[B]Nitrites arrived 2 days ago, Now what?[B/]

[InfernoST]

Hi Everyone
Finally the nitrite made their appearance and the ammonia went south which is all good but now I'm fighting with the Nitrites constantly hitting the dangerous end of the scale causing me to perform 50% WC twice a day to keep them under control. Is this normal? It took 3 weeks for nitrites to show up, any idea how much longer before the nitrates make their appearance?

FYI: I'm cycling the tank with fish. (Ooooops, this wont happen a 2nd time, it's to stressful)

Thanx All

 

[Greeny]

I'm new at this, but you should buy some beneficial bacteria from the store to kick start the process and neutralize the nitrites. Or ask the store for some of their filter media. Or ask a friend for some.

If you are performing 50% water changes, the process will take longer with less new water, but the levels will be higher.

Just my two cents. I saw you didn't have any answers so I thought I would chime in. Good luck!

Greeny.

 

[booginish]

your best bet would be to get some filter media or various tank media from a clean fully cycled tank(established for a few months) to kick start the process, the artificial bacteria wont work, they only maintain between certain temperatures that lfc's you buy from dont regulate by, the only one that has slightly been proven to work is "Bio-Spira", but you have to get it refidgerated, and get it home really fast to make sure they survive.

 

[7Enigma]

If you are performing 50% water changes, the process will take longer with less new water, but the levels will be higher.

I don't know exactly what you are trying to say here but InfernoST keep doing the water changes. Water changes do NOT slow down the cycling process in any measurable amount, the majority of the benefical bacterial is in the filter and on the substrate/walls of the tank, so removing the water has little/no effect. Since you have fish they must be your top priority.

You can also use a double dose of Prime (if you're not using this dechlorinator I highly recommend it) which should help buffer the toxins that don't get removed during the 50% change and in between water changes.

You can also add some fast growing plants to help ease the burden on the bacterial. Hornwort, Egeria, Anacharis (#1 recommendation), Stargrass, Wisteria, etc. are all great ammonia sponges that are cheap, and can be discarded after a couple weeks. And who knows, you may get suckered into the much more demanding world of planted tanks.

And things will get better, just keep up the water changes.

 

[InfernoST]

I don't know exactly what you are trying to say here but InfernoST keep doing the water changes. Water changes do NOT slow down the cycling process in any measurable amount, the majority of the benefical bacterial is in the filter and on the substrate/walls of the tank, so removing the water has little/no effect. Since you have fish they must be your top priority.

You can also use a double dose of Prime (if you're not using this dechlorinator I highly recommend it) which should help buffer the toxins that don't get removed during the 50% change and in between water changes.

You can also add some fast growing plants to help ease the burden on the bacterial. Hornwort, Egeria, Anacharis (#1 recommendation), Stargrass, Wisteria, etc. are all great ammonia sponges that are cheap, and can be discarded after a couple weeks. And who knows, you may get suckered into the much more demanding world of planted tanks.

And things will get better, just keep up the water changes.

7Enigma

I'm definately keeping up with the water changes, it's just a larger volume of water more frequently. The nitrites are spiking so fast I'm just afraid for the fish, they are the families #1 priority. Thanks for the advice.

InfernoSt

 

[fisch]

Water changes will slow down the cycle. The bacteria need Nitrites to colonize, so if you are taking away their food source (Nitrites) from water changes then they cannot grow as quickly.
Having said this, keep up with the water changes as it will be highly beneficial to your fish.
Getting past the nitrite spike is often the longest part of the cycle. If you can get some established media from a friend or LFS it will help reduce the cycle time.