Yet Another Cycle Question - Nitrites Uncontrollable

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JackBinimbul

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jul 29, 2018
Messages
315
Location
Texas
Hey, guys! I've been cycling my tank since the middle of last month. I did my first readings on the 23rd;

Ammonia .5-1.0
Nitrite 0-.25
Nitrate 0

Did a 25% water change on the 26th and there wasn't much change then.

On Sept 1 I got in my ammonia and started dosing up to 2 ppm. I had been using fish food prior.

Sept 3 I did tests
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 5+
Nitrate 0-5.0

The nitrites stayed off the charts for 24 hours so I did a 25% water change on the 4th. I kept the ammonia around 1 ppm for the next few days.

Sept 8 the nitrites were still off the chart. The nitrates were also around 40.
I did a 50% water change, tested again, still too high to detect with the test. Did a 75% water change that night.

Immediately after that water change, this was my result;
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 2
Nitrate 5.0-10

By that night, my levels were;
Ammonia 0
Nitrites back off the charts
Nitrates 20

I dosed one more time, then stopped dosing ammonia and let it sit for a few days. I tested nitrites every night and every time they were too high to read. Sept 13 I tested ammonia and nitrates and got;
Ammonia .25
Nitrates 20

Then did a 75% water change
Tested ammonia today; 0-.25, fed the tank back up to around 1 ppm since it had been a few days.
Nitrites still too elevated to read.

Is all of this normal? It seems odd that nothing I do lowers the nitrites. A large number is being produced into nitrates as my nitrates hit 40 in just a couple of days, but it's not lowering them enough to be noticeable on the tests. Even dramatic water changes aren't lowering it.
 
1ppm ammonia converts into 2.7 ppm nitirite aprox. so maybe just stop dosing ammonia till nitrites read 0.
Then add your 1 ppm .
 
I put in 8 drops of ammonia today since it's been a while since I've fed it. That 8 drops only translated to about .25 in my 20 gallon. Other than that, I've been leaving it alone and watching the nitrites. They just aren't budging. Or, rather, I can't see them budging. It's likely that the numbers are so high that it is falling, but the test can't measure it.

I'm just concerned about leaving it completely alone until the nitrites hit 0. It seems like I'd have a mass die off from lack of ammonia?
 
I don't know if you will necessarily get die off of bacteria. But at this point, as bandit said, I'd let it sit a while and see if the nitrites begin conversion to nitrates. Personally, I've always done partial daily water changes until nitrites are within 4-5 ppm. Sometimes for a week or more straight. Just what I was taught but there's conflicting info on this stating high nitrites is fine and to not touch the tank. I can only speak on what has worked for me. I also use airstones and crank them up and I kept temps at 80 degrees. Don't know if this was necessary but, again, how I was taught.
 
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