Fishy Cycle- Question regarding nitrite toxicity and PWC

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electrocutioner

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Messages
27
Location
Toronto
To recap my setup.
29 gallon Eclipse 3 setup(bio wheel+carbon filter)
4 platies,6 rasbosa
live plants,bogwood
Ph 7.2-Temp 81 d
Using bacteria additive,freshwater salt,anti stress,tapwater conditioner.

After 2 weeks,nitrites finally appeared.I've been doing pwc s daily the last few days as the ammonia has been spiking.My tap water shows about 0.3 ammonia after treatment,so I do a 5 gallon change every time it gets close to 1.0,which was daily since early last week until today,as it seems to be becoming more stable,still at 0.5 from yesterday a.m.
I had a reading of 0.25 yesterday before the pwc,showing a reading of 0.5 today.So this is good.
How high can I/do I want to let it climb before diluting it,and how rapidly will this spike take?It seems to be taking place much more quickly than I would have guessed.

Also,on another note,we must have had a visit from the snail fairy,as a few tiny snails have magically appeared in the tank. 8O Is this good or bad?How fast do snail populations grow?Do I need to control them,are is this actually a boon?
 
Nitrite is toxic to fish at 2ppm but the nitrite level can skyrocket and climb off of the charts during this phase of the cycle. This is also the longest part of the process since the bacteria is slow growing and can take as long as four weeks but this can vary depending on temp, tank size and stocking levels. You may find yourself doing water changes daily or every other day to try to keep the nitrites down. The addition of 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 20 gallons of water will help to counteract nitrite toxicity.

Cutting back on the amount of food being fed and gravel vacs to remove uneaten food, dead plant leaves, etc., will help to control snail populations. If you want to get rid of them you can stick a plate in the tank with a piece of leaf lettuce on it when you turn the lights off. The snails will gather on the lettuce to eat it. Just remove the plate and the lettuce in the morning before the lights come on.

Bryan
 
Ok,thanks Brian,I'll try to keep an eye on it.Problem is,I gotta go outta town for work for a few weeks,unexpectedly,so i gotta try and train my wife :roll:
Just counted about six tiny snails on the driftwood.Are they going to be a problem,can I leave them alone,or do I need to start fighting them?
 
You're welcome.

I wouldn't worry about the snails too much right now. Once the tank has finished cycling you could add a couple of yoyo loaches to keep them in check.

Bryan
 
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