Nitrite Arghh!!!

[countrygirl]

I am on day 62 and can't get rid of my Nitrite . My tank varies from 0.3 - 0.8 Nitrite levels. Ammonia has been 0 for at least a month now. I don't know what is going on either. It is driving me nuts. The tank is slightly cloudy and I have tried everything to clear it. The Nitrite level refuses to drop. I think it will never be fully cycled. I am wondering if the fact that I have live plants in there is stalling the cycle or is it because it is a 250 gallon tank? What is going on here? I have tried Carbon, I have tried both types of Clear, Cycle, Any clarifier I could find I have tried. Do these products not work on large tank with wet/dry systems? Give me a cure all fix me up puhlease!!

[tmurphy171]

First thing you can do is stop adding chemicals to your tank. They don't work. Carbon won't help remove nitrite It would help if you can tell us what you nitrate reading is and your water change schedule and whats in your filter

[jsoong]

Also helpful would be the current occupants of the tank, pH and Temperature. And the nitrate level is helpful as well.

The plants won't stall the cycle, although if you have a LOT of them, you might never have a cycle (nor the need of one) as the plants remove the ammonia as fast as it is produced. In that case, tho, you would not even see nitrites.

Low temp. will prolong the cycle as the bugs grow slower. How long is it since your ammonia spike? In my unheated tank, it was 4-5 weeks after the ammonia spike that I had a nitrite crash. So, you 63 days is not that far off (esp. in the middle of a Winnipeg winter! 8O)