NitrItes not going away

[barterking85]

Same page different book? Lol

 

[Clynnking]

Sorry to cause such an uproar. LOL. I just added ammonia this morning after a big PWC and will see what my numbers look like. If no ammonia, I will know my bb got fed and do what you said. PWC, move everything from 20 gal. that is moveable including fish. (I don't like the gravel in there-its green-not from algae). The 20 would then be empty except for gravel. I suppose I should fill it again to keep the bacteria in the gravel alive? I could also add a new clean filter to the water to have some of that bacteria growing on it? Will the 20 be ok without filter on?

 

[Clynnking]

Why do I not need to have my QT tank cycled? Any new fish I get for the 38 gal will need to be QT for a while and an uncycled tank would be dangerous for the new arrivals right?

 

[eco23]

Sorry to cause such an uproar. LOL. I just added ammonia this morning after a big PWC and will see what my numbers look like. If no ammonia, I will know my bb got fed and do what you said. PWC, move everything from 20 gal. that is moveable including fish. (I don't like the gravel in there-its green-not from algae). The 20 would then be empty except for gravel. I suppose I should fill it again to keep the bacteria in the gravel alive? I could also add a new clean filter to the water to have some of that bacteria growing on it? Will the 20 be ok without filter on?

Good, just give it a few days without adding ammonia before you move over the fish. You'll likely still have nitrItes build up in that time even though you're not adding ammonia. To put it bluntly, the bacteria doesn't poop at the same time it eats, so it will still produce nitrItes for a few days...that's why you want to leave it totally alone for a few days after the total water change. Make sure there is no ammonia or no2 when you move them over with the media, and do pwc's if you see spikes (which you shouldn't if you give it a few days for the remaining nitrItes to convert to nitrAtes).

A QT doesn't need to stay cycled because it will be empty 99% of the time. It's never a fully stocked tank, and if you've only got a fish or two in there you can just move some of the media from your main tank into it, and the bacteria you bring over should handle the fish. If you're quarantining a sick fish you normally do water changes every day regardless, so the toxins aren't a concern.

 

[barterking85]

Why do I not need to have my QT tank cycled? Any new fish I get for the 38 gal will need to be QT for a while and an uncycled tank would be dangerous for the new arrivals right?

Right but you can get another filter for your 20 and move some of your used media into that for a quick cycle when you need your qt

 

[eco23]

Just a couple points I want to clarify for other people reading this so there's not confusion of why this is being advised.

When simply moving your fish from an established, cycled tank to another...you don't need to fishless cycle because the bacteria you have in the old tank is already prepared to handle the fish that are in there. You will lose the bacteria on the walls, gravel and decorations, so a mini-cycle is possible, but a few days of pwc's will stabilize things out.

Now, during a normal fishless cycle when you are not simply moving fish...you want to wait until your nitrItes are dropping down on their own. If you stock the tank before this happens...it can be nitrIte spike city. The ammonia > nitrIte bacteria builds up first, and the nitrIte to nitrAte guys aren't developed yet. What can happen is the first type of bacteria will convert the ammonia to nitrIte in a flash, but if you don't have enough of the nitrIte to nitrAte bacteria in there...the nitrItes will spike and you'll simply be doing a fish-in cycle until that bacteria colonizes efficiently.

This is just a different situation...and I didn't want the info floating around that eco thinks it's okay to stock the tank simply when ammonia is dropping, but not nitrItes. That is not a completed fishless cycle....that is just getting a head start on a fish-in cycle

 

[Meave]

Thanks for all the help, it's funny because you always get conflicting advice from different places. One board said to stop doing the partial water changes, it's disrupting the cycles.

I am going to stop adding ammonia for a couple of days and see if the Nitrites go down some.

Thanks again!

 

[eco23]

Thanks for all the help, it's funny because you always get conflicting advice from different places. One board said to stop doing the partial water changes, it's disrupting the cycles.

I am going to stop adding ammonia for a couple of days and see if the Nitrites go down some.

Thanks again!

Hang on...I got mixed up with who's thread this was.

In your case, it is a matter of patience. You can do a massive water change to get nitrItes low, and either just feed small amounts of ammonia or not add any for a few days...but as for adding the fish before nitrIte drops, that's a very bad idea IMO...see the second part of my last post

If you haven't seen the guide and FAQ in my signature...check it out

 

[eco23]

Oh, and pwc's have no negative impact on your cycle. There is virtually no beneficial bacteria in the water, it is in the filter media and other surfaces of the tank. That's old school methodology or people being uninformed. Just don't let the filter dry out and it only helps...there is no harm done.

Water changes will help prevent stalls and pH crashes...they're just not necessary to constantly do. One of the reasons we do fishless cycles is so we don't have to change water every day

 

[barterking85]

I was confused to who's post this was too sorry for the confusion and my opinions rarely differ from eco and now we got this mess cleared up I completely agree

 

[Clynnking]

Sorry for hijacking the thread. My bad----but I did learn alot- hope others did too. Sorry Eco, Sorry Ryan...thanks for your help.