my new tank cycling stall?

[Elegance Coral]

lots of bad advice thrown around... i am not going to get into that


Anyways water changes wont hurt anything as bacteria is not in the water its on sand and rocks.

 

[sawyer010]

Let the tank be. Once you have nitrites and it sounds like you do, let it be. Nitrites will be present for 10-14 days. Then they'll literally be at 0 the next day. Add 2ppm of ammonia, if you're at 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites in 24 hours you are cycled. However, I doubt you'll have any nitrites again. If you test ammonia after 24 hours, and there's still a reading, wait for it to get to 0. Add 2ppm ammonia again. Keep repeating until you are at 0 ammonia in 24 hours.

Once that happens, test nitrates....do a 50% water change. Test Nitrates again. If above 10, do another 50% water change. Keep repeating until you are under 10ppm nitrates (ideally under 5ppm IMO). Add 1-2 fish, wait a few weeks, add another 1-2 fish.

I'm using my tank as an example. I'm on Day 4 of cycling. Yesterday, I had 2ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites. I haven't even gotten to phase 2 yet. Once I'm cycled, I'm adding in my tomini tang first, and my midas blenny. The reason I'm doing those 2 first, is those are the 2 most shy fish I have. The tomini gets picked on by the yellow tang (he's a prick). I'll let him get established. Wait 2 weeks. Add in my hippo tang. wait 2 weeks, add in my clowns, and then 2 weeks later, the yellow tang and my anemone (assuming I can get him out of the crevice he's in).

Cycling a tank is a test in patience. It'll happen when mother nature says it will happen. Use this time to get your first fish, QT them and usually by the time you are cycled, the QT time is up and you have healthy eating fish in your display. It sounds like you are close, you're in the nitrite holding pattern.

yeah, so i just leave it own

 

[Dr. Reef]

Water change or not won't make any difference in cycling a tank.
You only need 0.2 nh3 for tank to cycle which would be about 1.7-2 ppm nh3/nh4 at 8.2 pH.
25% or even 50% water change won't stall the cycle and nor will throw your ammonia and nitrite numbers off.
It's simple mathematics. If you had 2 ppm ammonia and did a 25% or 50% WC, you will be left with 1.5 or 1 ppm respectively.
Either way it won't hurt to do or not to do WC and again this myth needs to go away that bacteria is in water.
If you have researched bacteria as I have in last few months you would know better.
Bacteria needs something to stick to and usually sand and more in rocks.
This is the same reason any bacteria in bottle you take on the market has grainy substance in the fluid to which bacteria is sticking to.

To OP again it's your choice to do WC or not but if you do your ammonia and nitrite levels will decrease by same percentage and lower they are faster the bacteria will colonize and convert.
Higher the levels more time for bacteria to colonize and sometimes higher numbers can stall and kill bacteria as well.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

@Dr. Reef, since only you can give good advice and only you know about bacteria and can perform simple math, why don't you handle all cycling questions on the forum.

If you can change as much water as you want while cycling a tank, why not just pour in a bottle of Fritz 900, wait 3 days and change 100% of the water, never adding anything else to that tank. Add fish and coral and you are good to go. What happened to "Reef Fast..."?

 

[Dr. Reef]

pretty much doing so by helping people in right direction by posting facts and not myths.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

pretty much doing so by helping people in right direction by posting facts and not myths.

What myth was posted? Again, no one said that doing a water change will remove bacteria.

 

[sawyer010]

hello, guys
thanks for all guys advice, no need to argue, every tank is different and hold different opinions, by the way, i have tested my tank, this is new result, as you can see, the ammonia is near 0.25ppm, and nitrite is still above 5ppm. however , the nitrate is about 40ppm which means nitrite is converting into nirtrate?but why my nitrite still same? never change less?i feel so confused how much real level my nitrite is my tank

 

[sawyer010]

this is new result

 

[pdiehm]

Keep waiting. Nitrite IMO is the longest phase of the cycle.

