Nitrites Gone In Two Days?

[phantomlink]

I've been trying to save/cycle this aquarium after having some problems at an earlier stage with losing some fish. I've been doing a 25-30% water change daily and testing for the past two weeks or so. For the past two days I've been busy and haven't been able to do a change or test. I tested the tank not long ago and to my surprise my Nitrite have gone from 4-5 down to 0 and Nitrates from about 30 down to 5-10 or so. I do have a few fish in the tank that have been helping to give ammonia ( a guppy, striped Raphael catfish, and a Pictus catfish ). I know the cycle is supposed to take awhile but I haven't read of the Nitrites dropping to nothing in 1-2 days. Is that the norm? I have a picture here with the last test, with tonight's test. The two bottles on the left are the Nitrates, and the two on the right are the NItrites

 

[gilaesther]

I could be mistaken, but from what I've read, I THINK that the nitrates don't go down by themselves (without a water change) unless you have plants using them up?

 

[phantomlink]

I dont have any plants, but the Nitrates seem to be a little lower then before. I think I might have done that test before a water change or sometime after, I cant remember anymore. Nitrates are easy to lower, whats boggling me right now is the Nitrites vanishing

 

[Aquascaper]

whats boggling me right now is the Nitrites vanishing

What are you results for Ammonia?

The only way for Nitrites to disappear is for them to be converted to Nitrates which is an indication of the tank becoming cycled.
If your Nitrates have reduced then you must have tested after a water change so I would suggest testing again and keeping a record of when you did them.

If you consistently get results for 0ppm Ammonia and 0ppm Nitrites but rising levels of Nitrates over a week long period then the tank is cycled fully.

 

[phantomlink]

My ammonia has been 0-0.25 for the past week or so

 

[Aquascaper]

If you're Ammonia readings are negligible, Nitrites non-existant and Nitrates being produced it suggests that the tank has cycled and you have an active filtration system.

I would keep a written record over the next week or so testing daily and if those readings stay the same (Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0 and Nitrates rising) then you've cracked it

 

[phantomlink]

Ya I just tested again this morning and it seems the tank is finally good to go which makes me happy because that filter will be going in my 125 gallon when its ready which will cut back the cycle time of that tank by a long shot. I just setup another tank for my catfish last night and got the ammonia sitting at 4ppm using some old gravel from my piranha tank to help boost it along.

I brought home some Harlequin Rasbora last night to celebrate got the 6 they had at the store. Woke up this morning to seeing 4 of them, later found the missing two inside my filter I guess the suction was too much for them and I've turned it down since then. Unfortunately one of them didn't make it out when I put them back in the tank. I guess spending all night swimming against a current more powerful then you just drained everything it had