

For mine the Nitrites seemed to stay pretty high for the longest time, then one day it was half as much as the previous time. Then a day or 2 later it was at 0. Sounds like you are doing just fine!


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

ebrammer:
Ammonia so close to 0 after dosing it to about 3ppm means the first group of bacteria are thriving. They are busily turning ammonia into nitrite. 
The rising nitrite also shows they have been busy. 

Nitrospira, the bacteria that turn nitrite into nitrate get started later, and grow slower than the first group, so seeing rising NO2 _and_ rising NO3 is not unusual. Enough bacteria are growing that they are working on the NO2, but the first group is still working faster, producing NO2 faster than the Nitrospira can handle it. 

To give the Nitrospira a chance to catch up, I would do a water change so the NO2 us well under 5 ppm, then dose the ammonia to only 1 ppm, once a day. 
When the NO2 starts dropping, dose a little more ammonia. Try 2 ppm. 
If they can handle that (ammonia disappears, NO2 will be there, but won't skyrocket) then see if they can handle 3 ppm ammonia. 

This shouldn't take more than a few days, maybe a week. 

strangewaters:
Ammonia is showing. Have you dosed it recently? What level are you dosing? When did you dose it? 
Nitrite is showing. This is a low level, but enough to get the Nitrospira growing. 
Nitrate looks low, but not 0. This may not be right. Some Nitrate tests are not accurate when there is NO2 in the water, and some are not accurate, period. Have you calibrated the test?

Immortal: These bacteria do not do so well when the ammonia or nitrite are over 5 ppm. If you do a water change to lower these levels, then just dose a little bit of ammonia until the Nitrospira catch up, the cycle will not stall for so long.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Thanks everyone! I did a 50% water change, my nitrites were still really high, so I did another 25% water change. This got the level of nitrite down below 5.0ppm.

Diana, thanks for the information, that explains a lot! I thought it was one type of bacteria that did it all ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. That's why I've been so confused!

So yes, I did 75% water change effectively, nitrite is down below 5.0ppm, ammonia was way down so I dosed it with 100 drops and it is now at slightly under 2.0ppm it looks like.


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Keep feeding the tank with ammonia. This will keep that bacteria happy. Give it about a week or so and the nitrite bacteria will catch up and all will be good.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

There are several species of microorganisms that are capable of utilizing ammonia and nitrite and producing nitrate. 
Some of them only thrive in a very high ammonia site, so might be found in a sewer plant. These do not live for long in an aquarium with low ammonia levels. 
Others thrive in a low ammonia site, and these are the ones we grow in the aquarium. 
The Nitrite -> Nitrate bacteria were identified as Nitrospira about 17 years ago by Dr. Timothy Hovanec. Different species thrive in fresh and low end brackish water vs ocean level salt water tanks. 

The studies are still going on to identify the ammonia -> nitrite species, but Dr. Hovanec published a paper in 2001 that seemed to identify the species. 

He tested several of the bottled bacteria products and found that all the ones available at that time had the wrong species of bacteria.

Since then others are finding different species for the ammonia -> nitrite portion of the cycle. 

http://www.drtimhovanec.com/Publications/ScientificPapers/ScientificPapers.html

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0023281


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Awesome! I'll check into those links, always up to learn something new!


So did a midday check.

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrites - ? 5.0ppm maybe?

Do I need to do another water change today to bring that down?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Hard to tell if that is 2 or 5 ppm. 

Try this:
Put only 2.5ml of aquarium water in the test tube and top it off with RO if you have any, or tap water (as long as you know it has no nitrites). 
Then see if you can tell what color it is. Then double the number. 

OR:
Do a 50% water change, then test again. 

When you dose the ammonia, try a small amount (1 ppm or so) until the NItrospira gets up to speed.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Well the good news is, when I dosed the 100 drops of ammonia at 3pm, it was all gone by 1am. 

Nitrites were sky high again, I did what your suggested Diana, did 2.5ml of tap and 2.5ml of tank water. It was maybe just a shade lighter than what it was previously.

Did an 80% water change, that got the nitrites down to 0.5ppm and when I dosed ammonia, I added less this time.

I got to thinking, when I set this up I put mine osmocote tabs down under the blasting media, could it be that contaminating the water column?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Ammonia may be gone so fast but it is being turned into nitrite, and the Nitrospira is not up to dealing with this much nitrite, yet. 
So dose only enough ammonia to reach 1 ppm once a day for a few days, until the Nitrospira has a chance to catch up. 

Osmocote can seep into the water column, but in a good substrate (high cationic exchange capacity), and deep in there, the contamination is minimal. Blasting media does not have a high CEC, so would not trap the minerals. They are more likely to end up in the water.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

So it's a possibility the nitrite spike is osmocote eh?
And if it is the osmocote leaking, would this mean that once the tank is established adding a tab would cause a nitrite spike and harm any creatures in the tank?

I put down nine in a ten gallon. If it is the root tabs, how do I proceed?


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

I'm 99% positive my problem is the osmocote. I was messing with the tank today and realized I only have approx. 1/2" of substrate, so I really think the osmocote is seeping into the water column. I stirred the substrate where there were no plants and uncovered some osmocote pellets. I removed approx. 3 of 9 gel capsules worth. I think tonight/tomorrow I'm going to full a bucket with treated water, put all the plants in there, put the filters on the bucket and let them continue to run. 

Then I'll either remove the substrate and clean it and get all osmocote pellets out or I'll just stir it up good and remove as much as possible.

