Cycle Question: Nitrite Conversion Seems to Have Stalled

[Bayareareefer18]

I know this is an old thread but I am stuck in the same spot and can't find a definitive answer on what to do.

Ammonia dropped to 0 pretty quickly at the start of the cycle. Now my nitrite has been high for almost 2 months.

One of the earlier post recommend a large wc to bring nitrite down. I have read other accounts that state there should be 0 wc during cycle.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Trying to be patient but seems the cycle has stalled. Don't know if I should just continue to wait or if a wc is in order at this point.

Thanks in advance

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I can’t see any reason to do a water change to lower nitrite. Are you feeding fish in the tank now?

 

[Bayareareefer18]

I can’t see any reason to do a water change to lower nitrite. Are you feeding fish in the tank now?

Thanks for the reply Randy. I know you're the guy with the answer.

0 livestock. About 2 months into cycle. Initially dosed with ammonia to 2 ppm

Started with dry rock. Bleached prior to going into tank but did not saltwater cure it

Was daily dosing MB7 at the beginning as well

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Did you do just the one ammonia dose? If so, I’d do another. I’m not convinced worrying about nitrite levels is worthwhile, but adding a bacterial product like Dr Tim’s might be useful in that context.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Did you do just the one ammonia dose? If so, I’d do another. I’m not convinced worrying about nitrite levels is worthwhile, but adding a bacterial product like Dr Tim’s might be useful in that context.

Initially I had dosed a few times. Recently I dosed just to see if it would be processed in 24 hours and it was.

Added a bottle of bio spira last week.

At this point would you recommend getting the cleanup crew going ?

Also I have read conflicting into on whether I should be using po4 removing media in this stage or let the algae bloom exhaust the nutrient supply?

Had a major diatom bloom that came and went. Now I am having another large algae bloom of green algae and some brown hair algae

Thanks again

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, I'd begin moving on. [emoji4]

How high is phosphate? I wouldn't agonize about defeating the cycles of algae, but if phosphate is very high, I'd bring it down.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Yes, I'd begin moving on. :)

How high is phosphate? I wouldn't agonize after defeating the cycles of algae, but if phosphate is very high, I'd bring it down.

I will need to look at my logs. It had peaked put around .8 but I think it was .04 maybe last I checked. Have quite a bit of algae now. This entire time I had been waiting for nitrite to go to 0.

I suppose at this point just allow that to happen when it happens and go ahead and get the cleanup crew and maybe a couple of fish going?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’d start with the crew and follow with fish. [emoji3]

 

[Bayareareefer18]

I’d start with the crew and follow with fish. [emoji3]

Thanks for all your help

 

[sgrosenb]

Hi there - re-upping on an old post. On my tank, it's been cycling for about a month. At the beginning, I added Dr. Tims One & Only, then I added ammonia up to 2ppm three different times, allowing it to come down within 24 hours before each addition. Last ammonia add was about 3 weeks ago. Right now, my nitrites are around 0.5-1ppm and my nitrates are off the charts (100+ on Salifert test kit). Should I just continue on without adding any more ammonia? Seems like the nitrates are really high. Water change? Maybe I should add a clean-up crew? Phosphates are a 0.4. No algae in the tank yet at all. Looking for what my next step should be - and it might just be to wait. Thanks for your help! -Scott

 

[brandon429]

Your cycle is done

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/

Give that a good read it shows many examples of completed cycles in your condition and why nitrite might still register though your cycle is done

The way we know it’s done is due to the time underwater and the boosters you used, all tanks will cycle in this state given a month of submersion.

You are testing waste water vs after a big water change water/clean slate is why you are getting ghost nitrite. All you need to do is change as much water as you can stand to change, add some starter corals and begin. Cycles are based on ammonia performance and duration submerged, which you’ve met.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Hi there - re-upping on an old post. On my tank, it's been cycling for about a month. At the beginning, I added Dr. Tims One & Only, then I added ammonia up to 2ppm three different times, allowing it to come down within 24 hours before each addition. Last ammonia add was about 3 weeks ago. Right now, my nitrites are around 0.5-1ppm and my nitrates are off the charts (100+ on Salifert test kit). Should I just continue on without adding any more ammonia? Seems like the nitrates are really high. Water change? Maybe I should add a clean-up crew? Phosphates are a 0.4. No algae in the tank yet at all. Looking for what my next step should be - and it might just be to wait. Thanks for your help! -Scott

When I was stuck at that point a large wc and a bottle of bio spira did the trick

 

[sgrosenb]

Thanks Brandon429 and Bayareareefer18. Great write-up up Brandon - that's good stuff. So do I understand it correctly that your tank is basically cycled when ammonia at ~2ppm can be processed within 24 hours? Basically, the goal is to allow waste (dead shrimp, fish poo, etc) to go through the nitrogen cycle quickly enough that ammonia isn't present and doesn't become toxic to the inhabitants? That's what I'm visualizing... Not sure if I have it right. Second question: My nitrates are off the charts. Is that a concern? Is the point of the large water change largely to bring down nitrates? If so - what is an acceptable level to target before adding cleanup crew, macroalgae, and fish? Last question - I have another bottle of Dr. Tim's One & Only - would adding it at this point, either before or after a water change, help anything? Thanks so much for the help! Excited to get some critters in the tank!

 

[brandon429]

Any ammonia oxidation within 24 hours is cycled if the submersion times have been met, and the tank is using decent surface area within.

two ppm is a popular high bar to reach that some like. Half a ppm is enough, some take it to 4 ppm but all that matters is 30 days and some form of boosting, no other steps are needed, you’re done. Changing water is done to lessen the algae that’s coming, never allow an uglies phase, always hand clean out the initial invaders that will hitchhike in with your new stocked additions. No need to add further bac, this cycle is complete and all we do for sixteen pages is call out cycle completion dates based on details in pics or submersion times


Feels wierd to ignore test kits eh

:) rule breakers!!


Neither the nitrite from the large repeated doses of ammonia as metabolic residual (if the test is not being affected by nitrate/likely as I read Randy’s other posts) or the resulting nitrate is harmful to anything, it’s algae feed. Per the thread you’re done cycling after the biggest wc you can muster to run, and your next challenge is at the door. Everyone telling you to purposefully wreck your tank with early invaders, as if that’s a good thing, and me hoping you’ll see my peroxide threads to see where that practice gets the majority of reefers, how we cycle affects how our tank gets invaded or not. We trust bacteria now based on microbiology rules, not api, and we quit adding unneeded bac support and bac mass since the algae phase is upon us - we prepare for the next battle.

Clean out your uglies phase, hand guide the rocks clean no matter what it takes, do not lose your investment to any chance. Be a gardener, there’s threads linked in there that guarantee you’ll never be invaded from day one to day 3000, just look at the number of posters who purposefully farmed algae, then it never went away until we took crazy measures. Reef opposite to what led them to my threads :) yay to your new reef post pics!