(06-19-2012, 11:55 PM)golfwang Wrote: 1. I only dosed ammonia once to my tank and waited a whole month.
2. It was always at 4ppm.
3. Its been at least a month and I haven't gotten to the second stage.
4. Nitrite appeared around the start of week 2 and disappeared just last week.
Quick question how much crushed coral do you think I need to boost my pH to a healthy range for the bacteria to colonize?
No need to attempt raising the PH. If you worry about your ammonia is in the form of ammonium, stop using Prime as water conditioner during the cycle.
I still think you might have overlooked the procedure of the nitrate testing. If the nitrite had gone, it must be turned into nitrate. If you are not getting any nitrate reading after the nitrite turned into 0ppm, you must be not doing the test correctly.
Try to do the nitrate test again according to the instructions on the nitrate bottles. Lets see if you can get a reading.
