Day 16 Of Cycling And Finally 0 Nitrite!

[Staxx]

edit:double post.

 

[Staxx]

i also made the mistake of adding too many fish at once due to some very bad advice at LFS. im going through a mini cycle i believe. ive had to do upto 80% water change 4 days running now lol

 

[mrvillicus]

its a nightmare, but once its done thats it, must keep at it

 

[Staxx]

yeah its horrible how such a little mistake can have such a catastrophic effect loool.

my water bill is guna be immense!

 

[mrvillicus]

haha mine too, i just hope the new fish dont die, they shouldnt as long as I keep on top of the water changes

 

[Dazzler666]

Hey guys, your not alone as been there ' done that & lost the fish to prove it!!!
When adding fish it's the 'slowly but surely' route I found best but hey, think most human new fish keepers av fell foul of the temptation to run before we can walk !!!
Hey, on a positive note .. You won't do it again! Lol.
Keep up with the changes & all will settle soon enough I'm sure.
Good luck.

 

[mrvillicus]

Ive done my first test of the day and the results are confusing, they were

ph 7.6
ammonia 0
Nitrite 5
Nitrate 40

This is a massive change in both PH. Nitrite and Nitrates, Ive done another 80% change and I will do the same again later on

 

[The Taffy Apple]

What test kit are you using?
You seem to be pretty patient with your water changes yet is there someone you know who has a fish tank with filter you know of? I say this because even though your approach to the continuous W/C's are good, your fish (especially the most recent ones you decided to add) are still experiencing NitrItes on a daily basis, this is leaving them more open to sickness or disease in the future. So, if you can't get hold of someones' more 'mature media' from their filter, then it maybe easier to find an option of re-homing them and trying a fishless cycle..... then again, if you're happy doing all the W/C's i wish you the best and hope you get through it
Your NitrAte reading could be an excellent sign, if you're using specific liquid based test kits then there are ways of getting a more accurate result.

Terry.

 

[mrvillicus]

thanks terry, i made the mistake so Im happy to do as much changes as possible. Im using an API master kit, im just about to do another massive ahcnge and then ill do another change later tonight. Regarding mature media im trying to find some, i will go to my LFS tomorrow and see if they have any I can take, appreciate your advice terry, thanks Ben

 

[OldMan47]

At a reading of 5 ppm of nitrite, your water change was way too wimpy. Try doing another 90% water change before you add any fish at all. That will at least get you into the safe range for nitrites at the beginning.

 

[mrvillicus]

finally today I reached 0 Nitrates, at 7am i did a 90% change and it was still nitrite 5, so i changed again and at 2pm i did another 90% change which resulted in a test of 0 nitrite 0 ammonia and 0 nitrate...i cant quite understand why the nitrate is at 0 but hey, o ammonia and 0 nitrite wahoooooooooooooo

 

[tomtomtom1230]

What? Don't you mean NITRITE rather than NITRATE? Nitrates will never expire unless you have more plants than water. Nitrates are the end product of the two main types of nitrifying bacteria.

Nitrites may only be at 0 because you did a 90% change - that's a H-U-G-E water change, it would take a long time (about a day or so I reckon) for ammonia/nitrites to build up. Keep checking your water, sounds like you're almost there

 

[mrvillicus]

whoops yep i meant nitrite, ive been doing colossal water changes for 2 days now and the nitrite hasnt changed at all so im pleased with todays results, even though ive just done a test and its gone back upto 0.25 allready

 

[The Taffy Apple]

whoops yep i meant nitrite, ive been doing colossal water changes for 2 days now and the nitrite hasnt changed at all so im pleased with todays results, even though ive just done a test and its gone back upto 0.25 allready

Yep...it will do. It will keep raising until the bacteria you need to 'chomp' it are in your filter.
With regards as to the reasoning behind your NitrAtes being '0', it is because the NitrAtes are the end product of the cycle. When you start seeing these (be VERY,VERY thorough with banging and shaking the API test bottles!) then it is nothing but a good sign

Terry.

 

[mrvillicus]

thanks terry really appreciate your help, seems like the end is near now im going to keep up with the changes but what would you recommend? twice daily? 50 or 90% ?? thanks ben