Then I'll add the substrate back and add more (any recommendations on a final depth to shoot for?) If I remove all substrate I'll put more osmocote tabs down and bury them. If I just stir the substrate and remove as much as possibly I'll push more down into it after I've got a proper depth.

Any further things to consider? This should preserve the cycle as the filters will continue to run correct?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I do not know if Osmocote has NO2. 
...
15 seconds later... 

Copy of label from Osmocote Plus:

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
TOTAL NITROGEN (N)*………………..15.0%
Ammoniacal Nitrogen……………………….7.0%
Nitrate Nitrogen………………………………8.0%
AVAILABLE PHOSPHATE (P2O5)*…...…9.0%
SOLUBLE POTASH (K2O)……………...12.0%
MAGNESIUM (Mg)*………………………..1.0%
SULFUR (S)*……………………………….2.3%
BORON (B)*……………………………….0.02%
COPPER (Cu)*……………………………0.05%
IRON (Fe)*…………………………………0.45%
Chelated Iron (Fe)*…………………………0.23%
MANGANESE (Mn)*………………………0.06%
MOLYBDENUM (Mo)*…………………….0.02%
ZINC (Zn)*…………………………………0.05%
* The nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfure, boron, iron, manganese, molybdenum and
zinc have been coated to provide 15% coated slow-release nitrogen (N), 8% coated slow-release
phosphate (P2O5), 11% coated slow-release potash (K2O), 0.9% coated slow-release magnesium (Mg),
1.9% coated slow-release sulfur (S), 0.4% coated slow-release iron (Fe), 0.05% coated slow-release
manganese (Mn), 0.018% coated slow-release molybdenum (Mo), and 0.017% coated slow-release Zinc
(Zn).


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

I'm not quite sure how to interpret all that?
Does the fact it contains (N) Nitrogen 15% mean it's probably my contaminant?


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Well. I rescaped last night, siphoned out all the water, removed 50% of the substrate, sifted through the remixing substrate door twenty minutes and removed all the osmocote pellets.

Added me substrate to 1.5 - 1.75" depth and pushed five osmocote pellets all the way down to the glass. Replanted and scaped, then tested the water.

Nitrites 0.5ppm
Ammonia 0ppm

This morning however ...

Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrites sky high again.

I'm lost and not sure what to do next.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

I'm considering getting some beneficial bacteria in a bottle. Like the Dr. Tim's or Microbe-Lift Nite-Out to try out.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Those nitrites have to be coming from somewhere. 
The way you have described your set up sure does sound like traces of the osmocote are supplying ammonia, and the ammonia to nitrite organisms are well developed. 

Try putting a few osmocote pellets into a glass of water, and testing that after 24 hours. 
Try putting a few osmocote pellets into a glass, adding 2" of substrate, then water with the least possible disturbance. Then test the water after 24 hours. 

These tests will show you if:
a) Osmocote releases ammonia to the water.
b) If that ammonia makes its way through the sand to the water when the osmocote is well buried.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

I set that up and will check it tomorrow night. I also took a gamble on some Tetra Safe Start Plus from Petco.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Well I took Diana's advice and set up two containers. One with just osmocote and water and one with osmocote under an inch and a half of substrate then water.

Both sat for twenty four hours and here are the results.

Osmocote under substrate :
Nitrite : 0ppm
Ammonia : maybe 1ppm

Osmocote exposed to water normally :
Nitrite : 0ppm
Ammonia : Thorough the roof, like pitch black.

So I guess that explains the high nitrites, my bacteria for ammonia to nitrite are working great and are getting a steady stream of ammonia to generate nitrites.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Well tonight's update. I didn't dose any ammonia last night, tonight nitrites were still high, around 5-6ppm and ammonia was at zero. I added a pinch of fish food for the nutrients to hopefully help the bacteria along and I dosed about half the ammonia I normally do. I assume I'm just in a waiting game now...


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Tonight's update. Nitrites still high, ammonia at zero, nitrates at about 20ppm. Got an API hardness test kit, 9 drops for KH and 13 drops for GH. Still learning how to interpret that if it's good or not.

Still waiting... I haven't done water changes in the past few days because I used a bottle of Tetra safe start. Should I maintain that, or would it be best to continue doing nightly changes until the nitrite levels begin dropping?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Since the O is giving ammonia to the water, I would skip adding ammonia for a day or two.

Follow the label directions about how soon to do a water change.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Diana said:


> Since the O is giving ammonia to the water, I would skip adding ammonia for a day or two.
> 
> Follow the label directions about how soon to do a water change.


Okay, yeah it advised 2 weeks before a water change of any kind. Sounds good, I'll skip the ammonia for the weekend.


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

I've been wrapped up in trying to fix my motorcycle after having wrecked it last year and destroyed my ankle that I was able to put the tank out of my mind. Checked it tonight, nitrites are completely gone, no ammonia, pH is still steady where it was previously and Nitrates are around 50ppm! Looks like I'm almost in the clear, added 2-3ppm of Ammonia, will check it 24 hours from now and see where I stand!


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## Zoomy (Sep 13, 2014)

A watched tank never cycles...nice!!


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Great news! (about the tank, of course- hope you can get somewhere with motorcycle repairs)


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## ebrammer252 (Jun 4, 2015)

Thanks, it's finally back on the road! Checked the tank tonight, had nitrites in it again, not nearly as high however. So it appears 48 hours is enough time for the nitrite to nitrate bacteria to take care of it, so it's going, slowly but surely.


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