Help with mini cycle

Hi, so iv had my tank all set up and cycled for aprox 3 months. The levels were all fine
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5-10
But now my nitrite levels are through the roof! Iv obviously added fish a while ago as I thought the tank was cycled. Iv been adding prime and stability and doing weekly 25-40% water changes but the levels aren’t going down. Its been at least 2/3 weeks now. Is there maybe filter media I can use to lower nitrite? Please help as I'm really stuck!

 

Hi, so iv had my tank all set up and cycled for aprox 3 months. The levels were all fine
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5-10
But now my nitrite levels are through the roof! Iv obviously added fish a while ago as I thought the tank was cycled. Iv been adding prime and stability and doing weekly 25-40% water changes but the levels aren’t going down. Its been at least 2/3 weeks now. Is there maybe filter media I can use to lower nitrite? Please help as I'm really stuck!

How did you cycle the tank originally and for how long?

 

It took about 6 weeks to fully cycle I did a fishless cycle by adding filter media and substrate from a fully cycled tank I also added bottled bacteria to kick start it. I started to add fish when the levels were 0,0,10.

 

It took about 6 weeks to fully cycle I did a fishless cycle by adding filter media and substrate from a fully cycled tank I also added bottled bacteria to kick start it. I started to add fish when the levels were 0,0,10.

That’s annoying! If you’ve added bottled bacteria, I think you might have to leave some nitrite in there for the bacteria to consume/convert so you should probably stick with prime and some partial WCs; but if you want to get rid of nitrite, I heard NitroZorb gets rid of them! They’re beads that go into the filter!

 

I just read a posting on another forum with someone who went through a similar thing..... towards the end, it looked like the OP was winning the battle. Not sure if I'm allowed to post the link?

 

HI thanks for your reply's I will maybe up my water changes to 2 per week at 25% and I will definitely look into NitroZorb

 

HI thanks for your reply's I will maybe up my water changes to 2 per week at 25% and I will definitely look into NitroZorb

What are your actual readings now? Including pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? I would avoid using anything that removes the nitrites aside from water changes until you know what the problem is. Nitrate oxidizing bacteria use nitrites as 'food'. If yoy start removing all of that 'food' you may compound your problem by starving what bacteria you have. Your tank nitrite oxidizing bacteria may just need to catch up to the bioload the new fish have created (and the 2-3 week time frame since you added fish fits that scenario) QUESTION: You don't happen to have an airstone or bubbler directly under your filter intake do you? Lol! That, in itself, could be causing your nitrite problem. If your filter is "sucking air" that interferes with water traveling through media and can really screw things up!

 

HI thanks for your reply's I will maybe up my water changes to 2 per week at 25% and I will definitely look into NitroZorb

I prefer you should do a 35% to 40% water change
what are your latest readings like ph, NH3, NO2 & NO3?

and what are you using (here I mean test kit or stripes or anything else like that) to moniter the readings?

 

HI I'm actually away for 2 days so can't test my water right now but my readings from a few days ago were 0 ammonia 15 nitrite and 10 nitrate from what I can remember my ph has always been pretty high about 7.5/8! As for an air stone I do have one but at the opposite side of the tank. Should I turn this off maybe?

I prefer you should do a 35% to 40% water change
what are your latest readings like ph, NH3, NO2 & NO3?

and what are you using (here I mean test kit or stripes or anything else like that) to moniter the readings?

I use test strips apI I think and a liquid test kit for ammonia. my ph is high at about 7.5/8 I don't really know how to lower the ph.

 

HI I'm actually away for 2 days so can't test my water right now but my readings from a few days ago were 0 ammonia 15 nitrite and 10 nitrate from what I can remember my ph has always been pretty high about 7.5/8! As for an air stone I do have one but at the opposite side of the tank. Should I turn this off maybe?

no need to turn the airstone off
and if somebody is home then just ask him/her to test the readings and let us know the latest ones as two days are quite big and a drastic change can take place in the readings in two days itself

I use test strips apI I think and a liquid test kit for ammonia. my ph is high at about 7.5/8 I don't really know how to lower the ph.

if you can afford then please buy an API fresh water test kit as it is more accurate then the stripes

 

no need to turn the airstone off
and if somebody is home then just ask him/her to test the readings and let us know the latest ones as two days are quite big and a drastic change can take place in the readings in two days itself

I have someone popping in tomorrow to feed the fish so I will get a test done then and post the results thanks

 

It took about 6 weeks to fully cycle I did a fishless cycle by adding filter media and substrate from a fully cycled tank I also added bottled bacteria to kick start it. I started to add fish when the levels were 0,0,10.

