The Cycle from Hell!

[twhittle]

So I tested the tank yesterday and had a reading of .50 ammonia and about .25 Nitrite, and a slight 5 ppm reading of nitrate. Now this evening my readings are .25 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 0 nitrate. It seems like I keep regressing. I did nothing to the tank from yesterday to today.

 

[Dieselhybrid]

I've found prime can cause a slight false positive ammonia reading. Slightly detectable.

 

[Rivermud]

none of your readings are alarming, just let it run its course

 

[twhittle]

none of your readings are alarming, just let it run its course

I'm only concerned because it keeps heading to nitrite and back again to no nitrite.

 

[4D3]

Tanking from experience, I had exactly the same problem a year or 2 ago...i had a heavy stock tank, my house was on rain water and i didn't realize the exwife had had the tanks refilled with town/commercial water, then i did a 75% water change with NO PRIME!!! Destroyed all beneficial bacteria, then i had a cycle crash and it had to cycle itself again, but the problem was the fish were so big and so many (15-20 fish that were 30+cm cichlids) the tank couldnt cycle again with those stocking volumes!


I ended up removing most of my fish, only heaving the toughest 2-3 in there for a week, then re added one by one!

Also, from experience, i wouldnt use and aquarium additive that was not made by seachem, I would be using prime, not ammo-lock, and i would 100% be using stability!!!

 

[twhittle]

Good news! I purchased a fluval 306 filter from a guy that has been running on a tank for almost 2 years. After 2 days of it running I am at 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite, and 5 ppm nitrate. Looks like I am cycled. Lesson learned!