Cycling spikes

Hey everyone, so my 29 gallon is still cycling and my nitrite and nitrate are always spiking. (Nitrite 5.0 ppm and nitrate around 80ppm) For the last 3 days I have done PWC of 50% and yesterday was a 90%. Everyday water changes seems like an overkill especially since its a fishes cycle. Can I just leave it and see if the nitrite's will come down on their own? It's a planted tank and has been cycling for about 3 weeks. The ammonia gets raised to 2 ppm every time it drops to .25 which is about a day and half.

 

Hello! Not not sure how long you’ve been cycling but here’s my story.

I had basically the same thing going on in my 60 gallon I was cycling. By the end of the 2nd week Nitrite was off the charts and ammonia was processing well And Nitrates climbing.

I tried several large water changes, I believe I did 5-6 50+% waters changes over a couple weeks with no luck.

I had cycled many tanks years ago and was recently getting back into the hobby. I decided to try pure ammonia because that just seemed the way to do it these days! And it was awesome and consistent but I got stuck like you! After some reading a found some articles and posts online about the importance of phosphorus while cycling-this can be present in your tap water or otherwise this can come by Introducing fish food.

in the past I had always cycled using fish food and typically was fully cycled in and adding fish 3 weeks. This current cycle was going over a month!

long story story I started halfing my ammonia dosing and started adding pinches of fish flakes and within a few days Nitrites dropped and by the end of that week I was done!

I don’t have scientific evidence to support this, just personal experience past and present. If you do a google search you will mostly see this topic on saltwater forums. It’s a touchy subject because in saltwater tanks especially you need to watch phosphorus levels to prevent algae but, there is people that believe you ignore them in the beginning to aid in the cycle.

so that was a really long winded response of me telling you to “feed” your tank for a few days and see if you get similar results. I personally will do a duel method of ammonia and food for future cycles.

 

Hello! Not not sure how long you’ve been cycling but here’s my story.

I had basically the same thing going on in my 60 gallon I was cycling. By the end of the 2nd week Nitrite was off the charts and ammonia was processing well And Nitrates climbing.

I tried several large water changes, I believe I did 5-6 50+% waters changes over a couple weeks with no luck.

I had cycled many tanks years ago and was recently getting back into the hobby. I decided to try pure ammonia because that just seemed the way to do it these days! And it was awesome and consistent but I got stuck like you! After some reading a found some articles and posts online about the importance of phosphorus while cycling-this can be present in your tap water or otherwise this can come by Introducing fish food.

in the past I had always cycled using fish food and typically was fully cycled in and adding fish 3 weeks. This current cycle was going over a month!

long story story I started halfing my ammonia dosing and started adding pinches of fish flakes and within a few days Nitrites dropped and by the end of that week I was done!

I don’t have scientific evidence to support this, just personal experience past and present. If you do a google search you will mostly see this topic on saltwater forums. It’s a touchy subject because in saltwater tanks especially you need to watch phosphorus levels to prevent algae but, there is people that believe you ignore them in the beginning to aid in the cycle.

so that was a really long winded response of me telling you to “feed” your tank for a few days and see if you get similar results. I personally will do a duel method of ammonia and food for future cycles.

Hm I didn't know that, so I shouldn't do the water changes yet and just put in some fish food? How much are we talking? The fish flakes won't mold if left untouched?

 

If you are fishles its best not to change water otherwise you have no control on weather or not nitrites are rising, stable or dropping due to the water change, once you see nitrites dropping then you can do a partial water change to lower nitrates but remember the bacteria that change nitrites to nitrates will multiply according to their supply of food(nitrites) if you take this away with big water changes they will reproduce a lot more slowly.

 

Hm I didn't know that, so I shouldn't do the water changes yet and just put in some fish food? How much are we talking? The fish flakes won't mold if left untouched?

I would do a couple of pinches as if you were feeding a small school of fish, nothing excessive.

They will start to break down a little and you will need to clean it up at the end of the cycle. That is what will make this an unpopular opinion by others on here.

 

I would do a couple of pinches as if you were feeding a small school of fish, nothing excessive.

They will start to break down a little and you will need to clean it up at the end of the cycle. That is what will make this an unpopular opinion by others on here.

Yeah I see why, but I will try it. It's just difficult with the planted tank because there's hardly room for me to do a full gravel vacuum.

 

Yeah I see why, but I will try it. It's just difficult with the planted tank because there's hardly room for me to do a full gravel vacuum.

if you want to avoid the mess you could put the food in some kind of mesh bag or something of that sort that will allow it to break down in the water but not scatter the substrate. Then you can easily remove it.

