Stuck on nitrite phase for exactly one month now!

[librarygirl]

Ok, this is weird! I never did the next giant water change, just kept dosing the ammonia. Checked params last night. Still had at least 2ppm nitrites, and 0 ammonia. Dosed it again last night. Tonight I got: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites (yay!), lots of nitrates. So am I a water change away from getting my fish???

It's quite possible. Just to be sure I'd dose ammonia for another couple of days. If ammonia and nitrites stay at 0 then go get fish! Don't forget to do a 100% water change the day before (make sure nitrates are as low as you can get them even if you have to do more than one pwc) and turn your heater down to normal temp if you have it increased for the cycle. Do a YouTube search for "drip acclimation" as it's the best way to acclimate fish to a new tank. Pics of your fish when you get them! Good luck.

 

[miles]

I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone involved in this thread! It highlighted some misconceptions I had about fishless cycling and might prevent the same thing from happening to me!

One question I'd like to run by you though:
This source suggests waiting until ammonia and nitrite drop to 0 between ammo dosing to prevent extreme nitrite spikes. Is there any maximum length of time I could wait for nitrite to drop before I would start losing ammonia-eating BB? Would waiting for both to drop slow the overall cycle?

 

[Tiger1]

I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone involved in this thread! It highlighted some misconceptions I had about fishless cycling and might prevent the same thing from happening to me!

One question I'd like to run by you though:
This source suggests waiting until ammonia and nitrite drop to 0 between ammo dosing to prevent extreme nitrite spikes. Is there any maximum length of time I could wait for nitrite to drop before I would start losing ammonia-eating BB? Would waiting for both to drop slow the overall cycle?

That source looks like its trying to build up both BB at the same time a little at a time without letting the first bacteria get ahead. But I would think that by the time the second bacteria catches up to the first dose, the first bacteria would have died off from starvation, and it would be like starting over. I am by no means an expert, that's a good question for librarygirl and Jlk.

 

[Tiger1]

Yeah baby!!!! After letting nitrites catch up it only took 5 more days of dosing back up to 3-4 ammonia to finish the job. Thanks everyone for all your help!!!!! A couple more days of testing and my mosquito fishies and rosy red minnows will have a new home.

 

[jlk]

I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone involved in this thread! It highlighted some misconceptions I had about fishless cycling and might prevent the same thing from happening to me!

One question I'd like to run by you though:
This source suggests waiting until ammonia and nitrite drop to 0 between ammo dosing to prevent extreme nitrite spikes. Is there any maximum length of time I could wait for nitrite to drop before I would start losing ammonia-eating BB? Would waiting for both to drop slow the overall cycle?

Thats interesting. Problem you may have is the one you stated though- the bb eating the ammonia may be starved from not adding amm regularly and die off. In the amount of time it takes for the nitrite levels to drop (which takes twice as long as it does for amm), your amm bacteria would most likely be long gone and although there would be no amm or nitrite detected on tests, once you add fish (thus amm), your amm levels would most likely spike again & you would be starting all over again but doing a fish-in cycle! Kind of defeats the purpose of doing a fishless cycle in the first place. Good question!

 

[jlk]

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Yeah baby!!!! After letting nitrites catch up it only took 5 more days of dosing back up to 3-4 ammonia to finish the job. Thanks everyone for all your help!!!!! A couple more days of testing and my mosquito fishies and rosy red minnows will have a new home.

YAY!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Hholly]

Yay!!!!

 

[librarygirl]

View attachment 63365

Yeah baby!!!! After letting nitrites catch up it only took 5 more days of dosing back up to 3-4 ammonia to finish the job. Thanks everyone for all your help!!!!! A couple more days of testing and my mosquito fishies and rosy red minnows will have a new home.

Awesome!! Congrats! Yep test a few more days just to be sure. Then the day before you get fish, do a 100% water change (with dechlorinator) and turn down your heater if it's cranked up. Test nitrates after the pwc just to make sure you got them as low as you can (<20 is ideal, <10 best). Also do a YouTube search for drip acclimation; it's the best way to acclimate new fish. Post pics when you get your fish!

 

[librarygirl]

I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone involved in this thread! It highlighted some misconceptions I had about fishless cycling and might prevent the same thing from happening to me!

One question I'd like to run by you though:
This source suggests waiting until ammonia and nitrite drop to 0 between ammo dosing to prevent extreme nitrite spikes. Is there any maximum length of time I could wait for nitrite to drop before I would start losing ammonia-eating BB? Would waiting for both to drop slow the overall cycle?

As the others said you could potentially starve the bacteria. I think a week tops is the most they can go without food (ammonia). Also if you start dosing less the bacteria adjust to the lower amount and you want as much BB as you can get when you add fish.

 

[Tiger1]

Here it is. Complete with a fish observatory. After guiding one of the rosy red minnows in to take a few pics, he got out and then went back in again on his own. So I had to take more pics. Ill have to get a few more of the rosy reds, their color stands out better than I thought they would.

 

[jlk]

Wow!!! That is pretty neat!

 

[librarygirl]

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Here it is. Complete with a fish observatory. After guiding one of the rosy red minnows in to take a few pics, he got out and then went back in again on his own. So I had to take more pics. Ill have to get a few more of the rosy reds, their color stands out better than I thought they would.

That's great! Congrats!

 

[Hholly]

Cool! So is the tower connected to the other part?

 

[Tiger1]

Cool! So is the tower connected to the other part?

It's just an upside down glass vase sitting on a frame I made out of 1/2 PVC pipe. As long as the open bottom end stays below the water level, it stays full of water. The fish love it. They have been going up there all afternoon.

 

[orlirio74]

hello folk i have had my 55gal ok for 2week but now i have my nitrite level up 3.0 but my nitrates 0. i don't what to do my fish look fine. as anyone seen this happn

 

[jlk]

HI Olirio & welcome!!! You will get a better response if you post a new thread in the 'getting started' section of the fw forum. Your tank is cycling & your nitrite levels are dangerously high. You need to start doing big (50-70%) pwcs to get these levels down below .25ppm. Make sure you use a good water conditioner (prime or amquel plus) and match the temp of your new water to that of your tank water. You will have to do mutiple big pwcs to get your nitrites down below .25ppm & keep doing them daily until your tank is fully cycled. What are your ammonia levels? What kind of fish do you have & how many? What are you using to test (liquid or strips)? While your fish may seem 'fine', they are suffering. Nitrite replaces oxygen in their red blood cells (hemoglobin) and your fish are basically suffocating from lack of oxygen. Please read up on 'fish-in cycling'

 

[librarygirl]

hello folk i have had my 55gal ok for 2week but now i have my nitrite level up 3.0 but my nitrates 0. i don't what to do my fish look fine. as anyone seen this happn

Welcome to AA! As JLK said you should post your own thread as you'll get more help that way. Your tank is still cycling; with nitrite that high you're going to need to do a few 50-60% water changes with a good dechlorinator ASAP as nitrites are toxic to fish. There's a link in my signature called: new tank with fish. It'll guide you through. Good luck.