Help with next step in tank cycle

[183Jacob]

Hello everyone. My name is Jacob, I am a new Axolotl enthusiast and also a new member to caudate.org as this is my first post.

I have a 38 gallon tank with a bio-wheel filter for my two juvenile Axolotls. Currently I have them in two separate 18qt tubs while my tank cycles. I am doing a fishless cycle with pure ammonia from Ace.

Today 03/05 is day 11 of the cycle, on day 8 I added some seasoned substrate to the filter housing. I am using API liquid test tubes, initially as expected my readings were high ammonia and PH and no Nitrites or Nitrates. As of my test yesterday following a pwc (for the first time) and test from today(pictures attached) I am seeing-
- high ammonia-between what looks like 4-6ppm
- 0 to .25 ppm for Nitrites
- 5 to 10 ppm Nitrates
- 7.6 or more PH

It looks now as though I have skipped Nitrites leaving me now with high ammonia and elevated PH. What should I do next? Thank you :happy:

 

[RusieckiR]

You should wait for a spike in the nitrates and nitrites

 

[BrooklynD]

As said above, I would wait and not dose any ammonia or anything. You'll probably start to see nitrites form and nitrates most likely will increase and ammonia will drop. When ammonia drops, the nitrite will get very high, and if it becomes a little off the chart you can do a partial water change like 50% maybe and it will drop nitrites. Also, you shouldn't do water changes really during your cycle. You can do a water change if a level gets too high but that's about it. And then of course at the end of your cycle you want to do a big water change. But anyways, nitrites may rise again if a bit of ammonia is still in the tank, and then they will drop once ammonia is near 0. It's important not to dose ammonia or you will spike nitrites again. I believe you can give them a snack once towards the end of your cycle so you don't starve the bacteria, but only once it hits 0. Then after nitrites drop and lower below 1 ppm and ammonia is at .25 or less than you can dose ammonia to what you started with and test in 24 hours. If everything is 0 except your pH (obviously) and nitrates, then you're cycled. If not, wait another 24 hours for nitrites to drop back down and then repeat until nitrite and ammonia 0's out. Sorry if I'm confusing, lol