Nitrites Getting Me Angry :(

[Phil Marsh]

Hi
I posted a while back about my tank progress and I have Learnt from the mistake of not doing a fish less cycle.

Currently my 2 neons are doing absolutely great!
I'm doing 70% water changes twice a day to keep the nitrites in order (they rocket to 1ppm In 6-7 hours)

I was just wondering what's happening with my cycle it seems to have come to a standstill.

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.25-1 (before water changes morning and night)
Nitrate: 10-20 (can't tell the difference between the two oranges)

Any idea how far I am or what's happening? I have noticed the nitrate go up from 5-10+ and there is no nitrate in my tap water so it's defiantly being produced just it seems to have stopped? Any idea on a time frame or what to do?

Cheers
Phil

 

[CezzaXV]

What's the pH of your water? How many days in are you now?

Rest assured that your tank will cycle eventually, but I know what it's like when it feels like it's never gonna get there!

 

[Tizer]

woah, that's a lot of nitrite from two little fish, how big is the tank? Pint glass?

 

[Phil Marsh]

Tank is 60 litres. And it's been going now for 26 days with the fish in.
The ph is 6.8-7

 

[Tizer]

thats mad

Shouldn't be far off the cycle now to be honest, i found my nitrites processed quicker than the ammonia period. Just gotta plod on. Oh, and i wouldn't pay a blind bit of interest in the Nitrate reading, save yourself the bother and don't test it, its a non issue with all the water changes you are doing anyway.

 

[Phil Marsh]

I'm only doing the nitrate so I can see if there's any change and I have got a fair amount of live plants that regularly break off little bits which end up rotting in the filter

Going away Friday for 4 days so Im hoping it'll be done by then or I might not have any fish when I get back