As some of you know, i am fish in cycling and I have been doing daily or twice daily water changes for... well it must be at least 3 weeks now! Had loads of ammo but no signs of anything else.... then, at last... I AM SHOWING NITRITES! Only 0.25, and have done about 30% water change and brought them back down to zero. So, from now on, I will be testing at least twice a day and keeping a close eye...what levels are they likely to go up to? And when do i start testing for nitrates? Also, if after a few days there is no nitrite or ammo reading and it stays like this, I am cycled, right?? OMG I can't believe things are finally moving, i thought I was staying in loimbo forever as punishment for not doing my research! Fish look happy and healthy right now, and I intend to keep them this way!

You need to keep changing the water to keep nitrites under .25 ppm. The nitrites will try to climb on you until the next stage of bacterial action kicks in and starts converting nitrites to nitrates. Only when both the ammonia and nitrites are staying at zero and the nitrates are climbing due to the fish load in the tank will you be cycled. At that point you start doing enough water changes to keep the nitrates below 20 ppm and all will be well. Then and only then would I consider adding even more fish to a fishy cycled tank. Because it is fishy cycled, the bacteria will only be enough for the fish you have in it now. Take it easy as you increase the fish load or you will have ammonia again.

Absolutely agreed.........other than the recommendation for optimum nitrate level. Nitrate is present in most tap water and often in concentrations of more than 20ppm. Nitrate is not harmful to fish unless in vast concentrations (>100ppm). Nitrate is however a good indicator of if your water change routine is sufficient. Measure the nitrate level in your tap water and aim to keep the level in the tank as close as possible to the level in the tap. This ensures that you are performing sufficient water changes to avoid a build up of nitrate, and is a good indicator that your water changes are probably sufficient.

If nitrate levels in the tank start to creep up away from the level in the tap water, increase water change volume / frequency accordingly.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

BTT

I envy you...I'm in ammonia limbo right now and miss having friends.. lol.

Thanks everyone for the advice. This morning I tested, ammo is practically zero and no nitrites at the moment. I decided to test for nitrates but they are zero, need the next round of bacterias to start growing!! However, I also decided to test pH - I did this a few weeks ago and I think it was 7.2 or 7.4 - can't find my record sheet. But today I tested and they are showing as 6.0 or less.... argh! I tested my tap water and that is 6.8. Will it be something in my tank? What can I do to raise the pH, cos this is gonna slow down the cycling, isn't it?
Here is a list of EVERYTHING in my tank:
Small gravel substrate
4 fake plants
3 real plants - sorry, I have no idea what they are called!
Assorted shells (from the beach, and boiled and rinsed in tank water)
A tiny plant pot from a plant that died on me, boiled and rinsed
2 caves, bought from lfs - they have been in there from the start
A coconut cave made by me - all the inside was scaped out and there are no hairs left on the outside as I sanded them off
A thermometer
An internal filter and heater in one casing. Filter has 2 sponges of its own in, plus one donated media sponge. Flow is fine
1 common pleco
6 guppies all male
3 neon tetras
2 kribensis both female
1 shrimp, not sure what kind, he is see through and has a long red line running through him coming to a hook at his face
2 african dwarf frogs

All this in a 60 litre tank

Hi,

pH can fluctuate all over the place when cycling so don't worry too much, its perfectly normal. If it drops too low, do water changes to get it back up. You say your tap water is pH 6.8 so this should raise the pH of your tank.

You could also get some coral gravel and mix a handful through your existing substrate. This will harden the water and raise the pH, and most importantly, make the pH less likely to fall down again.

Stick with it.

BTT

Well I did another water change last night and now the pH is 6.8 which is better..... I won't put anything in to buffer the pH until I am cycled, as it seemed to be fine until i started cycling! No more nitrites yet but the ammo isn't rising too sharply. There is no way this is gonna have cycled by Friday when I go away, so I have a plan...... 50% change friday morning before I leave, no food for fishies (will feed them lightly the day before). I am gonna make up a bucket of water (holds 10 litres) with declor and leave it next to the tank, with another bucket (empty) and a jug. I am gonna ask my brother in law to come in, switch off all plugs to tank, scoop out with the jug enough water to fill the empty bucket, then to add the water I have left out. I will also leave out a small amount of food for him to add, and will ask him to do this either Saturday night/Sunday morning. Then i get back home late Monday afternoon, and will do another 50% change. Hopefully this will mean the fish aren't too stressed by the water. Can't ask the brother in law to do a proper water change, he has no idea what to do and i just don't trust him to do it! This is why I am going for the most simple option!

Cycling will cause nitric acid to build up in your tank. This is temporary, until the stage 2 bacteria kick in to high gear. The nitric acid will cause your pH to drop. Keep up the tank maintenance, and it should clear. Good luck.

Thanks! The pH is staying a steady 6.8 at the moment, better than yesterday!