I have a 55 gallon I am in the process of cycling for a african cichlid mbuna tank. I am at like week 3 or 4, yesterday I checked everything and ammonia had dropped, nitrite was off the chart, and nitrate was between 40 and 80ppms. So I did a 50% water change. Then I added the top fin water conditioner let it run for 45mins then dosed the ammonia back up to 4ppms. Today at lunch 12hrs later from adding ammonia it was at 0ppm but nitrite is off the chart and nitrate is around 40-80ppms. I also checked ph it's 8.2. My question is do I need to do a big like 90% water change today before adding ammonia to it. So that the nitrate and nitrite goes down to readable numbers. I am using api master fresh water kit.
need help with cycling
- Thread starter Chris86
- Start date
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armymp327
Aquarium Advice FINatic
i would not do a 90 % because of the chance of upsetting the bacteria you've taken the time to grow, go for a series of 50 % water changes while still adding small amounts of ammonia so you are not starving the bacteria
The nitrite is turning purple as soon as i add the drops. By what i have read that means it is off the chart. The 50% water change yesterday did not drop the nitrite any so should I keep doing 50% water changes tell it drops to readable numbers.
armymp327
Aquarium Advice FINatic
yes, thats what i would do, maybe even a 75% water change.
jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would personally do a big water change (90+%). As long as you temperature match and properly condition, you (and your bacteria) will be fine. Make sure the filters are off for the wc and wait a good 10mins before turning them back on. Drop the ammonia dose to 1-2ppm and then just wait. Dont be surprised if your nitrites remain unchanged after the big wc- once they reach very high levels, it sometimes takes multiple wcs to bring them down to a readable level.
Unfortunately, they do not make a 'high range' nitrite test thats easily accessible, so figuring out how high your nitrites are right now can be a bit difficult. I would experiment with a few dilution tests to figure out what it will take to drop your nitrites. You already know 50% isn't making a dent. Try 1/4 tank, 3/4 tap (equal to 75% wc) and see if you can reach a readable result. Then 1/10th tank, 9/10th tap (90% wc). Further tank dilutions can be made to figure out how wcs will be needed to bring your nitrites down to a reasonable number. Hope this helps!
Unfortunately, they do not make a 'high range' nitrite test thats easily accessible, so figuring out how high your nitrites are right now can be a bit difficult. I would experiment with a few dilution tests to figure out what it will take to drop your nitrites. You already know 50% isn't making a dent. Try 1/4 tank, 3/4 tap (equal to 75% wc) and see if you can reach a readable result. Then 1/10th tank, 9/10th tap (90% wc). Further tank dilutions can be made to figure out how wcs will be needed to bring your nitrites down to a reasonable number. Hope this helps!
jlk
Aquarium Advice Addict
Nice setup!! Unfortunately, the 55% wc does not appear to have done much to drop your levels. Nitrites appear to be 5+ and nitrates are high as well. I would try to drop them along with a low ammonia dose or simply just wait and skip the ammonia until your nitrites drop on their own.
OK Saturday I checked it in the morning with the same results 0 ammonia off the chart nitrite and high nitrates. So I desired to skip ammonia for the day and not mess with the tank all day. That seemed like that might have worked. I checked just nitrite today Sunday morning and nitrite was in the .5-1 ppm range. So I went ahead and add ammonia back to the tank and see if I'm back on my way.
