Artifact
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I've been following Eco23's fishless cycling guide here: https://www.aquariumadvice.com/foru...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
and I've been stuck on getting my nitrites to go down, I'm one month into the cycle. (ammonia cycles within 12 hours, but nitrites stay at max measurable level and don't move). After reading and re-reading the guide, I thought perhaps I never really got my nitrites down to a readable level as suggested even though I did a large (60%) partial water change at the point the guide suggested. I thought perhaps more and larger water changes would get it down to a readable level.
Testing my tap water both before and after adding dechlorinator its base nitrite level is always 0 ppm.
Tonight (perhaps inadvisably) I've done 4 water changes, the largest one probably about 80%. Each time, after adding the new dechlorinated water and waiting 20 minutes for it settle and go through the filter, the nitrite level is always over 5ppm (the max my API test kit can measure). I'm having trouble understanding how several very large consecutive water changes with 0 ppm water could always result in a 5ppm result several minutes later.
Is my tank's water just ultra-concentrated with nitrites, so that when the vast majority of it is replaced with 0ppm nitrite water it's still going to be over 5ppm?
It's a 6 gallon nano tank, and I worry that even when the bacteria to process the nitrites colonizes, it won't be able to handle such a high concentration that no amount of water changes can reduce.
My PH is 7, ammonia process from about 4 to 0 in less than a day, and water temperature is 85.
Thank you for any advice.
and I've been stuck on getting my nitrites to go down, I'm one month into the cycle. (ammonia cycles within 12 hours, but nitrites stay at max measurable level and don't move). After reading and re-reading the guide, I thought perhaps I never really got my nitrites down to a readable level as suggested even though I did a large (60%) partial water change at the point the guide suggested. I thought perhaps more and larger water changes would get it down to a readable level.
Testing my tap water both before and after adding dechlorinator its base nitrite level is always 0 ppm.
Tonight (perhaps inadvisably) I've done 4 water changes, the largest one probably about 80%. Each time, after adding the new dechlorinated water and waiting 20 minutes for it settle and go through the filter, the nitrite level is always over 5ppm (the max my API test kit can measure). I'm having trouble understanding how several very large consecutive water changes with 0 ppm water could always result in a 5ppm result several minutes later.
Is my tank's water just ultra-concentrated with nitrites, so that when the vast majority of it is replaced with 0ppm nitrite water it's still going to be over 5ppm?
It's a 6 gallon nano tank, and I worry that even when the bacteria to process the nitrites colonizes, it won't be able to handle such a high concentration that no amount of water changes can reduce.
My PH is 7, ammonia process from about 4 to 0 in less than a day, and water temperature is 85.
Thank you for any advice.