Ammonia Spike, then drops.. 2 different test kits.

[dba]

Day 17 of cycle..

Yesterday my ammonia spiked to 1ppm, the most it's been through the cycle.

this had me pretty excited..


today i tested levels again (with API and Salifert kits)

my ammonia is at 0...

smh, what is going on? I was told that my ammonia had to spike to 3 - 4ppm before it started going down...

someone please tell me what im doing wrong and how to fix.. thanks

 

[AquaDan]

Day 17 of cycle..

Yesterday my ammonia spiked to 1ppm, the most it's been through the cycle.

this had me pretty excited..


today i tested levels again (with API and Salifert kits)

my ammonia is at 0...

smh, what is going on? I was told that my ammonia had to spike to 3 - 4ppm before it started going down...

someone please tell me what im doing wrong and how to fix.. thanks

I had the same issues. Even started testing with API and Salifert just like you. I tried adding a raw shrimp also. I think my ammonia got as high as .25 - .50 before I took out the shrimp.

My tank has been up and running since 3/23/13. Started seeing faint traces of Diatoms on 3/30/13 and then on 4/20/13 I had a big Diatom bloom. I dont think you're doing anything wrong. Just have to let it do its thing. I'm going to let mine run for months before adding a fish. Hopefully some more knowledgeable people can provide some better feedback. Good luck!

 

[jdnumis]

Your tank is still in the cycling process. Give it some more time. Leave it be and go back to it 6-8 weeks after you started.

 

[dba]

So the drop is normal?

right now my levels are

ph 8.3
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 20ppm.


and i should expect ammonia and nitrite to spike again ?

 

[jdnumis]

Yes it is. If you don't touch your tank such as putting fish in there you should be ok. I believe your ammonia is the first to spike then nitrates. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[dba]

ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrate

 

[KathyC]

Are you putting anything in the tank to feed the bacteria?

Did you add anything at the beginning of your cycle to jump-start the cycle (a raw shrimp..etc)

API kits are fine for Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate testing.

When you got the 1.0 ammonia reading, did you do the test twice to check that result? If it was truly 1.0, the following day you should not have had a zero nitrite reading (it should have gone up), so I am assuming that 1.0 reading was skewed by something...

 

[vramirez209]

My tank has been in its cycle for almost 4 weeks. I tested like a week in, my amonia was high then I didnt test for 2 weeks and 3 days ago I tested it, everything is 0 ppm. I still havent had a diatom breakout yet. But I dont have any lights yet either. I may put my clowns in next week after like 3 more tests just to make sure. I shouldnt see another spike.

vramirez209

 

[basiab]

"I was told that my ammonia had to spike to 3 - 4ppm before it started going down... "
Where did that come from. There is no specific number. Ammonia has to go up.Then when it goes down you should see nitrites go up. When nitrites goes to zero then you should see nitrates go up. If nitrates are zero and you did nothing to get it down to zero then it most likely is not cycled. You can test your system simply by adding something that will generate ammonia and whatch it cycle.

 

[dba]

Are you putting anything in the tank to feed the bacteria?

Did you add anything at the beginning of your cycle to jump-start the cycle (a raw shrimp..etc)

API kits are fine for Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate testing.

When you got the 1.0 ammonia reading, did you do the test twice to check that result? If it was truly 1.0, the following day you should not have had a zero nitrite reading (it should have gone up), so I am assuming that 1.0 reading was skewed by something...

Kathy, I used a treatment of Nutrafin Cycle at the beginning of cycle.

For a week+ my levels were at .50 - 1ppm.. i was only testing with API, then it spiked up to a solid 1ppm based on the color chart, thats when i verified with Salifert..

following day when I did a full test of ammonia, ph, nitrite and nitrate, i got 8.3, 0 on ammonia, 0 on nitrite, about 10 - 20ppm on nitrate..

 

[dba]

"I was told that my ammonia had to spike to 3 - 4ppm before it started going down... "
Where did that come from. There is no specific number. Ammonia has to go up.Then when it goes down you should see nitrites go up. When nitrites goes to zero then you should see nitrates go up. If nitrates are zero and you did nothing to get it down to zero then it most likely is not cycled. You can test your system simply by adding something that will generate ammonia and whatch it cycle.

my nitrates are not at 0, they are at 10-20ppm.

 

[KathyC]

Kathy, I used a treatment of Nutrafin Cycle at the beginning of cycle.

For a week+ my levels were at .50 - 1ppm.. i was only testing with API, then it spiked up to a solid 1ppm based on the color chart, thats when i verified with Salifert..

following day when I did a full test of ammonia, ph, nitrite and nitrate, i got 8.3, 0 on ammonia, 0 on nitrite, about 10 - 20ppm on nitrate..

I just read a few articles/reviews about Nutrifin Cycle and the consensus is..it doesn't do much. I would believe that as it states it is good for FW and SW tanks, and they each have their own different types of bacteria which are not apparently in that bottle...

My suggestion at this point would be to add a raw supermarket shrimp to the tank (in a media bag, so it is easier to remove if it falls apart) and allow your ammonia to climb (as Sam stated, it is NOT necessary to get it to 3-4 ppm, which is insanely high...). Then remove it.
If you have nitrifying bacteria in there, the ammonia level will come down quickly. If you don't, then it will increase in size to where you want it to be. After that your nitrates will climb as your nitrites reduce..THEN you will know that your cycle is complete for sure.

You should be adding a tiny pinch of flake food to the tank each day or two as the bacteria does need something to eat, or they will die.

Better safe than sorry and it will only take you a few days to confirm all is well in the tank

 

[KathyC]

I just read a few articles/reviews about Nutrifin Cycle and the consensus is..it doesn't do much. I would believe that as it states it is good for FW and SW tanks, and they each have their own different types of bacteria which are not apparently in that bottle...

My suggestion at this point would be to add a raw supermarket shrimp to the tank (in a media bag, so it is easier to remove if it falls apart) and allow your ammonia to climb (as Sam stated, it is NOT necessary to get it to 3-4 ppm, which is insanely high...). Then remove it.
If you have nitrifying bacteria in there, the ammonia level will come down quickly. If you don't, then it will increase in size to where you want it to be. After that your nitrates will climb as your nitrites reduce..THEN you will know that your cycle is complete for sure.

You should be adding a tiny pinch of flake food to the tank each day or two as the bacteria does need something to eat, or they will die.

Better safe than sorry and it will only take you a few days to confirm all is well in the tank

Ignore the advice above..I see in the video you posted this morning that you have FISH in the tank already. It would have been best if you had mentioned that at some point...

No live critters should be added to a tank until after the cycle is COMPLETED.

 

[dba]

Kathy, I have been testing every day since I added. Ammonia is still at 0,

If I see any sort of spike in ammonia, i am taking to my LFS who will hold for me until need be.

They look pretty happy in the tank and I really think my tank is cycled, but I am new to all of this so I am being very cautious.

I am going to wait a bit before I start adding more fish