Cycling Question

[Montezuma]

My tank has been going for 6 weeks now. The ammonia is 0, and my nitrites wont seem to come down to 0. They arent very high. The nitrates also wont come down. I know I messed up by adding a chromie early. Im wondering if he;s the reason the nitrites wont hit zero.

So im not sure, do i do a water change? or do I just wait longer? The chromie has been alive and well for 2 weeks.

[michellejy]

Yes, do a water change. Your beneficial bacteria builds up in your live rock and substrate, not your water. Any level of nitrites can be toxic to your fish, and even if he's hanging in there for now, your chromis won't thrive in poor water conditions.

You won't see your nitrates start to drop until after your nitrite cycle is finished.

[tmcgaughey]

Agree, sometimes you cycle can get stuck for a few days - not to worry

and nitrates can be a problem long term in your tank
thankfully, i've dodged that bullet - i hope it's due to my DSB

[CoRPS]

You're going to want to start doing weekly water changes. I've got a 55g and I do weekly 10g water changes and 1 monthly 15g water change. My nitrates stay between 15 and 20, which is not HORRIBLE but not good. I'm going to be turning my HOB filter into a chaeto fuge and I'm sure that will get my Nitrates to an acceptable range. Hope this helps.

[Michael]

nitrite in small quantities wont kill your fish, but i agree you need a water change, and the nitrate wont start to improve until the tanks cycled, should have waited before adding the chromis

[Flipper62]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13775442#post13775442 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Michael
nitrite in small quantities wont kill your fish, but i agree you need a water change, and the nitrate wont start to improve until the tanks cycled, should have waited before adding the chromis

+ 1.... The Problem here is this. EVERYONE wants their new Reef tank to be a Reef Tank over night. No one wants to wait for the cycle to finish......just Instant Gratification.

Thats the worst thing that they can do.....Slow & build it over time & it will be awesome.