How long for Nitrates?

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brad15 said:
I'm confused. What would that comparison between tap nitrate and tank nitrate show or mean? I'm waiting for nitrite which would surely convince me that the bacteria is present and growing.

If the tank reading is higher than the tap reading you know there is a conversion happening.
 
If ammonia is taking longer to rise to .5 between water changes then there is some conversion going on, or at least should be by now. Also are you sure it's been 3 weeks? On 12/26 you started the post and said it had been about a week and a half when you started then on 12/28 you said it's been 3 weeks. If the cycle started at about 12/16 it's really only been about 2 weeks. It can feel longer though I know lol. Just double-check the time to be sure; within 3 weeks I would think ammonia should be starting to drop by now at least.

Also what type of bacteria starter are you using? Some of them may contain the wrong types of bacteria which can actually hinder the bacteria you want for the cycle. Just something to consider. You haven't changed filter media or anything right?
 
Just asked my wife. The tank was started Dec 2. Just tested nitrates in both tap and tank. The tank is actually lower than tap. Tap water vial is on the left.
 

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I haven't gone near the filter as per thread upon thread regarding cycling. Bacteria in bottle? Tropical science nitrifying bacteria. Add correct amount every other day until ammonia level becomes acceptable as per directions
 
So more than 3 weeks. By now you should at least be staying at 0 ammonia and into nitrite. Have you tested your PH lately? It should be stable since you're doing regular water changes but cycling can cause fluctuations and if the PH drops significantly then it can hinder the cycle. Might be something worth testing.

And just to cover all bases: are you dosing Prime to the water before putting it into the tank?

It's possible your tank is just slow to cycle; it happens. If you can keep track of ammonia levels from now on just so we can see if they are at least dropping between water changes it would confirm that at least something is happening. Are you able to get any seeded media from an established tank from anywhere?

Also wow your tap water has quite a high concentration of nitrates! You may want to invest in a lot of live plants to suck up the excess nitrates or look into a Purigan filter insert.
 
Yup more than 3 weeks. Ammonia reading this morning was .25. The ph is holding steady at roughly 7. As far as nitrate level, I looked into what fluval makes for cannister filters. It's a nitrate reducing resin but was advised by lfs to wait until cycle was complete, which makes sense to me. Seeded media? It's been over 3 weeks now and I've been on top of it and waited somewhat patiently so is seeded media really gonna matter?
 
With a constant ammonia reading of no less than .25 and no higher than 1.0 and constant water changes to help the fishies, I'm completely shocked to see no nitrite reading on api test after 3 weeks.
 
And prime? With pwc's I'm refilling tank using a bucket and then dosing a capful.
 
You're still within the average time frame so I wouldn't panic yet. Do you know the types of fish you have in the tank? A 38 gal is a large tank so if the fish are very small and not giving out enough of a bioload I think it's possible the cycling process will be extended but I'm not 100% sure on that. Also what temperature is your tank set on?

Here's what I would do if I were you:
1). Stop using the Tropical Science stuff. Obviously it isn't working anyway and even though the description says it contains the "correct" bacteria we don't know for sure and it's possible that the bacteria it does contain is the wrong type and is stopping the correct bacteria from forming.
2) Add Prime BEFORE the water goes into the tank. If you add it immediately afterwards and the filters are off it may not be an issue but Prime should be added before the new water goes in so that the chemicals are neutralized properly; if they aren't it can kill off the bacteria you need in the tank. So either add Prime to the buckets before you add it back in or add Prime to the tank first (add a full dose for the volume of the tank though not just the water you are replacing if you do it this way) and then add the new water in.
3) Try to get some seeded media. It always helps regardless of where you are in cycling. If you can't get any near you, Angels Plus sells "active" filters from their fish tanks and they've helped many on here -- myself included -- with their cycles. Just make sure you get one that says "active" next to it or else you're just buying a plain filter.

Let's try those things and see what happens. On average it takes a couple of weeks for ammonia to drop to 0 and nitrite to follow but every tank is different and it can take up to 3 months for the full process so try the steps above, keep testing and doing pwc as you've been doing, and let's see what happens in the next couple of weeks. Just FYI it took me 7 months total to fishless cycle a tank for whatever unknown reasons so I feel your pain. Mine is a long story so I won't go into it here but it goes to show every tank is different because of varying factors (water source, etc) but the good news is it should cycle eventually and it shouldn't take nearly as long as mine did. :D
 
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I have 2 black neons and 2 harlequin rasboras. Figure 4 small fish for a 38 gallon. The temp is 76. Ok I will wait it out I suppose. It is what it is. I will definately add prime before I refill water. Thank you so much for your advice.
 
Still no nitrites. Is it at all possible to cycle without them or go straight to nitrates? Had 1.0 of ammonia this morning so I did roughly a 50-75% pwc. Added prime and now tonight ammonia looks like a 0.
 
Have you been checking your nitrates? If they are steadily increasing, then your nitrites are being converted.
 
Is it possible that I may be ruining the progression or conversion from ammonia to nitrite by doing pwcs when there is ammonia in tank? In the 4 weeks the tank has been set up my ammonia reading peaked to 1.0 and have done pwcs whenever it reaches .50 cuz don't wanna hurt the fishies. Why no conversion?
 
Did you say you add the Prime after the water? If so, start adding the Prime before new water. Good luck!
 
No I shut the filter off, add prime, refill water, and wait a couple of minutes. Then turn back in again.
 
As librarygirl said, don't freak out. It is okay, some people have to wait a month to get ammonia -> nitrItes. Like she said, every tank is different, and (in general) the bigger the tank, the more time it will take to cycle. Thus a 2.5g may only take a month or less to run a full cycle. However a 38g could take 2 months+ depending on conditions. I agree that you should try to get ahold of some active filter media. You wouldn't believe how helpful it can be. If you know anybody in the area, maybe even an LFS, or Angels Plus as previously mentioned, try to get some. I am very impatient and I was astounded at the effect some filter media has. My small Betta tank cycled in days rather than weeks. Granted it was a small tank. So try to get some media ASAP if you want to try and get things moving a bit faster. (y)
 
Yeah I checked out angels plus's website and maybe I will give that a shot. Just hesitant to disturb the filter at all during this process or lack of. Thanks .
 
Still no nitrites. Is it at all possible to cycle without them or go straight to nitrates? Had 1.0 of ammonia this morning so I did roughly a 50-75% pwc. Added prime and now tonight ammonia looks like a 0.

It's possible but it usually only happens if you start with some established media from another tank. Without anything like that I believe nitrites are a necessity for the process. Water changes can slow things a bit but they are needed with fish in the tank, so don't despair. If ammonia is at 0 that's good, however it could be becase of the water change and since the volume of water is rather large for the fish you have ammonia may just take more time to build up. Typically ammonia will begin staying at 0 on its own just before the nitrite phase starts. Hopefully this will happen soon. I'd highly advise trying to get your hands on some established filter media.
 
Yeah I checked out angels plus's website and maybe I will give that a shot. Just hesitant to disturb the filter at all during this process or lack of. Thanks .

Really you don't even have to mess with the filter itself. You could probably get away with just throwing the sponge in the tank. This would probably be enough to get some of these guys :bb: going in your own tank.
 
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