 

if you want to avoid the mess you could put the food in some kind of mesh bag or something of that sort that will allow it to break down in the water but not scatter the substrate. Then you can easily remove it.

Oh cool, now that is easily doable! Thank you.

 

Why use fishfood? just add amonia, not the perfumed type, its cheaper than fishfood and is instant, you do not have to wait till it starts to mould and break down. You can dose ammonia and measure your ppm, if its lower than needed a few drops more, using food gives the problem you now have not knowing how much food produces how much amoniato get to the desired amount.

 

Why use fishfood? just add amonia, not the perfumed type, its cheaper than fishfood and is instant, you do not have to wait till it starts to mould and break down. You can dise ammonia and measure your ppm, if its lower than needed a few drops more, using food gives the problem you now have not knowing how much food produces how much amoniato get to the desired amount.

I have been using pure ammonia, its just now my nitrites and nitrates are through the roof and I'm afraid it will stall the cycle for me.

 

Amonia will also be taken in directly by most plants

 

If your making that kind of nitrate you're in good shape. Since you did a big water change I'd stop dosing ammonia and just put in fish.

Ammonia is a great way to cycle a tank but so often people overdose.

 

The only way to stall or stop the cycle is if you run out of amonia, which may happen using fishfood as it takes a while for it to start to rot and produce amonia, in the mean time the existing bacteria could starve while waiting

 

If your making that kind of nitrate you're in good shape. Since you did a big water change I'd stop dosing ammonia and just put in fish.

Ammonia is a great way to cycle a tank but so often people overdose.

My nitrite is spiked so fish would die, I'm waiting for my nitrite's to go to zero before putting fish in.

The only way to stall or stop the cycle is if you run out of amonia, which may happen using fishfood as it takes a while for it to start to rot and produce amonia, in the mean time the existing bacteria could starve while waiting

Oh, I will observe the next few days. So as long as my ammonia is being "eaten" I'm still cycling? Correct?

 

correct but if you run out of ammonia things will slow down.

 

correct but if you run out of ammonia things will slow down.

Okay makes sense! Thank you!

 

My nitrite is spiked so fish would die, I'm waiting for my nitrite's to go to zero before putting fish in.



Oh, I will observe the next few days. So as long as my ammonia is being "eaten" I'm still cycling? Correct?

When the cycle is first established and you're seeing Nitrate and Nitrite it's a REALLY short period of time until the Nitrites disappear. If all the sudden your nitrites spiked I'd guess you dosed too much ammonia. But still, your tank is cycled, if it wasn't you wouldn't be seeing nitrates.

 

When the cycle is first established and you're seeing Nitrate and Nitrite it's a REALLY short period of time until the Nitrites disappear. If all the sudden your nitrites spiked I'd guess you dosed too much ammonia. But still, your tank is cycled, if it wasn't you wouldn't be seeing nitrates.

If I would have dosed too much ammonia wouldn't a 90% water change have changed that? I always does to 2ppm. I will give it a few more days and see if there will be any changes.

 

If I would have dosed too much ammonia wouldn't a 90% water change have changed that? I always does to 2ppm. I will give it a few more days and see if there will be any changes.

What's your end goal here? Are you trying to establish a huge crop of bacteria to load in a massive amount of fish all at once?

Once your see nitrates in a cycle you are in good shape, you just wait for ammonia to go down and nitrites to go down. Then add your critters, then they will produce ammonia and the level of bacteria will stabilize to match the bioload.

 

What's your end goal here? Are you trying to establish a huge crop of bacteria to load in a massive amount of fish all at once?

Once your see nitrates in a cycle you are in good shape, you just wait for ammonia to go down and nitrites to go down. Then add your critters, then they will produce ammonia and the level of bacteria will stabilize to match the bioload.

That's what the goal was, for the tank to be able to process at least 2ppm of ammonia. So now I'm just waiting for nitrites to go down. I was worried because now my nitrates are 80ppm and PWC doesn't change that. I guess I just have to wait and see if it goes down by itself.

 

That's what the goal was, for the tank to be able to process at least 2ppm of ammonia. So now I'm just waiting for nitrites to go down. I was worried because now my nitrates are 80ppm and PWC doesn't change that. I guess I just have to wait and see if it goes down by itself.

If you change half the water your nitrates will be cut in half, if they are more than half it's because nitrites are being processed bringing it back up.

I've never tried to start a tank by this method so I'm no expert. I'm more into stocking slowly.