RyanU Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Hello, I am new to the hobby and long story short I am in the process of doing a fish in cycle. If you would like the whole story I posted that in the greetings and introductions. Last night I purchased this kit because my 5 in 1 strips ran out and this was at the pet store and also a bottle of seed because i assumed my cycle was stalled based on 0 nitrite and nitrate from the test strips. Now this morning I see this I was hoping to get some help reading these results Attached in order Ph Ph high Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 pH = 7.4 pH High = 7.4 Ammonia = 0.75 Nitrite = 0 Nitrate = ~0 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanU Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 Thanks for the help. I was thinking that my nitrate was not 0 but not 5 either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 5 minutes ago, RyanU said: Thanks for the help. I was thinking that my nitrate was not 0 but not 5 either. I don't think I ever get a nitrate test that looks like zero! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanU Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 Ok that's good to know. I was confused. Could it just simply be from my tap water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Maybe, but it could be that zero doesn't look like zero, or that any aquarium with any amount of life in it will never truly register zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 51 minutes ago, RyanU said: Thanks for the help. I was thinking that my nitrate was not 0 but not 5 either. Your nitrate level probably is about zero, for now. But did you follow the directions exactly? For that test, the second bottle must be shaken hard, then the test tube must be shaken hard. Seriously hard. Like take it to the paint store and have them put it in the paint shaker. That kind of hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanU Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 I shook it hard or what i thought was hard. Tomorrow maybe I will tap the solution bottle on the table when shaking to make sure it's shook up. As for the test tube. I shook it as hard and fast as I could for a minute. My arm actually started to get sore from shaking. On another note with using aquavitro seed should I not show any results for nitrite and nitrate as the bacteria according to my LFS said it has nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria in it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 24 minutes ago, RyanU said: I shook it hard or what i thought was hard. Tomorrow maybe I will tap the solution bottle on the table when shaking to make sure it's shook up. As for the test tube. I shook it as hard and fast as I could for a minute. My arm actually started to get sore from shaking. 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 (edited) 39 minutes ago, RyanU said: On another note with using aquavitro seed should I not show any results for nitrite and nitrate as the bacteria according to my LFS said it has nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria in it? There should, eventually, be some level of nitrates showing up; more or less permanently. The seed bacteria are essentially that. Seeds. It still takes a while for them to grow and establish. Using those products only speeds the process. They don't make it instantaneous. Edited March 14, 2021 by Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanU Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 Yea that's what I read. I was also previous to using seed using quick start. But I read somewherein another forum that prime actually destroys quick start bacteria so I went with this option. The bottle says to treat with seeded for a week and then use when you do water changes. I guess I will keep using it until I see 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites? Also I have been testing the water 2x a day. Should I cut it back to 1x a day unless I see the fish start acting funny or continue 2x a day because of the possible nitrite spike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Back to the original question: If you're finding it difficult to determine the color, make sure that it's well mixed; so there's no concentrated color fliating on top. Then, take the cap off and look down through the entire column of the solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkG Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Good light is helpful too. One of my tests differed 1 step between daylight and a decent halogen lamp. I'd say testing twice a day is excessive. The seeding bacteria guidelines are dubious in my opinion. But that may be my ignorance speaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 9 minutes ago, darkG said: I'd say testing twice a day is excessive. Okay, there is one good thing about testing twice a day at least when it comes to pH. pH is radically different in the morning than in the evening in a planted aquarium because of photosynthesis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtydave Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 6 hours ago, Daniel said: I don't think I ever get a nitrate test that looks like zero! According to Liz of aquarium coop,20 is ideal for nitrates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanU Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 But if I have not completed the cycle and are not showing and nitrites based on my test from this morning why would I be seeing nitrates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkG Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 11 minutes ago, Daniel said: Okay, there is one good thing about testing twice a day at least when it comes to pH. pH is radically different in the morning than in the evening in a planted aquarium because of photosynthesis. The context here is catching a nitrite spike. I think there can be several reasons to test frequently. I know I have! 😎15 minutes between 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanU Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 Darkg I thought the same thing especially with doing a fish in cycle I need to watch everything carefully to be able to correct the issue(s). For the bacteria It says in the bottle use 5ml for each 10 gallons on the first day with a new aquarium. Then use 5ml for 20 gallons daily for 7 days. Fish and other aquatic species may be introduced at any time as long as storage is maintained for 7 days. So do I trust in the bottle or keep digging until my cycle is complete. I guess I have an advantage of testing the water in the morning and adding prime and seed in tight evening. I can determine if I need to keep dosing based on my morning results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanU Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 Dosing not digging Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkG Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 I mean, one should probably be able to trust the instructions of a product you trust enough to use 👍 I'll just bring more confusion if I go on I think. I don't want to rant. Little harm would be done by dosing bacteria according to instructions or otherwise, and testing a lot can be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanU Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 Yea you're right. The problem with being new to a hobby and reading what everybody does, it's all different. I guess I need to trust what I am using and doing and not over think things to much. Thanks everybody for all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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