DR TIMS CYCLE NITRITE

[FlameangelLover]

Tank stats

40gal breeder
Live sand
Dry rock
Dr Tim’s cycle and ammonia followed exactly what he said

It’s day 17!!! And nitrite won’t drop. I did a 50% water change yesterday and added 40 drops of ammonia just to give the bacteria something to snack on and it was gone the next day but nitrite will not drop.

Should I buy some Fritz turbo start 900 and put it into the tank to help it finish or what?

 

[Dan_P]

Tank stats

40gal breeder
Live sand
Dry rock
Dr Tim’s cycle and ammonia followed exactly what he said

It’s day 17!!! And nitrite won’t drop. I did a 50% water change yesterday and added 40 drops of ammonia just to give the bacteria something to snack on and it was gone the next day but nitrite will not drop.

Should I buy some Fritz turbo start 900 and put it into the tank to help it finish or what?

Nitrite oxidizing bacteria seem very slow to start working. Not sure Fritz bacteria are better but give it a try. No need to keep feeding the nitrifying bacteria, they seem to be starvation tolerant. Doesn’t hurt if you do, just generates excess nitrogen in the water for later algae growth

 

[fishywishy]

what test kit are you using? could be a test kit error.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

No need to wait for nitrite. Just ignore it, as long as ammonia declines appropriately.

 

[FlameangelLover]

Nitrite oxidizing bacteria seem very slow to start working. Not sure Fritz bacteria are better but give it a try. No need to keep feeding the nitrifying bacteria, they seem to be starvation tolerant. Doesn’t hurt if you do, just generates excess nitrogen in the water for later algae growth

Thank you so much I just bought some fritz turbo start 900 will be here Tuesday. Doing a fishless cycle was a bad mistake it’s is hard looking at a tank with nothing in it. All I wanted was two clowns

 

[FlameangelLover]

No need to wait for nitrite. Just ignore it, as long as ammonia declines appropriately.

Really? I feel like I see a lot of people on YouTube say wait but I want to add my fish asap. My ammonia always goes away in 24hrs

 

[FlameangelLover]

what test kit are you using? could be a test kit error.

API saltwater test. I tested on someone else tank and it came out correct as well

 

[fishywishy]

Really? I feel like I see a lot of people on YouTube say wait but I want to add my fish asap. My ammonia always goes away in 24hrs

Nitrite isnt typically harmful to fish unless levels are very high. If the test kit readings are accurate, you likely just need to wait another week for the levels to decrease on their own.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Really? I feel like I see a lot of people on YouTube say wait but I want to add my fish asap. My ammonia always goes away in 24hrs

A lot of people on the internet also believe in ghosts, and show videos to prove it.

Real tox data is discussed here. It takes hundreds of ppm of nitrite to kill a fish.

Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com