High Nitrites, couldn't be happier...

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edtriou

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 5, 2007
117
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Seattle, WA
I've had fish for years and never had nitrites. In fact I wasn't really sure my tests kits would correctly detect Nitrites, since they've never detected anything, even when adding multiple new fish to existing tanks.

So I started a fishless cycle for a new tank, after waiting nearly 3 weeks, nothing on the test kit. I really thought I had a dud kit, was color blind, or something was wrong with my sump (too much flow or baffles not high enough).

Well, I stand corrected, the test kit actually works: :)

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BTW: This is my first ever fishless cycling. I've always migrated canisters and/or added fish so slowly, that I never saw any measurable ammonia or nitrites. This time, I'm upgrading one tank to a much larger tank, moving fish I've had for years (ie: don't want to take any chances), and I want to leverage the old tanks space, so I decided I would follow your threads on fishless cycling. Excellent info. I'll keep you updated when everything hits 0, ammonia is on the decline - yes!

Ed
 
You can find pure ammonia in bottles, or put some some food in the tank to decay.

I have never read nitrite either. I have often read ammonia during cycling, but never nitrite. I don't know the fact, but it seems that the nitrite cycle happens pretty quickly. Once there is bacteria to turn the ammonia to nitrite, it turns it into nitrate pretty quickly.. easy to miss.
 
Danh;1332841; said:
You can find pure ammonia in bottles, or put some some food in the tank to decay.

I have never read nitrite either. I have often read ammonia during cycling, but never nitrite. I don't know the fact, but it seems that the nitrite cycle happens pretty quickly. Once there is bacteria to turn the ammonia to nitrite, it turns it into nitrate pretty quickly.. easy to miss.
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i think you will find some of the ammonia compounds much better than ammonia in water............the nitrite cycle is usually slow....so slow that a more sophisticated approach is to add nitrite compounds to start the nitrite cycle asap reducing the total cycle time and then adding the ammonia compound. the presence of ammonia retards the nitrite cycle if your add the ammonia compound first.
 
johnptc;1332727; said:
what was your ammonia source ?
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I ended up using (non-detergent) house-hold ammonia.

Since I wasn't sure on its concentration (assumed it was probably 5-10% pure ammonia), but confirmed by taking a one gallon container and adjusting with the test kit. Also nice to see the ammonia kit actually worked as well - grin. For my brand (cheap dollar store) turned out to be 1ml/1gallon = 4ppm, which actually made it easy. Filled a syringe with 210ml for my tank, and the test kit, sure enough showed 4ppm.

Although, honestly I would have never dumped pure ammonia in my tank if it's were for the countless great posts on here around it being safe and more deterministic. Let to my own devices, I would have probably used a rotting food source, although I'm sure that would have been longer, less deterministic, and nasty, grin.

Ed
 
I use the nutrafin master test kit
has all the different tests(for marine,fresh and planted tanks!) plus manuals for every test and it is very simple to use
great buy, it is like 90$ but def worth it
 
edtriou;1332888; said:
I ended up using (non-detergent) house-hold ammonia.

Since I wasn't sure on its concentration (assumed it was probably 5-10% pure ammonia), but confirmed by taking a one gallon container and adjusting with the test kit. Also nice to see the ammonia kit actually worked as well - grin. For my brand (cheap dollar store) turned out to be 1ml/1gallon = 4ppm, which actually made it easy. Filled a syringe with 210ml for my tank, and the test kit, sure enough showed 4ppm.

Although, honestly I would have never dumped pure ammonia in my tank if it's were for the countless great posts on here around it being safe and more deterministic. Let to my own devices, I would have probably used a rotting food source, although I'm sure that would have been longer, less deterministic, and nasty, grin.

Ed
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good way to go....you knew how much to put in !!! sa
 
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