fishless cycle stalled??

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orandafan12

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I think it is stalled becuase for abiout a week the ammonia has been able to go doen in about 12 hours but the nitrites are high and the nitrates are only about 20-30 ppm. Is my tank stallsd
 
Do a nice big water change with dechlorinated water, try to get the nitrItes down to .5-1, add a tiny pinch of finely ground up fish food, dose the ammonia back up and everything should get moving again. You're probably just in the nitrIte spike phase and not stalled, but the pwc will help things speed up. What's the pH of your water?
 
the ph is maybe 7.2-7.6+
and also how big should the water change be? 50%-70%?
 
orandafan12 said:
the ph is maybe 7.2-7.6+
and also how big should the water change be? 50%-70%?

If you're shooting to get your no2 down to .5 to 1, it can take a massive one 80-90% or a couple back to back changes. The API kit only goes up to 5...and for all we know it could be sitting at 20. You'll just have to see how much it drops after a pwc. I'd probably start with an 80%. Just do it quickly enough that the walls don't dry out.
 
If you're shooting to get your no2 down to .5 to 1, it can take a massive one 80-90% or a couple back to back changes. The API kit only goes up to 5...and for all we know it could be sitting at 20. You'll just have to see how much it drops after a pwc. I'd probably start with an 80%. Just do it quickly enough that the walls don't dry out.
alright ill do a water change and let you know
 
i just did a 70%-80% water change and the nitrites dropped from 5+ ppm to about 2ppm. should i do another one?
 
orandafan12 said:
i just did a 70%-80% water change and the nitrites dropped from 5+ ppm to about 2ppm. should i do another one?

It's your call. Chances are it's going to shoot right back up. Dropping it lower might buy you a day or two. Either way...I think things look good.
 
No problem :). Let me know how it's going. It shouldn't be too much longer. We've just got to get that test tube to turn blue again.
 
No problem :). Let me know how it's going. It shouldn't be too much longer. We've just got to get that test tube to turn blue again.

My ammonia has gone down in 24 hr but my nitrites have spiked up to 5+. Another water change?
 
orandafan12 said:
My ammonia has gone down in 1 hr but my nitrites have spiked up to 5+. Another water change?

I'd let it ride for a while. Knocking down the no2 a couple times can help prevent stalls and speed things up...but truth be told, the first time I did a fishless cycle I only did a 50% halfway through and finished in 20+ days. The pH bottomed out on me which is one of the reasons it's good to do a few...but if you can see ammo dropping and no3 rising I'd say you're good for now.
 
I'd let it ride for a while. Knocking down the no2 a couple times can help prevent stalls and speed things up...but truth be told, the first time I did a fishless cycle I only did a 50% halfway through and finished in 20+ days. The pH bottomed out on me which is one of the reasons it's good to do a few...but if you can see ammo dropping and no3 rising I'd say you're good for now.

Yes the nitrates are about 20-40
 
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