Fishless cycling - nitrite stalling

[LoveMD]

Hi, there

I am currently cycling my 36 gallon aquarium. I've been using pure ammonia and the API Master Kit for testing.

My ammonia is now reading 0, so I'm "feeding" the bacteria about 2 ppm each day. My nitrites spiked around 5 ppm, and they are back down to 1 ppm. However, they have held at 1 ppm for 8-9 days now. Nothing has changed. It seems like the cycle has stalled and I'm not sure what's going on. The pH has dropped slightly from 8.4 (a month ago) to 7.6 now.

Also - my nitrate leves are bouncing around like crazy. It will go from 5 to 10 to 5 to 40 and back to 5 in just a few days. I am using the testing kit exactly as it says and it's brand new. I do have 2 small live plants, could they be affecting the nitrates that much?

Anyone have a clue as to why my nitrites have stalled and my nitrate readings are so weird???? I looked all over the internet and didn't find an answer anywhere.

Thanks!

 

[OhNo5000Bees!]

The values can fluctuate quite a bit until the cycle is established. I think that might be why new tank syndrome takes so many people by surprise. The most obvious answer is that the bacteria populations haven't yet stabilized. It doesn't explain the nitrate changes and I doubt a couple of small plants could so drastically affect the nitrate load.

I think the best thing to do would be to get some independent verification that your test results are accurate. Maybe a friend or an LFS could test the same sample of water with a different kit.

 

[mfdrookie516]

its always good to make sure your test kit isnt expired. not common, but if the store you bought it at doesnt sell many, its always a possibility. The lot number will tell you the date it was manufactured, and as long as its within the last 3 years, its good. The nitrite stage of the cycle can take as long to go away as it took to come. Crank up the heat if you havent already and make sure you dont get the ammonia up past 6ppm

 

[supradupafast]

Ahh my Friend.. I feel your pain.
This happened when cycling my 60 Gallon. Had the cycle stall twice on me, and I was also stuck on a 1ppm NitrItes with Fluctuating NitRAtes (from 10-40PPM) also. This lasted over 2-1/2 months until I said to myself "enough is enough".
Many will probably think I'm going against the grain, but I don't care. Here Is what I did.

Since I already had some bacterias working the toxics in the Tank, I did 2x 90% Water changes while keeping the media & Decorations untouched. I filled the tank with fresh water, (Conditioned of course), and went and got 12 Danios (Small Bioload in a 60gal).
The tank never saw any readings (Ammonia or Nitrites), and Nitrates stabilized at approx 5ppm.
I left it like this for 1 month to mature the tank a lil, (with my 40% weekly pwc), Then started adding fish little by little.
The tank has been running for a lil over 7 months now, without any problems, and never had any Toxic readings.
Your call on what to do, but that's my story
Good Luck

 

[supradupafast]

Another thing you can do, and is greatly recommended, is try getting some used media from a friend or someone you know has a "Healthy, Disease Free" Tank. Put the media in a nylon "new" sock and hang it in your tank, or better yet, put some used Media in your Filtration.
Taking some gravel from an Established Tank will also work.
This should cycle your tank in very little time.

 

[LoveMD]

Thanks for the advice! I checked the test kit last night - it says it's from 2009 so it should be ok. Nitrites were still 1 ppm and Nitrates were at 5. What the heck? hehe.

I don't really have any friends who keep aquariums. Would the LFS give me a "dirty" filter to throw in there you think?

 

[mfdrookie516]

they might, but be careful. if it comes from a tank thats infected, your fish will be too once you get some. you could always put an ad on craigslist asking for some media from a healthy tank, and if youre lucky, a good aquarist will offer some, but thats a long shot. best bet is to keep doing what youre doing and let it finish its course, shouldnt be too long now, but i definitely understand the anxiety lol

 

[Jgeezer1986]

Ok , so i see that a lot of people like to cycle their tanks without fish. The problem i keep seeing is the tank "stalls" . Why? Because there is no true bio-load. You are using some lab created fish poo.

I dont want to offend anyone here but i just want to send my opinion out here.

I have always cycled my tanks with fish. The fish that were the healthiest? The ones that i cycled it with! The only cycled fish that i have ever lost was recently when i changed something. I put a frog in the tank and it ate one of them. But i have never lost a fish to the cycling process. In the short term, ya it might be a little stressful to the fish, but in the end , they are always thriving.

The poo that cycles the tank depends on what is fed, who is in it and so on.

 

[mfdrookie516]

fishless cycling takes less time than cycling with fish. they both take time, but because of the amount of water changes you have to do to keep the ammonia so low while there are fish in the tank, cycling with fish will take twice as long sometimes, sometimes more. with fishless cycling, you can build up a bigger bacterial colony allowing you to add more fish from the beginning, and you dont stress your fish out in the process

 

[Jgeezer1986]

Ok so you are able to jumpstart the tank that way. Cycling with fish, in my opinion, creates a better bacteria colony. I see too many have problems either during or right after a fishless cycling. Eh, i guess we will all have our own opinions.