Nitrites not going down

So I've been cycling my tank for weeks now, and things were going very well before I messed it up by playing with the filter. I've tried water changes which get all my readings down to to perfect, then when I dose with ammonia again, the ammonia is getting processed within 24 hours, but my nitrites stay sky high. I've got lots of nitrates, so I dont know why my nitrites wont go down without a water change. Ive dosed with tetra safestart to help, but my nitrites stay high. What am I doing wrong??

 

Test your tapwater for nitirites.
Maybe the test gives a false reading
If nitrates occure that would mean nitrites are converted.

 

Test your tapwater for nitirites.
Maybe the test gives a false reading
If nitrates occure that would mean nitrites are converted.

I just tested my tap water and no nitrites

 

I just tested my tap water and no nitrites

Mmmmm weird

 

Can you tell us what you have in your tank? Decor, substrate, plants? or show us a picture of it? You say you have been cycling for weeks. Can you tell us how many weeks? It is possible it is just going to take more time for the tank to grow enough nitrite eating bacteria to clear it out.

 

So I've been cycling my tank for weeks now, and things were going very well before I messed it up by playing with the filter. I've tried water changes which get all my readings down to to perfect, then when I dose with ammonia again, the ammonia is getting processed within 24 hours, but my nitrites stay sky high. I've got lots of nitrates, so I dont know why my nitrites wont go down without a water change. Ive dosed with tetra safestart to help, but my nitrites stay high. What am I doing wrong??

What did you do to the filter?

Have you tested you tap water for nitrates?

AiYn'U

 

Can you tell us what you have in your tank? Decor, substrate, plants? or show us a picture of it? You say you have been cycling for weeks. Can you tell us how many weeks? It is possible it is just going to take more time for the tank to grow enough nitrite eating bacteria to clear it out.

Here's a picture of the tank, I'd say I've been cycling for maybe a month and a half to two months?

What did you do to the filter?

Have you tested you tap water for nitrates?

AiYn'U

It's kind of a homemade filter and I had to re-silicone a portion, so it was turned off without a whole lot of water in it for about 24 hours, which I figured would kill off some of the bacteria but I assumed that there would still be enough to seed the rest again, plus I dosed with safestart to help it recover. And my tap water is free of both nitrites and nitrates and reads about 0.25 ppm of ammonia

 

Bottled bacteria will mess with your test results. That's one reason I never use the stuff.

 

Here's a picture of the tank, I'd say I've been cycling for maybe a month and a half to two months?

How long have you been seeing nitrites? Is that a piece of real driftwood? The reason for that guestion is a couple of times someone has come here with problem with ammonia or nitrites not doing what they are supposed to do and come to find out it is a piece of decor causing the problem. If that piece is true wood and not some kind of man made decor I can't imagine it causing what you are experiencing.

 

How long have you been seeing nitrites? Is that a piece of real driftwood? The reason for that guestion is a couple of times someone has come here with problem with ammonia or nitrites not doing what they are supposed to do and come to find out it is a piece of decor causing the problem. If that piece is true wood and not some kind of man made decor I can't imagine it causing what you are experiencing.

It's a piece of real driftwood, I'm not sure exactly what kind, but its definitely wood. And I started seeing nitrites about two weeks into cycling, so maybe a month or so ago?

 

It's a piece of real driftwood, I'm not sure exactly what kind, but its definitely wood. And I started seeing nitrites about two weeks into cycling, so maybe a month or so ago?

Well shoot, this one me scratching my head. How high are your nitrites? I am wondering if it is possible there is not enough media for the bacteria to grow on in your filter. I would think there is since the ammonia goes down but at this point I can't think of any thing else.

 

So I've been cycling my tank for weeks now, and things were going very well before I messed it up by playing with the filter. I've tried water changes which get all my readings down to to perfect, then when I dose with ammonia again, the ammonia is getting processed within 24 hours, but my nitrites stay sky high. I've got lots of nitrates, so I dont know why my nitrites wont go down without a water change. Ive dosed with tetra safestart to help, but my nitrites stay high. What am I doing wrong??

Nitrites are processed by a different bacteria culture than ammonia. It has to grow as well. What you are seeing is the time between your ammonia eating bacteria colony getting big enough to handle an ammonia load and your nitrite eating bacteria colony getting big enough to handle the nitrites the first colony is feeding it.

Be patient, and they will come down.

 

Well shoot, this one me scratching my head. How high are your nitrites? I am wondering if it is possible there is not enough media for the bacteria to grow on in your filter. I would think there is since the ammonia goes down but at this point I can't think of any thing else.

They're like, really dark purple hard to read exactly high. And I think there should be enough media in the filter, I've got maybe 500ml of seachem matrix, plus course and fine sponges. I'm thinking maybe to just wait until the nitrites process before redosing with ammonia? I'm just glad I'm not just missing something obvious

 

They're like, really dark purple hard to read exactly high. And I think there should be enough media in the filter, I've got maybe 500ml of seachem matrix, plus course and fine sponges. I'm thinking maybe to just wait until the nitrites process before redosing with ammonia? I'm just glad I'm not just missing something obvious

Just giving it more time may be the best option. Under ideal conditions I would think the nitrite spike shouldn't last longer than a couple of weeks. Lasting a month or more does seem very unusual to me. How high are your nitrates going?

I would be very tempted to keep the nitrite down to one or less with water changes and continue to add ammonia at least every other day even if it goes to zero within 24 hours.

 

So update: my nitrites finally dropped? Over night they dropped to zero. So if it takes 48 hours to convert 4ppm of ammonia to nitrates, does that still could as cycled?

 

So update: my nitrites finally dropped? Over night they dropped to zero. So if it takes 48 hours to convert 4ppm of ammonia to nitrates, does that still could as cycled?

This is what normally happens with the nitrite spike. One day seemingly off the chart and the next day you see that beautiful blue in the test tube.

I would prefer to see the ammonia process through to nitrates within 24 hours before considering a cycle complete but it looks like you are almost there.

I would do a fairly big water change. Once done go ahead and dose the ammonia back up. I have a feeling you will now see it go back to zero within 24 hours. If so then yes, you can consider the cycle complete.