What was your ammonia source during this 6 weeks? If I am understanding what I am reading you didn't add fish for the first 6 weeks. You added media from a cycled tank and you added bottled bacteria but you don't say you added ammonia.

 

no need to turn the airstone off
and if somebody is home then just ask him/her to test the readings and let us know the latest ones as two days are quite big and a drastic change can take place in the readings in two days itself


if you can afford then please buy an API fresh water test kit as it is more accurate then the stripes

Yes your right I was thinking of investing in a master test kit

What was your ammonia source during this 6 weeks? If I am understanding what I am reading you didn't add fish for the first 6 weeks. You added media from a cycled tank and you added bottled bacteria but you don't say you added ammonia.

I was told by the lfs to add a few fish flakes every other day and that would break down and cause the ammonia

 

What was your ammonia source during this 6 weeks? If I am understanding what I am reading you didn't add fish for the first 6 weeks. You added media from a cycled tank and you added bottled bacteria but you don't say you added ammonia.

I did not notice this as adding bacteria and nothing to eat for them may kill the bacteria

I was told by the lfs to add a few fish flakes every other day and that would break down and cause the ammonia

but the food will take some time to break down and form nitrates and till that time the bacterias would die

 

I was told by the lfs to add a few fish flakes every other day and that would break down and cause the ammonia

Yes, that will work but I am thinking it didn't produce enough ammonia to build up a good size colony of bacteria and that is why you are where you are now. The food had to decompose before it produced ammonia so you may have lost a good bit of the bacteria on the seeded media and the bottled bacteria

You are now going through a fish in cycle. You do have some bacteria so that should speed up the cycle. You need to get those nitrites down as low as possible with water changes.

 

no need to turn the airstone off
and if somebody is home then just ask him/her to test the readings and let us know the latest ones as two days are quite big and a drastic change can take place in the readings in two days itself


if you can afford then please buy an API fresh water test kit as it is more accurate then the stripes

If the airstone is under the filter intake it simply needs to be moved so air isn't entering the intake, not turned off. I believe you need to retest nitrites with a better test kit as prasunchoudharI suggested. If your nitrites were really at 15 ppm your fish would be dropping dead or at minimum acting very, very sick

 

Ok so il do 2-3 water changes per week of about 30%? Also I will get a master test kit to more accurately test the water. I just hope my fish can survive this cycle!

If the airstone is under the filter intake it simply needs to be moved so air isn't entering the intake, not turned off. I believe you need to retest nitrites with a better test kit as prasunchoudharI suggested. If your nitrites were really at 15 ppm your fish would be dropping dead or at minimum acting very, very sick

Well I hope it is just the test kit that's off then! I have had no deaths so far and all fish look happy. I will stop by lfs and pick up a master teat kit on my way home. Thanks for all your help guys this site is so helpful for a newbie like me and no one has been patronising just really good easy advice

 

Well I hope it is just the test kit that's off then! I have had no deaths so far and all fish look happy. I will stop by lfs and pick up a master teat kit on my way home. Thanks for all your help guys this site is so helpful for a newbie like me and no one has been patronising just really good easy advice

At one point in our fish keeping life we were where you are now. None of us started out knowing everything about this hobby and made lots of mistakes along the way. We just ty to share what has worked for us. I am happy that we were able to help you and your fish.

Getting a reliable test kit will be one of the best investments you will make. With it you can know exactly what is going on with the water.

 

Well I hope it is just the test kit that's off then! I have had no deaths so far and all fish look happy. I will stop by lfs and pick up a master teat kit on my way home. Thanks for all your help guys this site is so helpful for a newbie like me and no one has been patronising just really good easy advice

One other thing- your pH is fine at 7.8-8 for the fish you have. It's always better to have a stable higher pH than trying to constantly tweak it down. That really stresses fish.

 

Yes, that will work but I am thinking it didn't produce enough ammonia to build up a good size colony of bacteria and that is why you are where you are now. The food had to decompose before it produced ammonia so you may have lost a good bit of the bacteria on the seeded media and the bottled bacteria

You are now going through a fish in cycle. You do have some bacteria so that should speed up the cycle. You need to get those nitrites down as low as possible with water changes.

even I told him the same thing that food would take time to decompose and till then the bacteria would have died