help with nitrite

[craig_will2513]

iam cycling my new tank. the amonia has spkied and now gone to zero yet the nitrite is still high and has been for a while and its not comming down. any ideas why this is or how to bring it down

 

[Kmurraylhs]

I always add good bacteria to my tanks to get them to cycle.

 

[hippy guy]

Do 50% water changes, its just part of the cycle, keep doing just what your doing, no need to add any stuff, just change the water 50% 1 or 2 times a day

 

[Sergie]

I would advise not doing PWC if you're only seeing nitrites. Wait till there's enough bacteria to turn those nitrites into nitrates. If you remove the nitrites, there won't be enough for the bacteria to feed on and multiply, slowing down the cycle. Just let it be until you see a drop in nitrites and a rise in nitrates. Then do a 50% water change to drop the nitrates.

 

[Kmurraylhs]

I wouldn't do water changes either. If you want it to work faster I would definitely add bacteria like Stability. This is a cheap and easy way to get the tank to cycle.

 

[Sergie]

IMO, if you're already reading heavy on the nitrates, the cycle is almost over. I wouldn't waste money on chemicles claiming to have bacteria. Half of the time those bottles sit on the shelves for months. Even bacteria has a shelf life. Patience is the most important tool in this hobby, and learning to more patient with cycling will help you have a successful and rewarding expireince. Crashes almost always happen because we rush things.

 

[Sergie]

Edit to earlier post
* reading heave on the NITRITES

 

[Kmurraylhs]

Actually you are buying water with bacteria that are in a dormant stage as soon as there are nutrients present they start to grow. Just like everything else you buy there is an expiration date. IMO I would rather seed my aquarium with bacteria designed for aquariums.

 

[Sergie]

I guess I just don't understand why you would buy something that occurs naturally in marine water. All you need to do is add an ammonia source and that same bacteria that is in that bottle will form...FOR FREE! or cheap I guess if you had to buy the ammonia source..it's not like it's chemically engineered in a lab to be a Superman version of nitrobacteria. But to each his own.

 

[Sergie]

Also, that bottle states that is has both nitrosomonas and nitrobacters, both which are aerobic, requiring oxygen to sustain their life cycles. There's only so much oxygen they can put in those bottles. If they run out of oxygen they don't just go dormant, the bacteria dies. Atleast that's what I understand.

 

[craig_will2513]

right so my tank is comming to the end of the cycle.. my anomia is at 0 my nitrite is around 4ppm and nitrate is way up at around 140ppm.. will the nitrite just fall on its own

 

[Sergie]

Once you read 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and only nitrate, then do a 50% water change to bring it down. Some of them will be consumed by the cheato. Make sure to keep lights off during the peak of nitrates. Algae feed off of them and you don't want a bloom in the display tank.

 

[hippy guy]

I dissagree about not doing a water change. If you keep your ammo added then even at 99% water change, you'd be fine because ammo will be converted. Those chems. All they do is add a bacteria that outcompetes the benificial bacteria. Once that dies off, your left with nothing. Keep your levels as low as possible, and don't be afraid to do a water change, it will only do good

 

[hippy guy]

When the bacteria that eats trites grows to a full, healthy colony, then they will drop your should be there any time now

 

[Sergie]

By doing a water change, before you build a healthy colony of bacteria, you take away the nutrients the bacteria needs to flourish and grow. Thus stalling the cycle. If you don't do a water change, the bacteria will feed on those nutrients, growing in numbers. The only time you do a water change is once the cycle is complete...only reading nitrates.

 

[Sergie]

If I understand correctly, you're saying to do a water change and then add more ammonia...the same thing you're taking out by doing a water change....so why change the water? Sounds ridiculous to me. If cycled 4 tanks by not doing PWCs. Most were less than a month.

 

[Ricksreef]

Gotta agree with Sergie,doing water changes below you reach the point of only having nitrate readings will only slow your cycle.