Dreaded Cycle

[Rmorrison23]

Omg, this cycling is killing me.

First of all, my test results on nitrite are way different from my last even using the exact same test kit(marine API). Its been about 4 weeks and my nitrite test is saying around .5ppm and lfs is saying like over 5ppm(off the chart). Ammonia is basically 0. My nitrate is reading around 40ppm and lfs again off the chart.

Why is the nitrite not going down? Should I do water changes now? I have fuzzy white stuff on rocks and sand but nothing that resembles a brown color(diatom). I used brightwell start xlm at first that was shipped to me. I am in south Florida where it was very hot and in ups truck probably extremely hot. Then picked up a bottle of fritz, when straight home and dumped it in. 3 weeks after the fritz still battling nitrite.

What the heck?! Someone please help!

 

[Cell]

I'd wager you are good to go, but to be prudent, spike ammonia until you get a measurable amount on your test kit, wait 24 hrs and see if it processes.

Alternatively, you have added bottled bac, are 4 weeks in, have no ammonia and have nitrites and/or nitrates, you are mostly likely cycled. Nitrites are not harmful in saltwater. Caveat is, your nitrate reading is inaccurate due to the presence of nitrite.

@brandon429

 

[brandon429]

I bet every cycle thread ever posted in this tank is ready

try and do as big of a water change as u can to export any ?s

whats left over is a bioslick of double inoc bac, I predict.

buy some clean up crew or whatever you wanted to start with and add it. acclimate carefully to avoid full cycling revolt from the crowd (if they die from poor acclimation we get blamed for cycle rushing) heh.

then as each day goes by they live fine bc nitrite is neutral in reefing even if some is there, its consequence-free per reading Randy's thread I did not know that before reading from Randy.

you have also exceeded the wait times for both those strains of bottle bac, per Dr Reef's reference thread on bottle bac time reqmnts

but cycles are so consistent tank to tank, its a solid bet this is ready. if you'll change water and add some life Ill be drummed out of town only to return on vpn if this fails
b

literally all we care about nowadays is ammonia control. its how they get hundreds of reefs to line up for a MACNA start date. I bet some or many of those one-day move or one-day dosed setups have a little trite.

but fifty thousand in frags does not care. nor fish nor shrimp nor anything we deal with.