Question: Dead leaves causing false nitrite readings during fishless cycle? Do I need to clean my tank?

[BinaryRun]

Hi guys,

I'm now in my 25th day of cycling and I really need your help.

My ammonia is dropping rapidly for the past 16 days, my nitrite seemed the same on my JBL liquid kit (above 1PPM, the max it reads) and my nitrate rises by about 20-40ppm each week. (Currently about 120ppm nitrate)

However I started doubting the trustworthiness on my nitrite tester, so I got a liquid test from another brand (Salifert) and it's showing that the nitrate reading is only about 0.5ppm, which is a big difference from my JBL test.

I'm planning to ask the pet/aqua store to test it tomorrow, however I've been looking at my tank and I'm thinking that the dead leaves & brown algae may have been causing these reading.

I've attached a few pictures, but the algae is a bit worse then it shows (in the second picture, first picture is pretty accurate) including algae strings floating.

Do you guys think that the algae & dead leaves are affecting the nitrite reading? If so, how should I remove it without affecting the cycle?

Really appreciate any advice!

P.S. Should I stop dosing the ammonia up to 1.5ppm for a day?

 

[Kaini]

Decaying plant matter would be creating ammonia... I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion it would affect your nitrite? Nitrite is the product of the first stage of nitrifying bacteria, nitrosoma I believe (I get them backwards all the time and I'm on my tablet haha)

 

[BinaryRun]

Well I believe that I've read somewhere that decaying plant material may lead to false nitrite readings aka the test marking the decaying material inside the water as nitrite.

I should add that my Ph is still 7.5/8.

 

[Kaini]

I... Have never heard that before. Could you possibly link where you read this? I'm curious. It makes no sense to me, but hey if there's a reason behind it I'd love to learn!

 

[BinaryRun]

Can't find it, although I'm on the lookout.

If I wanted to clean my tank though just to take out that possibility, how would I do it without damaging or slowing the cycle?

 

[Kaini]

You can clean your tank all you want during the cycle without damaging it, as long as you don't
-use water with chlorene in it
-clean the filter media

As long as you leave the media alone it should be fine :>

 

[BinaryRun]

Okay, I just wanted to double ask since I heard that the bacteria are also on the walls. Anyhow, I'll go and clean the tank. I won't be replacing water, just loosing the algae and picking out the leaves by hand.

Once the cycling is complete, I will have to replace water but drop in the dechlorinator straight away.

 

[Kaini]

There are some bacteria on the walls but not enough to be significant.

When you replace the water, dechlorinate it first THEN put it in. Chlorene will instantly kill the beneficial bacteria and ruin all your hard cycling work.

 

[BinaryRun]

How long would the dechlorinator need before I can put the water in the tank?

 

[Kaini]

Most dechlorinators work instantly. I was just saying don't put the water in the tank THEN add dechlorinator, that'll kill your bacteria. (I did that by accident once while water changing, forgot the dechlorinator, and it took a week for my cycle to straighten itself out despite the fact I panicked and threw dechlorinator in there instantly).

Dechlorinate the water in a separate bucket or tub then wait a few minutes and then add it to the tank.

You're also free to do water changes during your cycle, it won't harm your cycle's progress at all. Doing at least a small water change to cut down the nitrates would help your algae problem, and you'll want that cleared up before you add animals to the tank.

 

[BinaryRun]

I'll be heading to the pet store tomorrow to ask them to test my water, as well as getting aquarium gloves to clean the algae off. Thanks for the dechlorinator advice, I did used it inside the tank once. But that's upon initially filling it when I had no bacteria

Next time I'll use your advice, add it to a bucket of water. Stir it, let it stay for 5 minutes and then put it in the tank.

 

[Kaini]

I had a tiny bit of a giggle at 'aquarium gloves' - those are a thing? I just stick my hand in there and rub off the algae myself X'D I must perpetually smell like fish water.

You're welcome c: Sounds good!

 

[BinaryRun]

The algae wouldn't listen to my hand, so I figured that some help wouldn't hurt

 

[Lianne]

Why not use a sponge?

 

[BinaryRun]

Well with gloves it's easier to apply pressure to a specific points.

Any help on the topic start is still very much appreciated!

 

[BinaryRun]

I'll also going to ask for some fresh media from one of their fishtanks and put that in the little water bin of my HOB filter to see if that helps

 

[Kaini]

It should definitely help! Seeding will speed up the cycle for sure. Just remember you have to keep the media wet in tank water while you transport it and it only has about an hour lifespan outside of a tank.

 

[BinaryRun]

Yea, I'll be asking them to cut it off directly from the filter and put it in one of those plastic backs that they use for selling fish with water from the same filter. The store is only a 15 minute drive from my house, so it should survive =)