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One month since setup. No water test today—just a visual observation day. And what we observed was… unexpected.

Four days after the plant disaster, mixed results. Ammonia spiked from the melting plants, but the nitrite news is encouraging.

This was our worst day yet. Major plant losses, oxygen problems, and emergency trips to the fish store.

Yesterday’s optimism took a hit. Nitrite spiked back to 5.0 ppm, and we made a risky decision to add fertilizer.

After over three weeks of cycling, we hit a major milestone: ammonia reached 0 ppm for the first time!

The plateau continues. Nitrite stubbornly holds at 5.0 ppm. Our snails are stressed again, so we did another water change.

Three days since the water change, and we’re not out of the woods yet. The nitrite plateau continues.

The nitrite plateau is testing our patience. After four days at 5.0 ppm, we’re doing water changes to keep the snails alive while waiting for biology to catch up.

Nitrite hit 5.0 ppm today—the maximum our test kit can measure. Our snails are stressed, and we did our first water change.

Two weeks since setup, and the cycle is entering its next phase. Nitrite is rising—which is exactly what should happen.