Ammonia Adding To Nitrites?

Ammonia was 0 for a few days
Nitrites was 2ppm
And nitrates 20
I was informed to not add ammonia until nitrites were at zero. An bb won't starve.
Nothing was changeing,

So I added another 2ppm ammonia, still same reading nitrates/nitrites as before. I'll re-test in 24hr.
But my QUESTION; is this.. if adding ammonia increases nitrites. This will shoot past 4ppm seem as though it was 2. And ammonia will convert faster than nitrites too nitrates. So this will cause a cycle crash also.. and involves more water changes...
Your suppose to do no water changes in a FISHLESS cycle. Yet this bit puzzles me. Been tryinh too cycle this tank for nearly 2months an seeing no drastic results.

 

Have you added any thing like QuickStart or SafeStart to the tank? That may help. Also, depending on your tank size and filter, try adding a piece of drift wood or porous rock from your LFS to the tank to give the BB another place to colonize.

 

You should turn your temperature up to 80 to help bacteria grow. Also make sure there is water agitation so exchange of oxygen is good for bacteria.

I always make my ammonia reach 1ppm even if it falls to 0 the next day. You want bacteria to keep eating. It's good that you have 2 reading nitrites it means its working. You'll be done if you put ammonia 1ppm one day, wait 24 hours, and have a reading of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and some levels of nitrate.

Thank you for being patient. your fish will appreciate it in the future

 

If I recall correctly, the bacteria for the second part of the cycle grow much slower, so it isn't too weird that ammonia to nitrite is faster than nitrite to nitrate

 

You should turn your temperature up to 80 to help bacteria grow. Also make sure there is water agitation so exchange of oxygen is good for bacteria.

I always make my ammonia reach 1ppm even if it falls to 0 the next day. You want bacteria to keep eating. It's good that you have 2 reading nitrites it means its working. You'll be done if you put ammonia 1ppm one day, wait 24 hours, and have a reading of 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and some levels of nitrate.

Thank you for being patient. your fish will appreciate it in the future

What if my nitrites exceed 4ppm? I'm told nitrites to high will stall a cycle by others and others will say no water changes needed. Nitrites won't stall a cycle.
But then there shouldnt really be a need to water change in a fishless cycle unless NITRATES exceed 100ppm?

Added 2ppm ammomia yesterday. It now already reads 0.2. Ppm so that's fine its working.
Nitrites now reads 8ppm. That's as far as my test kit reads. And nitrates read: 80.0 again that's as far as my kit reads. Iv posted pictures. If I water change again this will be like a 7th water change in THIS cycle.. my water source is fine tested all this before any1 says that. Should I water change? Or wait another 24hrs and do nothing? Or add another 1ppm ammonia.

 

This is why I do a fish in cycle with some seeded media. Try and find a local club and if you do I'm sure someone will be more then happy to give you a chunk if sponge or filter floss.

 

Time for some mythbusting.

You can change water whenever you like during a cycle. It does not adversely affect the cycle, and in a lot of cycles it’s actually necessary.
Nitrites up to 15ppm will not adversely affect a cycle.
High nitrates will not stall a cycle but they will slow it down.

The number one cause of a stalled cycle is running out of carbonates (KH) which the bacteria need. What is the hardness of the water? If you’ve run out of carbonates you need a water change.

In 99% of cycles that have slowed, all you need to do is change the water, redose ammonia, and the cycle will quickly complete.