high Nitrites

[ChimolaFish]

Ok, I have a 29 gal standard cycling with dry rock. Ghost fed, and I've been adding adding microbacter7 (my lfs is rather trust worthy) which my lfs said is a good brand for bottled bacteria, to jump start the cycling process. My amonia and nitrates right now are 0 (or close to it) but my nitrites are extremely high. What does this mean? Should I add some more sources of ammonia? I'm thinking about adding Dr. Tims and following his directions, but his results on amazon are rather sketchy

[Xavibear]

Just wait & let things happen.

[ChimolaFish]

I'm just confusd, cause aren't nitrites and ammonia supposed to rise and fall together?

[Xavibear]

I'm just confusd, cause aren't nitrites and ammonia supposed to rise and fall together?

Nitrites will rise in response to a rise in ammonia. If you have started to ghost feed the food waste will start to get the ammonia to start going up. A little after that nitrites will start to go up and ammonia will start going down.

No need to by any cycling products. Just give it some time.

[Mark9]

+1 on give it time.
One day it will be sky high, the next it will drop to 0.
Just have to wait it out.

[ChimolaFish]

Ok. I was never able to get my ammonia as high as 5ppm, since I was dosing with bacteria. Is that problematic? My nitrites are off the charts and have been for 2 days (at least according to my API test kit). Should I add another chunk of frozen mysis?

[moe458]

Ok. I was never able to get my ammonia as high as 5ppm, since I was dosing with bacteria. Is that problematic? My nitrites are off the charts and have been for 2 days (at least according to my API test kit). Should I add another chunk of frozen mysis?

usually when both levels ammonia and NO2 are zero from 5ppm in 24 hours of timeframe and your NO3 levels are 20ppm that's when you tank is starting to get ready...usually time frame for cycles is around 4-6 weeks...

[moe458]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Aquarium_Nitrogen_Cycle.png

[Mr. Limpid]

Did you ever have high ammonia readings? How long has it been since you strated cycle? You should only ghost feed as if there is 1 fish in your tank.

[Art13]

Nitrates will go down, I think at a high point with my last tank using that same product my nitrates at their peak were 20ppm. From there it will eventually come down if you leave it alone, i think it took about 2 weeks for mine to go down to 10 and after three more weeks i'm about about 3ppm, maybe 1 water change in there at about 10% which won't make much of a difference in the nitrate numbers. I should add when it came down to 10 is when i moved my livestock over from my other tank that was having some issues, and it never came back up, just going down slower now.

[Blind45503]

Like everyone else said just wait they will go down you don't need to add anything to speed it up it'll happen on its own.

[ChimolaFish]

Did you ever have high ammonia readings? How long has it been since you strated cycle? You should only ghost feed as if there is 1 fish in your tank.

No, since I was adding bacteria, Im assuming. I was expecting to get to 5ppm ammonia at some point, before the bacteria reproduced enough to handle the food. I was ghost feeding, just trying to ammonia up, because that's what feeds the bacteria, but it's always stayed really close to zero. My nitrites are super, so obviously something is happening with the ammonia being broken down. I guess my bacteria hasn't broken down the nitrites into nitrates yet, but it was my understanding that my ammonia and nitrite levels should go from being high to being low more or less in a 24 hr period. Right now the nitrite is just staying pretty high and not being broken down into nitrates.

[ChimolaFish]

Like everyone else said just wait they will go down you don't need to add anything to speed it up it'll happen on its own.

That's what I think I'll do for now. I was thinking it might be bad to stop adding an ammonia source though, cause then the bacteria will starve, right?

[Mr. Limpid]

There is a different bacterium that breaks down nitrates into nitrates this will take about 25 days, and then the third stage will break down the nitrates into a gas which then will leave your tank. The whole process can take up to 2 months. The first thing you learn in this hobby is patience. Yes, keep ghost feeding but like there is 1 fish or the process will take longer, more food more bacteria needed.

[SloppyJ]

You're not going to get much volatilization in a reef tank so don't look for your nitrates to go down. Right now you are saturating the bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate (nitrobacter) and you need to let their population grow to handle your nitrite load.

[ChimolaFish]

To be clear, I'm not worried about my nitrates, some of you keep talking about that. I'm was worried about my nitrites. The finally went down to zero last night. Nitrates you just get rid of with a water change, correct?

[Art13]

I must have read that wrong, my fault, nitrites drop overnight like you said eventually, nitrates will eventually go down on their own, water changes can be done if you like, but i think they are usually only needed if your nitrates are very high. Mine peaked at about 20ppm, i let it go, i've done two routine water changes since then at 10%, but its gone down on it's own for the most part to about 2ppm a month or so later.

[SloppyJ]

Nitrite and Nitrate are linked. Don't think of them as separate things. Think of them as steps in a process.

[ChimolaFish]

I must have read that wrong, my fault, nitrites drop overnight like you said eventually, nitrates will eventually go down on their own, water changes can be done if you like, but i think they are usually only needed if your nitrates are very high. Mine peaked at about 20ppm, i let it go, i've done two routine water changes since then at 10%, but its gone down on it's own for the most part to about 2ppm a month or so later.

No worries. So you would say let my nitrates naturally drop? Wouldn't I be easier to just do a couple small eater changes then I can add a fish when the nitrates read zero?

[ChimolaFish]

Nitrite and Nitrate are linked. Don't think of them as separate things. Think of them as steps in a process.

I know they're linked, they're linked with ammonia too. But beneficial bacteria doesn't break down nitrtates, nitrates are controlled through water changes, right?

[shermanator]

I know they're linked, they're linked with ammonia too. But beneficial bacteria doesn't break down nitrtates, nitrates are controlled through water changes, right?

Anerobic bacteria will break down nitrates into N2O(g) and/or N2(g). This is the basis for carbon dosing, to help feed the anaerobic bacteria.