# Nitrites and cycling question



## powerdyne6 (Feb 27, 2007)

My nitrites went as high as 0.10ppm and over the past few days they have been at 0.00ppm and I am on day 27 or so of my fishless cycle. Now I believe my tank had started to partially cycle before I began the fishless cycle with ammonia because I had some fish in the tank for a couple of weeks, but I lost a couple and I decided to take them out and rehome them. Now for the first 18 or so days I had been putting ammonia in the tank, the level was at about 7.5ppm constantly, now this might I been where I have made the mistake of stopping the ammonia dosage, I stopped putting in ammonia for about 5 days and of course my ammonia came down to about 2.0ppm or so and this is where my nitrites dropped to 0, do you think that because my nitrites are at 0 I have sufficient bacteria in my tank to kill them, during all of this my nitrates have stayed at about 15 or 20 ppm or so. Now over the past 4 or 5 days I have started to add ammonia again so the level gets up to about 3.5ppm or so, and when I do my tests the level of ammonia has dropped to about 1.0ppm 24 hours later, and then I will add ammonia again and repeat the process.

Now my question is where do you guys/girls think I stand in terms of my cycle and did I screw it up abit by stopping the ammonia dosage??
Any help woul dbe appreciated
Thanks Mike


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

I am no expert on the fishless cycling i assure you, but I gather you are to continue to dose the ammonia for 2 -3 ppm until the reading is 0 after 24 hours.
even when i did this I ended up with a mini cycle when i added the 1 goldfish.


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## Sue Gremlin (Jan 16, 2007)

You may have arrested the colonization of nitrosomonas. 
Just keep adding and it should even out. And don't test for anything until at least an hour after you've added the ammonia.


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## powerdyne6 (Feb 27, 2007)

is it okay to add the ammonia in the evening and then next evening I do the test and then I add more ammonia


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## powerdyne6 (Feb 27, 2007)

here is the updates to my cycle

day additions PH ammonia nitrite nitrate

19 0 Ounces -- 2.5ppm 0.05ppm 15ppm
20 10 Millilitres -- 1.5ppm 0.00ppm 15ppm
21 10 Millilitres -- 1.5ppm 0.00ppm 15ppm
22 10 Millilitres -- 1.5ppm 0.00ppm 15ppm
23 10 Millilitres -- 1.5ppm 0.00ppm 15ppm
24 15 Millilitres -- 1.0ppm 0.00ppm 15ppm
25 20 Millilitres -- 1.0ppm 0.00ppm 20ppm
26 20 Millilitres -- 1.0ppm 0.00ppm 20ppm
27 20 Millilitres -- 1.0ppm 0.00ppm 25ppm
28 10 Millilitres -- 1.0ppm 0.00ppm 25ppm

from day 14 to 19 I added NO ammonia but started again on day 20 and these were the results

where do you guys/girls think I stand??
Thanks Mike


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