Don’t worry about nitrates at this point. You are simmering.

 

[Elegance Coral]

Water change or not won't make any difference in cycling a tank.

Islandlifereef explained to you how it can, and does effect a cycle.

You only need 0.2 nh3 for tank to cycle which would be about 1.7-2 ppm nh3/nh4 at 8.2 pH.

We do not need 2ppm ammonia, or any other magic number, to cycle a tank. That's not how this works. The tank will "cycle" even with just trace amounts of ammonia, or with a cup of ammonia per gallon. The question is, will the amount of ammonia, used during the cycle, produce a population of bacteria large enough to process the load, once the cycle is over. Given the fact that we don't know the ammonia production of the load, we can't possibly come up with some magic number to represent the amount of ammonia we need during the cycle.

A large amount of ammonia used during the cycle, has the potential to produce a large population of bacteria, that are capable of supporting a large load. A small amount of ammonia, used during the cycle, only has the potential to produce a small number of bacteria. Which in turn, limits the size of the load the system can support after the cycle.

So, changing water during the cycle, reduces the amount of ammonia available to the bacteria, reducing the potential population of bacteria, and the carrying capacity of the biological filter, once the cycle is over.

Either way it won't hurt to do or not to do WC and again this myth needs to go away that bacteria is in water.
Bacteria needs something to stick to and usually sand and more in rocks.

While there are bacteria in the water, no one has suggested that the population is large enough to make much of a difference in the cycle process. You're trying to debate a topic that everyone is in agreement with.

If you have researched bacteria as I have in last few months you would know better.

I'm 52 years old and I've been studying bacteria, biology, chemistry, and how nature works, most of my life.
Just some friendly advice...... Reading sales literature for aquarium products is probably a bad place to do research on bacteria. It can cause people to have the misconception that we need 2ppm ammonia to cycle a tank.

Peace
EC

 

[sawyer010]

Islandlifereef explained to you how it can, and does effect a cycle.



We do not need 2ppm ammonia, or any other magic number, to cycle a tank. That's not how this works. The tank will "cycle" even with just trace amounts of ammonia, or with a cup of ammonia per gallon. The question is, will the amount of ammonia, used during the cycle, produce a population of bacteria large enough to process the load, once the cycle is over. Given the fact that we don't know the ammonia production of the load, we can't possibly come up with some magic number to represent the amount of ammonia we need during the cycle.

A large amount of ammonia used during the cycle, has the potential to produce a large population of bacteria, that are capable of supporting a large load. A small amount of ammonia, used during the cycle, only has the potential to produce a small number of bacteria. Which in turn, limits the size of the load the system can support after the cycle.

So, changing water during the cycle, reduces the amount of ammonia available to the bacteria, reducing the potential population of bacteria, and the carrying capacity of the biological filter, once the cycle is over.




While there are bacteria in the water, no one has suggested that the population is large enough to make much of a difference in the cycle process. You're trying to debate a topic that everyone is in agreement with.




I'm 52 years old and I've been studying bacteria, biology, chemistry, and how nature works, most of my life.
Just some friendly advice...... Reading sales literature for aquarium products is probably a bad place to do research on bacteria. It can cause people to have the misconception that we need 2ppm ammonia to cycle a tank.

Peace
EC

great,so how long nitrite could be converted into nitrate normally, as my tank has been cycled about two months

 

[Elegance Coral]

hello, guys
thanks for all guys advice, no need to argue, every tank is different and hold different opinions, by the way, i have tested my tank, this is new result, as you can see, the ammonia is near 0.25ppm, and nitrite is still above 5ppm. however , the nitrate is about 40ppm which means nitrite is converting into nirtrate?but why my nitrite still same? never change less?i feel so confused how much real level my nitrite is my tank

Yes. That means your nitrite is being converted into nitrate. Everything is working as it should. If you do nothing, the process will continue, and your readings for ammonia and nitrite will be reduced to zero. It just takes time.
Sorry if it seems like we're taking over your thread. That's not my intent. I'm not trying to argue.
People come to sites like this to learn. When one of us has a misunderstanding of facts, it's the responsibility of the rest of the community to correct them. Through this process, we can all learn.

