Nitrite Spike - Help

[sparky2335r]

Cycling my 35g tank and tested my water the last few days with the following readings:

4/3 - Am = .50ppm No2 = 0ppm No3 = 0ppm
25% Water change

4/6 - Am = .50ppm No2 = .25ppm No3 = 0ppm
25% Water change

4/7 - Am = .25ppm No2 = 5.0ppm No3 = 5.0ppm
25% Water Change

4/8 - Am = .12ppm No2 = 5.0ppm No3 = 10.0ppm
50% Water Change

4/8 - retested Nitrite after water change and still getting 5.0ppm on Nitrite.

The nitrates are thankfully increasing, but my NO2 readings are still off the chart, do I just need to be patient, or should I be cleaning my filter, doing a larger water change?? Not sure how to handle this.

All help/advice is appreciated.

 

[Rpeinhardt]

It takes longer than 5 days to cycle a tank (unless you seeded it with filter material from a cycled tank first).

You're in the home stretch!

 

[ScotJudd]

Hi Sparky.
You didn't say if you had fish in the tank or fish less. Which ever it is nitrite to nitrate bacteria takes considerably longer than ammonia to nitrite bacteria to colonise. If you do have fish in then you have to keep water changing to keep that nitrite level down. This of course slows down the bacteria growth but is the down side of fish in cycling.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[Mebbid]

The nitrate test also reads Nitrite in the water, It could be that your nitrite levels are spiking giving you a false reading of nitrate.

What is the upper limit of your nitrite kit?

 

[sparky2335r]

Update

I do have a few fish in the tank so I've been doing pretty regular water changes, but the Nitrites levels have come down to about .25-.50ppm, almost there! Thanks to everyone for their advice!