Cannot Get Nitrite Below .25ppm

So I bought a 5 gallon tank for my betts almost a month ago. I started the tank with tetra safestart. After doing a water change after 2 weeks I tested the water and had an ammonia level of 4.0ppm a nitrate level of 5.0 ppm and 0 nitires. I did a massive water change and was ready to use safe start plus. Today I tested the water and my ammonia is at .25ppm, nitrites are at .25ppm, and nitrates are at 10ppm. Is my tank cycled or do I need to bomb it with tetra safestart plus?

Nitrates are at 10ppm and rising

 

Almost there. Do a small water change and see if ammonia and nitrite drop. Once ammonia is at 0, nitrite is 0 and nitrate is 5 - 1oppm you are cycled!

 

I'm cycling my tank and can't get my nitrites below .25ppm I have .5ppm nitrates and ammonia seems to be at 0ppm. Any advice?

 

They will probably be gone in a day or two.

 

Is this a fishless cycle? If so, you probably shouldn't have dosed that much ammonia. It can overwhelm the TSS bacteria.

Also, what is your pH level?

 

Dont let your anmonia stay at zero for more than 24 hours, or your cycle is ruined. (If you’re doing a fishless cycle)

 

Dont let your anmonia stay at zero for more than 24 hours, or your cycle is ruined. (If you’re doing a fishless cycle)

I'm doing a fish in cycle.

Is this a fishless cycle? If so, you probably shouldn't have dosed that much ammonia. It can overwhelm the TSS bacteria.

Also, what is your pH level?

Its a fish in cylce. Ph is at about a 6.4

 

Okay...that was helpful info. When your pH drops below 7.0 the ammonia starts turning into ammonium. And by the time your pH gets down to 6.0, all ammonia has turned into ammonium. The good thing about ammonium is that it is far less toxic than ammonia (some claim that it is non-toxic), which explains how with so a high "ammonia" level your fish are still surviving. The bad thing about ammonium is that it is a terrible food source for the ammonia converting bacteria you are trying to develop to cycle your tank. In fact if your pH gets close to 6.0, it may become impossible to cycle a tank.

Obviously the TSS did not work and no doubt it was because you had a bunch of ammonium and very little ammonia, so the TSS bacteria starved off. But one way to tell if the TSS did work at all is to test your tap water for nitrates. If your tap water contains 5ppm nitrates, the TSS failed. If you tap water contains 0ppm nitrates, then the TSS did set up a small colony of ammonia converting bacteria that did/is converting the small amount of ammonia in your tank (but not the larger amount of ammonium) into nitrites and then there is a bacteria colony that is converting those nitrites into nitrates.

So you may choose to try and raise your pH closer to 7.0, in order to get the tank to cycle. Probably the easiest/best way for you to do this it to go to the pet store and go to the bird section. Pick up a cuttle bone (just be sure that it is not colored or have any "flavors: added, just a plain white one) and put that into the tank. As it sloooowly dissolves it releases calcium into the water which in turn raises your KH which also raises your pH.

But a word of caution with raising your pH. As the pH starts getting closer to 7.0, that ammonium starts turning back into toxic ammonia, so you need to keep an eye on your ammonia level and perform water changes with Prime until the tank cycles. What you want to do is keep the ammonia level under 1ppm at all times so that the Prime can keep it fully detoxed. (A standard dose of Prime will detox up to 1ppm of ammonia and/or nitrite for 24 hours).

Hope this helps and feel free to ask any additional questions you may have. You know how it is at FishLore...you got Q's...we got A's.

 

Okay...that was helpful info. When your pH drops below 7.0 the ammonia starts turning into ammonium. And by the time your pH gets down to 6.0, all ammonia has turned into ammonium. The good thing about ammonium is that it is far less toxic than ammonia (some claim that it is non-toxic), which explains how with so a high "ammonia" level your fish are still surviving. The bad thing about ammonium is that it is a terrible food source for the ammonia converting bacteria you are trying to develop to cycle your tank. In fact if your pH gets close to 6.0, it may become impossible to cycle a tank.

Obviously the TSS did not work and no doubt it was because you had a bunch of ammonium and very little ammonia, so the TSS bacteria starved off. But one way to tell if the TSS did work at all is to test your tap water for nitrates. If your tap water contains 5ppm nitrates, the TSS failed. If you tap water contains 0ppm nitrates, then the TSS did set up a small colony of ammonia converting bacteria that did/is converting the small amount of ammonia in your tank (but not the larger amount of ammonium) into nitrites and then there is a bacteria colony that is converting those nitrites into nitrates.

So you may choose to try and raise your pH closer to 7.0, in order to get the tank to cycle. Probably the easiest/best way for you to do this it to go to the pet store and go to the bird section. Pick up a cuttle bone (just be sure that it is not colored or have any "flavors: added, just a plain white one) and put that into the tank. As it sloooowly dissolves it releases calcium into the water which in turn raises your KH which also raises your pH.

But a word of caution with raising your pH. As the pH starts getting closer to 7.0, that ammonium starts turning back into toxic ammonia, so you need to keep an eye on your ammonia level and perform water changes with Prime until the tank cycles. What you want to do is keep the ammonia level under 1ppm at all times so that the Prime can keep it fully detoxed. (A standard dose of Prime will detox up to 1ppm of ammonia and/or nitrite for 24 hours).

Hope this helps and feel free to ask any additional questions you may have. You know how it is at FishLore...you got Q's...we got A's.

I tested the tap water and it tested 0ppm of nitrates. I'm going to give this one more go. Any advice would help.