Please help me get some nitrites! 29 gallon fishless cycle....

[jlk]

A ton of pwcs probably are not necessary. Lets stick to a 2ppm ammonia dose every 2-3 days for now until your nitrite>nitrate bacteria are up to speed. We can work on increasing it soon. Hang in there!!!

 

[pugmom]

thanks - just tested again, no drop in nitrites. I guess I don't get how I can have some many nitrates without seeing any nitrite drop without water change....

I will probably wait to dose ammonia tonight or tomorrow so it will be 2.5-3 days.

 

[pugmom]

maybe I should just plan on this being a permanent water feature?

added more ammonia even though nitrites haven't budged....

 

[TangoTank]

Oh man, Dontcha just hate not having a "textbook" cycle?! Ugh. I've got NO NitrItes (went away on their own) BUT NitrAtes aren't going up & ammonia is moving out VERY slowly now on my fishless cycle. : perturbed: too!!

 

[pugmom]

aw....I was hoping your tank was getting closer by now too! I am pretty sure I am going to be happier than my kids when I finally can get fish!

 

[blert]

aw....I was hoping your tank was getting closer by now too! I am pretty sure I am going to be happier than my kids when I finally can get fish!

You started this at the begging of June? You may have a couple to four more weeks left. You could always switch to fish-in.

 

[pugmom]

no changes today - added ammonia 2 days ago. Still off the chart nitrites. 18 days since nitrites spiked.....5 weeks of cycle total.

Pretty much lost all of my plants at this point

 

[blert]

no changes today - added ammonia 2 days ago. Still off the chart nitrites. 18 days since nitrites spiked.....5 weeks of cycle total.

Pretty much lost all of my plants at this point

Why did you loss your plants?

 

[pugmom]

no idea, they are java fern that have turned totally brown in the last week. Searching around it may have been too high of nitrites?

I don't have a heck of a lot of light on the tank (marineland LED) but there is some natural light, so I would think there would be enough....

 

[pugmom]

no nitrite drop today. last dosed ammonia 7/9. pH still fine.

Water change or no before today's ammonia??

 

[jlk]

I suspect your light in your dying plants. I had one of these & I could barely keep any plants other than anubias. Everything else died. Go ahead & add a low dose 2ppm. If you want to do a wc, feel free to do so before dosing. Hang in there!!!

 

[pugmom]

thanks - since my plants are pretty much gone I guess will wait another couple days on the water change. makes me sad, I loved the ferns.....

 

[TangoTank]

Aww... That is sad!! Losing a plant to me is like losing a fish, a friend. Were you fertilizing? I use Leaf Zone, my sword is doing great on it w/ a lil 4W incandescent bulb w/ some natural indirect light. HA!! I'm shocked, I thought I'd have to move the tank closer to the indirect light.

 

[pugmom]

I put in some flourish, but nothing else. I think once I am cycled (if ever!) I will try plants again, they looked gorgeous.....

Tank still frustrating. ended up doing large water change last night - dropped nitrite to .25 ppm. still the same this am. still confused on where all my nitrate is coming from if I can't drop nitrite -lol.

 

[pugmom]

yay! finally drops in nitrites! Still not in 24 hours, but finally a noticeable drop (happy dance)

 

[TangoTank]

yay! finally drops in nitrites! Still not in 24 hours, but finally a noticeable drop (happy dance)

WAHOOOOOOOO!!!! Congrats!

 

[blert]

yay! finally drops in nitrites! Still not in 24 hours, but finally a noticeable drop (happy dance)

Only six more weeks and you will be ready for your first fish! J/K! Don't shoot me.

Good work. Have a cocktail, you have earned it.

 

[bud29]

*jealousy*

 

[pugmom]

Only six more weeks and you will be ready for your first fish! J/K! Don't shoot me.

lol I was going to throw fish in no matter what soon, this has really tried my patience!

Thanks for the support everyone!

 

[jlk]

That's great! And if you switch to fish-in, you will be fine, too!!! No worries!!!