Fast Nitrite Drop?

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I'm doing a fishless cycle dosed with ammonia. Yesterday morning I finally got a nitrite reading about a week and a half after adding Tetra Safe Start, and my ammonia began dropping. My reading at that time for nitrite was about 2ppm.

I re-tested about 5 minutes ago, so a little more than 24 hours later. My nitrites seem to have dropped to 0.25ppm. As I understand, the bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate take sometimes twice the amount of time to establish that the ammonia converting bacteria do. So anyone know if seeing a nitrite drop just 24 hours after first noticing a reading is normal? Thanks!

 

Back again

I'm doing a fishless cycle dosed with ammonia. Yesterday morning I finally got a nitrite reading about a week and a half after adding Tetra Safe Start, and my ammonia began dropping. My reading at that time for nitrite was about 2ppm.

I re-tested about 5 minutes ago, so a little more than 24 hours later. My nitrites seem to have dropped to 0.25ppm. As I understand, the bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate take sometimes twice the amount of time to establish that the ammonia converting bacteria do. So anyone know if seeing a nitrite drop just 24 hours after first noticing a reading is normal? Thanks!

You are right. When cycling without bottled bacteria it normally takes longer for the nitrite eating bacteria to catch up with the ammonia eating bacteria. Lots of times when using bottled bacteria we get unexpected readings. Some folks never see nitrites at all when using TSS. I have to think the spike happens so quickly they just miss it.

 

You are right. When cycling without bottled bacteria it normally takes longer for the nitrite eating bacteria to catch up with the ammonia eating bacteria. Lots of times when using bottled bacteria we get unexpected readings. Some folks never see nitrites at all when using TSS. I have to think the spike happens so quickly they just miss it.

The notorious nitrite spike has two reasons. Without the use of TSS the specific bacteria only will start multiplying when nitrites occured and they are slower multiplyers than the ammoniamunchers (as you mentioned)

When you use TSS, cultures of both are added at the same time, so when nitrites occure there are a lot more bacteria already there and so will start multiplying immediately. So it is some quantity right away.

Edit : Rereading it is a bit in Dutch-English.
Sorry for that.

 

You are right. When cycling without bottled bacteria it normally takes longer for the nitrite eating bacteria to catch up with the ammonia eating bacteria. Lots of times when using bottled bacteria we get unexpected readings. Some folks never see nitrites at all when using TSS. I have to think the spike happens so quickly they just miss it.

Interesting. So would you assume that the nitrite eating bacteria are already beginning to multiply as a result of using TSS? I plan to continue dosing ammonia at 2ppm once it drops to 0, we'll see how that ends up being processed

The notorious nitrite spike has two reasons. Without the use of TSS the specific bacteria only will start multiplying when nitrites occured and they are slower multiplyers than the ammoniamunchers (as you mentioned)

When you use TSS, cultures of both are added at the same time, so when nitrites occure there are a lot more bacteria already there and so will start multiplying immediately. So it is some quantity right away.

Edit : Rereading it is a bit in Dutch-English.
Sorry for that.

Oh sweet, so it sounds like nitrite eating bacteria are indeed already present as a result of using TSS. This sounds like a good thing, maybe this cycle will be complete in a shorter amount of time than anticipated?

 

Interesting. So would you assume that the nitrite eating bacteria are already beginning to multiply as a result of using TSS? I plan to continue dosing ammonia at 2ppm once it drops to 0, we'll see how that ends up being processed

Right, that does seem to happen. Sounds like you got a good fresh bottle of TSS and it is doing exactly what it is supposed to do.

Oh sweet, so it sounds like nitrite eating bacteria are indeed already present as a result of using TSS. This sounds like a good thing, maybe this cycle will be complete in a shorter amount of time than anticipated?

It is a good thing. If your ammonia is already going down this early in the cycling process it should finish up quicker than it would had you not added the TSS.

 

Right, that does seem to happen. Sounds like you got a good fresh bottle of TSS and it is doing exactly what it is supposed to do.


It is a good thing. If your ammonia is already going down this early in the cycling process it should finish up quicker than it would had you not added the TSS.

Awesome! Thanks a lot