Nitrites not going down.

[theviking28]

I have a 75 gallon cichlid tank with 100 small cichlids.

Heater 78 degrees, two fluval fx4 filters and a tidal 110 polishing filter.

I did a fish in cycle, it has been 6 weeks at this point and nitrites still seem bright purple on the api master test. Seems to be a reading of 1 ppm or 2 from the color sheet.

0 ammonia, 10ppm nitrates.

I am doing a 75 percent water change once every weekend.

I did find that my tap water has .25 ppm nitrites in it but I always heavily dose prime each change.

So I guess I am wondering why I can't get nitrites down to 0 and if my fish are safe so long as I keep dosing prime etc? None have died and they all eat and appear happy. All are juvenile so far.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

If be inclined to do a large water change once a day rather than once a week

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

The quickest way to reduce ammonia, nitrite or nitrate in the aquarium is with big (75-80%) daily water changes and gravel cleans. Reducing the food also helps. Continue doing daily water changes and gravel cleaning until the levels are 0ppm.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[jaylach]

I have a 75 gallon cichlid tank with 100 small cichlids.

Heater 78 degrees, two fluval fx4 filters and a tidal 110 polishing filter.

I did a fish in cycle, it has been 6 weeks at this point and nitrites still seem bright purple on the api master test. Seems to be a reading of 1 ppm or 2 from the color sheet.

0 ammonia, 10ppm nitrates.

I am doing a 75 percent water change once every weekend.

I did find that my tap water has .25 ppm nitrites in it but I always heavily dose prime each change.

So I guess I am wondering why I can't get nitrites down to 0 and if my fish are safe so long as I keep dosing prime etc? None have died and they all eat and appear happy. All are juvenile so far.

Did you really mean to say 100 cichlids in a 75 gallon tank? If so I would have to think the tank is drastically over populated. Even if dwarf cichlids these fish will have zero room when mature.

 

[theviking28]

Did you really mean to say 100 cichlids in a 75 gallon tank? If so I would have to think the tank is drastically over populated. Even if dwarf cichlids these fish will have zero room when mature.

Oops. No I meant 10 cichlids.

 

[jaylach]

Oops. No I meant 10 cichlids.

LOL! OK... 10 is much better! Just curious, as I used to do some cichlids; what kinds?

 

[theviking28]

2 jack dempsey. One of those is standard and one is electric blue. Rest are firemouth and convicts.

I plan to gauge growth over time and then maybe get a 125 if 75 doesn't give them enough room.

I've seen a lot of YouTube fish guys like Kavemam Aquatics for example really overstock though with 20 plus in one tank and say it is the only way to keep aggression down.

 

[Colin_T]

I think you are in trouble with 2 Jack Dempsey cichlids in the tank. If they are both male, the dominant one will kill the other. If they are a pair (male & female), they will take over the tank and kill everyone else.

 

[MetroPlecs]

Glad to hear it's 10 and not 100!
Just a word of encouragement, since the ammonia has already hit 0, you're getting there! The last tank I cycled with fish in took 1 month for the ammonia to zero out and another month to zero out the nitrites. Keep up the water changes and Prime. Prime does help the fish. You'll get there.

 

[jaylach]

I think you are in trouble with 2 Jack Dempsey cichlids in the tank. If they are both male, the dominant one will kill the other. If they are a pair (male & female), they will take over the tank and kill everyone else.

I agree and don't. If put in a tank young, an inch or smaller, they will just setup their areas and do OK. I did this with blue and yellow acara, convicts, jacks and green terrors. There were also corys, a pleco and a rope fish. They all got along fine but were all introduced to the tank REALLY small.