Cycle help.. 30 days in and still no nitrites??

[yankeeslover]

setup my 29 gallon freshwater tank 30 days ago...ammonia levels are steady around .50-1 ppm for past 20 days or so... i have 5 zebra danios and a bristlenose pleco(kids surprised me with the pleco, they didnt know about cycling).. anyways im using a api liquid test and its showing zero nitrites still... temps are around 78 degrees.. im using an aquaclear 70 filter which is supposed to be a good bio filter. also have a small bubble disk in the tank..im just shocked that i have not started any nitrites yet... i also have not done any water changes yet as i didnt want to disturb the process... i also have to add as im not sure if this added to my issue or not, but when i first filled the tank i used that smart start from tetra..supposed to be that bio spira... im not sure if this is causing my issues or not.... anyways shouldnt some nitrites be present after 30 days? thank you..

 

[minky123]

Well since you are doing a fish in cycle you should be doing frequent pwc's. That could be the reason but I'm not sure.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

30 days is still in the normal range. If your pushing 5-6 weeks with still no nitrite we'll look into a few things.
1ppm of ammonia is way to high for those fish. You need to do a water change and get it under .25ppm. Water changes DO NOT hinder the cycle and will help keep your fish safe.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

 

[yankeeslover]

actually

i didnt hook the bubbler w/air pump up till today..will the added o2 make a difference with the cycle?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

i didnt hook the bubbler w/air pump up till today..will the added o2 make a difference with the cycle?

It can, yes.

 

[derail]

i didnt hook the bubbler w/air pump up till today..will the added o2 make a difference with the cycle?

It will help in that it will irritate the water surface and promote gas exchange, but early on the water changes are crucial. Good luck

 

[librarygirl]

Have you tested PH at all? PH drops are normal during cycling and can hinder the process if it drops too far. Plus the water contains minerals that the fish use up and need to be replenished too (the good bacteria need these as well) so the lack of water changes could actually be stalling things. And, as said above, 1 ppm of ammonia for fish to be swimming in for a month now is not good for them. Do a couple of 50% water changes (use dechlorinator; Prime is best if you can get it but for now whatever you have on-hand is fine) and match the temp of the water as closely as you can (feeling both with your hand is good enough). Read that link Mumma gave you, it'll help.