Thought it would be instant-cycled...

[howmanyds]

I'm setting up a 5 gallon hospital tank that came with a tiny filter and a little carbon media. I added about 2 tablespoons of Seachem matrix (all that could fit) from my cycled tank. Several days have passed (no fish) and the tank is showing a nitrite and a nitrate reading. There is, of course, no nitrite in the tank that the media came from, and I have added no ammonia to the 5 gallon tank. I thought having the media would instantly cycle this tank. Why am I getting a nitrite reading? I assume the nitrite is coming from residual ammonia "consumption," but shouldn't it all be processed into nitrate?


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[howmanyds]

It's still at about .75ppm today. What should I do to get this tank cycled? I have a sick fish waiting to hop in.


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[TankinWithUs]

try a water change? I would probably challenge it (add 2ppm of ammonia) and see if it is truly cycled the next day. But I'm a total noob. That's what I would do, though.

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[Rpeinhardt]

I had to look up Seachem Matrix:

"Matrix™ provides both external and internal macroporous*surface area. These macropores are ideally sized for the support of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria."

Looks like you've got a colony of denitrifying bacteria in the Matrix media that are converting NO3 back to NO2.

They need anaerobic conditions to live and the inner areas of Matrix are designed to provide it, apparently.

 

[FWFishTanks]

Do water changes daily of 25-50 percent until you only get nitrate readings. Adding established gravel in the tank may help a bit too.