eagerinsight

My fishless un-cycled tank is on its way to being cycled. My tank takes care of ammonia very quickly, goes from 4 ppm to 0 ppm in under 12 hours. Everyday I add 8 drops of ammonia to my 10 gallon tank. My nitrites are off the charts along with my nitrates. Its been almost a month and nitrites still haven't dropped. What is taking so long, should I do a water change and monitor the concentrations carefully? I figure the presence of nitrates is a good sign, but I expected the nitrite spike to decrease to 0 and nitrate to spike.

sgould

Keep doing what you are doing. It just takes time, and unfortunately the time is inconsistent. You could notice the nitrites coming down any day now, or it might be another 2 weeks. Water changes during the cycle slow it down, so with no fish in there to protect, don't do one.

fishbum

Patience is the hardest thing to have when cycling a tank.What is happening with the nitrites is normal,check it tomorrrow and they could be gone,or it could take another week.(we have all been through this and it SUCKS!)lol
Good Luck!
Remember patience makes for healthier and happier fish.


I have a 10 gallon that took around 6 weeks to fully cycle,and a 30 gallon that took 8 weeks.I started the fishless cycle on the same day with both tanks.The nitrites ALWAYS take longer to disappear(I also have a 120,20,and 5 gallon).The ammonia was gone at the same time in both those tanks,(10 and 30)but for some reason,the nitrites took longer to disappear in the 30 gallon.

So be patient,it will happen soon!!!

Peterpiper

If the Nitrates are off the chart, and the Nitrite test shows no change, then I would take a water sample to a lfs and have it tested. you may find that the nitrite test kit you are using is giving a false reading.