Peace
EC

 

[Elegance Coral]

great,so how long nitrite could be converted into nitrate normally, as my tank has been cycled about two months

What is the temperature in the tank?

 

[sawyer010]

Yes. That means your nitrite is being converted into nitrate. Everything is working as it should. If you do nothing, the process will continue, and your readings for ammonia and nitrite will be reduced to zero. It just takes time.
Sorry if it seems like we're taking over your thread. That's not my intent. I'm not trying to argue.
People come to sites like this to learn. When one of us has a misunderstanding of facts, it's the responsibility of the rest of the community to correct them. Through this process, we can all learn.

Peace
EC

that is fine, i also come here to learn, by the way, i like your talking

 

[sawyer010]

What is the temperature in the tank?

my tank is about 28°c

 

[Elegance Coral]

28 is nice and warm. The cycle should move quickly at that temperature.
In the 4 days of this thread, your ammonia has come down, and your nitrate has gone up. This is what we want to see. Things are moving along just fine.
By this time next week, the cycle is likely to be over.
This can be the hardest part of setting up a new tank. Doing nothing. It's worse than watching paint dry. If you can have some patience for the next few days, it will pay off in the long run.
Peace
EC

 

[IslandLifeReef]

hello, guys
thanks for all guys advice, no need to argue, every tank is different and hold different opinions, by the way, i have tested my tank, this is new result, as you can see, the ammonia is near 0.25ppm, and nitrite is still above 5ppm. however , the nitrate is about 40ppm which means nitrite is converting into nirtrate?but why my nitrite still same? never change less?i feel so confused how much real level my nitrite is my tank

Your test kit only reads to 5 ppm of nitrite. Your nitrite probably got much higher than that. Give it time. If it makes you feel better, you could add more Dr Tim's or Fritzyme 900. It won't hurt anything and may help.

great,so how long nitrite could be converted into nitrate normally, as my tank has been cycled about two months

On Monday you stated that your tank had been cycling for 17 days. Did you mean above that your tank has been cycling for two weeks, not two months? If it has been stuck at 5 ppm for two months, or 60+ days, then you may need to take a different path.

 

[sawyer010]

Your test kit only reads to 5 ppm of nitrite. Your nitrite probably got much higher than that. Give it time. If it makes you feel better, you could add more Dr Tim's or Fritzyme 900. It won't hurt anything and may help.
okey,i mean my nitrite is above 5ppm last about two weeks until now, and from setting up my tank until now, it has been nearly two months as process of ammonia spends long time by dr tim


On Monday you stated that your tank had been cycling for 17 days. Did you mean above that your tank has been cycling for two weeks, not two months? If it has been stuck at 5 ppm for two months, or 60+ days, then you may need to take a different path.

 

[sawyer010]

Your test kit only reads to 5 ppm of nitrite. Your nitrite probably got much higher than that. Give it time. If it makes you feel better, you could add more Dr Tim's or Fritzyme 900. It won't hurt anything and may help.



On Monday you stated that your tank had been cycling for 17 days. Did you mean above that your tank has been cycling for two weeks, not two months? If it has been stuck at 5 ppm for two months, or 60+ days, then you may need to take a different path.

i mean my tank has been cycled until now near two months, and my nitrite keeps above 5ppm two weeks without changing

 

[sawyer010]

28 is nice and warm. The cycle should move quickly at that temperature.
In the 4 days of this thread, your ammonia has come down, and your nitrate has gone up. This is what we want to see. Things are moving along just fine.
By this time next week, the cycle is likely to be over.
This can be the hardest part of setting up a new tank. Doing nothing. It's worse than watching paint dry. If you can have some patience for the next few days, it will pay off in the long run.
Peace
EC

the ammonia has gone down before i posted this thread,and my nitrite keep
above 5ppm two weeks until now