Fishless Cycle

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GingerGandalfff
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Ammonia has been 0 for a while, my nitrites have now dropped to 0, my nitrates are being kept under control by the plants so they are 0. Am I cycled? I don't want to jump the gun!
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Gingerlove05
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When you say the ammonia has been 0ppm for a while, have you been adding any ammonia to the tank to keep the munchers fed?
GingerGandalfff
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Gingerlove05 wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:40 am When you say the ammonia has been 0ppm for a while, have you been adding any ammonia to the tank to keep the munchers fed?
Yes every few days when it's reached 0 I've topped up a little bit just to give them a snack. They get rid of it overnight.
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Vale!
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It certainly looks like it!

You must have an awful lot of very hungry plants or you've just done a huge water-change. If not, a nitrate concentration of 0 seems unlikely in the normal course of events.

I think I'm remembering my numbers correctly : for every 1mg/l of ammonia that you've put in over the course of the cycle) 3.65mg/l of nitrate will have been formed. If you've kept a note of how much ammonia you've used, and knowing the volume of your tank, you should be able to estimate how many milligrams of nitrate has been generated. It's not impossible for it all to have been eaten by plants (or by denitrifying bacteria if you've been adding those) but I'm wondering if your nitrate test is reliable?


[Edit : to acknowledge GL's interposed post]
GingerGandalfff
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Vale! wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:49 am It certainly looks like it!

You must have an awful lot of very hungry plants or you've just done a huge water-change. If not, a nitrate concentration of 0 seems unlikely in the normal course of events.

I think I'm remembering my numbers correctly : for every 1mg/l of ammonia that you've put in over the course of the cycle) 3.65mg/l of nitrate will have been formed. If you've kept a note of how much ammonia you've used, and knowing the volume of your tank, you should be able to estimate how many milligrams of nitrate has been generated. It's not impossible for it all to have been eaten by plants (or by denitrifying bacteria if you've been adding those) but I'm wondering if your nitrate test is reliable?


[Edit : to acknowledge GL's interposed post]
It's the API test kit. 2 days ago it was 5. Then yesterday morning it was 0.25 and now its 0.

Isn't that what's supposed to happen? Just a sudden drop.
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Vale!
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I haven't used an API nitrate kit for some time - but I don't remember it as being one that could report a result of 0.25mg/l. Are you sure we're talking about nitrate and not nitrite?
GingerGandalfff
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Vale! wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:04 am I haven't used an API nitrate kit for some time - but I don't remember it as being one that could report a result of 0.25mg/l. Are you sure we're talking about nitrate and not nitrite?

Image

It says it right there infront of me :s
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Vale!
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OK. I concede that your colour-perception must be light-years better than mine!

Anyway, it looks like you're cycled and good to go!
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Gingerlove05
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The nitrites do/can drop like they’ve fallen off a cliff :D
So i’d agree with Vale! If you have been adding ammonia and its processing to 0ppm with 0ppm nitrites, your cycled :)
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Vale!
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Hang on a sec ...

I've just looked again at your photo. It says '0.25' on the nitrite scale. Is that what you're referring to? If so, then you're not quite yet cycled after all.

I'm very confused! I may go back to bed and start the day again.
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