1st shipment cycle 2.5 weeks : test kit reading ?

[nzdiver]

Hello everyone,

I've been cycling my first shipment of TBS rock for 2 and a half weeks now in a 100 gallon tank.
Everything is looking great. I want to know if I'm reading my test kit correctly. I'm using Salifert for No2 No3 Nh 4 and PH.

No2 is reading 0 from the top.. when viewing from the side I get .5 , so dividing by 10 I get .05 Is that the correct way?

No3 i'm getting 25 from the top.

Nh4 I've got .25

PH is 8.3

I never had an ammonia spike over 1. I haven't done any water changes after reading several posts mentioning not to mess with it.

I'm in no rush to get the second shipment, but should I be waiting for the Nh4 to drop to 0 ?
I've still got a couple of gorilla crabs I need to get out of the tank. I think I was able to squash
one but wasn't able to find the body. I don't see him in his hole anymore though

I also hear the poping at night that sounds like a mantis trying to make a home in the rock...
I'd like to get all these out before I get the 2nd shipment.

Thanks for the help,

 

[Fountainhead]

It sounds like you're reading your kits correctly, and everything is fine. I received my 1st shipment around the same time as you, and I'm using the same kits. My readings are now Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0 and Nitrates 10. I find the Nitrite and Nitrate tests very hard to read at low levels, and like you I had to view through the side and divide by 10. My ammonia never exceeded 0.25 by the way, and like you I needed no water changes. My nitrites maxed at 0.3.

I'd try to locate the mantis before your second shipment, if I were you. It'll be easier to get it out before there are additional rocks in place. I had to pull a rock out to get my two large mantis evicted. Watch the tank at night with a flashlight, and see if you can spot their hole. Mine were always in the same place, which made it easy to get them once I took out their rock. I think that I may have another (along with at least 3 gorilla crabs) but I've not seen him.

Good luck. It sounds as if you're on track.