That's very good news about the Nitrites - you are doing much better than I am. I cannot get a rise or even a spike out of nitrites - 2 tanks will show some low level nitrites but not enough to get rid of the ammonia. As I'm sure you know don't worry about there being Nitrates in the water - those luckily don't have to be zero - I think 50 or less ppm is fairly common - higher and you really need a water change.
So I watch nitrates to see if I can put that water change off just ONE more day LOL. Right now I'm sick with bronchitis (and I'm on O2 24/7 so it's really bad news for me - refuse to go to the Dr or might end up in the hospital unless my O2 levels start to fall then I have no choice and I just die and get out of doing water changes forever - but my daughter would hate me for leaving it all to her - she's pregnant for the first time so it would be her husband), I had one water change due today and one due tomorrow but I also had full garbage pails in every significant room and a dirty kitty litter box - not fair to the cat. Didn't want my daughter to come over and change a cat litter box (I'm sure her husband wouldn't allow it). So I did all that and didn't die. Debating on whether to do a needed water change.
I just hate this. My tanks water is a mess I have 64 fish in 4 tanks - one I'm nursing constantly in a small tank due to what started as a water bladder disease and she hasn't eaten in 4 weeks - I continue to get down a little "pea soup with miralax" flavored with garlic oil but she still hasn't pooped and refuses all solid foods. Gourami's have such tiny mouth's I don't know if I even hit it, but with the garlic flavoring added she did keep her mouth open for me. Then she actually swam to the tank and took several breaths in a row (Gourami breath air like betta's) or she was possibly puking up the pea soup - it was impossible to tell. She rarely fights me at all and even wags her tale at me when she sees me so I don't know what goes through that fish brain.
I think you are nearing complete cycle - you just have a stubborn tank - but just assume the more cycles you go through the more bacteria you are creating. 1 week or less, perhaps a couple of days. Just make sure you have zero's for TWO days in a row before you consider yourself done. One day can always be a fluke.
So I watch nitrates to see if I can put that water change off just ONE more day LOL. Right now I'm sick with bronchitis (and I'm on O2 24/7 so it's really bad news for me - refuse to go to the Dr or might end up in the hospital unless my O2 levels start to fall then I have no choice and I just die and get out of doing water changes forever - but my daughter would hate me for leaving it all to her - she's pregnant for the first time so it would be her husband), I had one water change due today and one due tomorrow but I also had full garbage pails in every significant room and a dirty kitty litter box - not fair to the cat. Didn't want my daughter to come over and change a cat litter box (I'm sure her husband wouldn't allow it). So I did all that and didn't die. Debating on whether to do a needed water change.
I just hate this. My tanks water is a mess I have 64 fish in 4 tanks - one I'm nursing constantly in a small tank due to what started as a water bladder disease and she hasn't eaten in 4 weeks - I continue to get down a little "pea soup with miralax" flavored with garlic oil but she still hasn't pooped and refuses all solid foods. Gourami's have such tiny mouth's I don't know if I even hit it, but with the garlic flavoring added she did keep her mouth open for me. Then she actually swam to the tank and took several breaths in a row (Gourami breath air like betta's) or she was possibly puking up the pea soup - it was impossible to tell. She rarely fights me at all and even wags her tale at me when she sees me so I don't know what goes through that fish brain.
I think you are nearing complete cycle - you just have a stubborn tank - but just assume the more cycles you go through the more bacteria you are creating. 1 week or less, perhaps a couple of days. Just make sure you have zero's for TWO days in a row before you consider yourself done. One day can always be a fluke.