Nitrites still really high !

[steer14]

My 55litre tank has been cycling now for 5 weeks (fishless with ammonia) and nitrite level is still ridiculous . nitrite has been way off the chart on my api liquid test for about 3 weeks . Is this normal ? I just now took 0.5mm of tank water and 4.5mm of tap water and the test still read 2+ppm on the chart . the tap water has 0 nitrates !

 

[jlk]

Hi! Its time for a massive water change to bring your nitrites under control. You may have to do more than one 100% water change to get them down to a readable level (@2ppm). Make sure you use temp-matched, conditioned water for the changes. Once you get your nitrites down to 2ppm (or less) only dose the ammonia to 2ppm for the next couple of days to allow things to catch up. After 3 days, you can go back to 4ppm dosing. If you nitrites start to spike up to crazy levels again, i would do another water change to bring them back down to a readable level. I encountered a similar issue with nitrites on my last fishless cycle-it took three, consecutive 100% wcs to get my nitrites readable! After this, i only had to do a few more wcs & my tank was fully cycled 9 days later. Hope this helps!

 

[Navyboy]

Steer, few questions.
55litre, but what else is in the tank? plants substrate rocks all that.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

I have found the API liquid test kit to be very inaccurate when testing for high levels of nitrites. It seems to be really good at measuring values between 0 and 2 ppm. But once you get above 2ppm, you might have a reading as high as 20ppm, but the test strip might only look like it is still 2ppm.

As others have suggested, you need to do some huge water changes.

The other thing is that I seem to recall that when doing a fishless cycle, at some point you need some potassium (or something else, don't recall what) to help get that 2nd bacteria that converts your nitrites established. Basically, I recall reading that if your fishless cycle stalls, try adding just a touch of fish food, as it will contain the potassium (or what ever element is needed) to help get the cycling moving along.

 

[steer14]

Thanks for the feedback . jlk I have just made a 100% water change and tested the water after things settled and nitrites now at 0.50ppm . Have dosed ammonia to 2ppm . Ill keep ya posted thanks . Navyboy I have two small rocks , a piece of drift wood , gravel and 1 anubias nano and 1 bunch of java fern . oh and filter and heater . Hookoodooku I would like to see a test for nitrites that could be a bit more accurate too . And after the nitrites spiked i added a very small ground up piece of flake food for that very reason . Didnt seem to help me much .

 

[jlk]

Keep us posted!!

 

[Donkey Gun]

I have found the API liquid test kit to be very inaccurate when testing for high levels of nitrites. It seems to be really good at measuring values between 0 and 2 ppm. But once you get above 2ppm, you might have a reading as high as 20ppm, but the test strip might only look like it is still 2ppm.

Just out of curiousity, why would there be a test strip if you are using the API liquid tests?

 

[steer14]

latest results are - ammonia 0 , nitrite 0 nitrate 40 . Just dosed back to 2ppm . fingers crossed might be getting somewhere

 

[jlk]

Looks good! Lets see how things look in 24hrs!

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Just out of curiousity, why would there be a test strip if you are using the API liquid tests?

In most pet stores, you can either buy the liquid tests individually (or multiple liquid tests in a "kit"). These are considered pretty accurate.

You can also purchase a multi-test test strip, where a single strip will have several small squares, one for each test it does (usually ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and water hardness). You simply dip the strip in the water. The strips are notriously inaccurate.

However, what I'm trying to point out is that the liquid tests are best for accurately testing low levels. The test strips, as inaccurate as they are, are 'good enough' to estimate high levels.

So we're talking about two differnent types of testing technology.

 

[Yanz]

steer14, I seem to have the same problem...my nitrites are super high. By my calculations its over 25 ppm...
I dosed it a day ago with 4ppm ammonia and its all gone now. Nitrates about 80ppm.
So just do a massive water change and keep the ammonia up?

 

[Koikid88]

25ppm? Holy smokes what colour are your tests lol black?

 

[jlk]

steer14, I seem to have the same problem...my nitrites are super high. By my calculations its over 25 ppm...
I dosed it a day ago with 4ppm ammonia and its all gone now. Nitrates about 80ppm.
So just do a massive water change and keep the ammonia up?

Hi! It sounds like things are moving along for you if your amm is zeroing out in 24hrs & your starting to see an increase in nitrates. Do a big water change to get nitrites down to a readable level & keep dosing your ammonia. Just make sure you use temperature-matched, conditioned water for the change. If you need more help, you can post a new thread in the 'getting started' section with your questions.

 

[Yanz]

25ppm? Holy smokes what colour are your tests lol black?

haha no, they turn really purple but its hard to gauge how much purpler. I put in 1mL of tank water and 4mL of conditioned water and it still read 5ppm.

Yeah jlk, I'm using temp matched and conditioned water.
Thanks guys!

 

[steer14]

For two days I have dosed 2ppm ammonia and ammonia and nitrite read zero in under 24hrs . I dosed to 4ppm yesterday and after 24hrs ammonia 0 , nitrite 2ppm . So i must be cycled to 2ppm ? If so is there much benefit in cycling to 4ppm if im only going to start with 3-4 small fish and slowly introduce more ?

 

[librarygirl]

For two days I have dosed 2ppm ammonia and ammonia and nitrite read zero in under 24hrs . I dosed to 4ppm yesterday and after 24hrs ammonia 0 , nitrite 2ppm . So i must be cycled to 2ppm ? If so is there much benefit in cycling to 4ppm if im only going to start with 3-4 small fish and slowly introduce more ?

Hi, good question. Dosing to 4 is designed to be overkill; unless you massively overstock your tank the fish shouldn't produce anywhere near 4 ppms of ammonia. Dosing that high just creates a strong biofilter which allows you to fully stock the tank after the cycle is done. The bacteria will then adjust down to your stocking level.

If you aren't planning to fully stock the tank then you should be OK with dosing to 2. Since nitrites did rise I'd keep dosing and testing for a few more days at least; it's probable the higher level of ammonia contributed to the higher nitrite (eventually it would adjust) but it's always best to keep dosing for at least a few days after ammonia and nitrite stay at 0 just to make sure there aren't any further spikes.

So, it's up to you whether you want to dose to 2 for a few more days or keep dosing to 4 and let it adjust so you can add more fish after the cycle is done.