 |
| Marimo moss balls added (8/13) |
During the second week of the cycle, for the most part, I continued to test for nitrites and nothing else because I knew ~2 ppm ammonia was being converted to nitrites and I knew there were nitrates present, so really I was just waiting for the drop off in nitrites.
| Tested | 8/14/16 | 8/15/16 | 8/16/16 | 8/17/16 | 8/18/16 | 8/19/16 | 8/20/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| did not test | |||||||
| PH | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8.3 | 8.3 | |
| Ammonia | 0 ppm | 0 ppm | n/a | n/a | 0 ppm | 0 ppm | |
| Nitrite | 5 ppm | 5 ppm | 5 ppm | 5 ppm | 5 ppm | 0 ppm | |
| Nitrate | 20 ppm | n/a | n/a | n/a | 80 ppm | 40 ppm | |
| Action | dosed with 5 drops | dosed with 5 drops | dosed with 5 drops | dosed with 5 drops | partial water change dosed with 5 drops |
dosed with 5 drops |
On the 18th, I performed a partial water change late in the day and dosed with ammonia before bed. I did not test the next day as I had dosed so late the day before, I knew my results would still show some ammonia. It was very surprising to find, when I finally tested early in the morning of the 20th, that just two weeks after I started the cycle, it appeared to be completed. The partial water change, it seems, jump started the cycle and got things moving a little faster.
To test that the tank had truly cycled, I dosed with ammonia after performing partial water changes, then checked the levels 24 hours later. Here's what I found:
After watching the nitrite test tube turn purple instantly for so many days in a row, seeing it stay sky blue seemed almost magical, and with my nitrates finally below 20 ppm, it was time to consider finally adding a fish to the tank!
To test that the tank had truly cycled, I dosed with ammonia after performing partial water changes, then checked the levels 24 hours later. Here's what I found:
| Tested | 8/21/16 | 8/22/16 | 8/23/16 | 8/24/16 | 8/24/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| after water change | |||||
| PH | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.3 | n/a |
| Ammonia | 0 ppm | 0 ppm | 0 ppm | 0 ppm | 0 ppm |
| Nitrite | 0 ppm | 0 ppm | 0 ppm | 0 ppm | 0 ppm |
| Nitrate | 80 ppm | 80 ppm | 40 ppm | 20 ppm | 5 ppm |
| Action | dosed with 6 drops | partial water change dosed with 7 drops |
partial water change dosed with 3 drops |
major water change | betta time :) |
After watching the nitrite test tube turn purple instantly for so many days in a row, seeing it stay sky blue seemed almost magical, and with my nitrates finally below 20 ppm, it was time to consider finally adding a fish to the tank!
 |
| The final arrangement. Driftwood and anubias coffeefolia added 8/15 |
