High Nitrite during Fishless Cycle for Days

[oneilwiz]

Reef Tank Started with the following currently at Day 24 of the fishless cycle, Should I do a water change if the Nitrite is measuring 5PPM and above for 8+ days while Ammonia drop to 0ppm.

Temp: 80
Salinity: 20ppt
Ammonia: Dr Tims
Bacteria: Dr Tims one and Only
Rocks: Carib sea Life rock (dry)
Sand: Caribsea Dry Sand
Water: RO
Cycle Started: Sept 16,2020
Test Kit: API Nitrite and Ammonia

 

[brandon429]

your cycle is fully done. change out your water for reasons other than nitrite, and begin.

if you want to reverify you are ready, that's through a certain way of testing ammonia, but even that isn't needed here. this thread below explains why im certain you are done:

 

[brandon429]

How to unstick any seemingly stuck cycle

Updated Cycling Science in Action This is a testless reef tank cycling thread, the only one from any board. If you ever had trouble with reef tank cycling in the past, you won't any longer after working some jobs with us. chances are you are using/about to use a method of reef tank cycling...

www.reef2reef.com

the thread is written expressly for your kind of seemingly stuck cycle. its ready actually, just change out and go, or re-proof if you'd like we enjoy collecting the proof pics too.

reasons we know you are cycled off the limited info above, not factoring your test levels:

-dr tims bottle bac is tested to work in ten days. that any hobby tester would show nitrite doesn't matter, we dont need to know that parameter.

-you clearly didnt buy dormant or dead bottle bac; they're active, owing to the metabolites you've reported.

-in the thread above we have already fixed an 8 ppm ammonia/nitrite setup.

 

[One Reefing Boi]

what are your nitrate levels?

 

[LeftyReefer]

Your cycle looks fine to me. No need to do a water change for nitrites.
Soon the nitrites will be converted to nitrates and then you can do a water change if necessary.

 

[LeftyReefer]

20ppt ?
I'd bump that up.

 

[oneilwiz]

thank you all I will review what you sent @brandon429
Nitrate is 5PPM Redsea Nitrate Kit. Salinity is low to speed up the cycling process.

 

[brandon429]

its ok to bring it up to normal levels + begin. all set

 

[brandon429]

regarding reef tank cycling there are new vs standard ways.


going off standard rules that say reef tanks can stall out, that nitrite above is a sign of a stall and its why you're out double the time on a 10 day course. Dr Tim's one and only is tested to be ready in ten days. you wouldnt make any desired start dates using old ways; they're wastewater-bound. you wait until both the wastewater clears of 3x different params while you hope your test kits are making exacting reads with half a search effort shows api will not do consistently.


But with new cycling science, that proves no reef stalls, it doesnt matter about your salinity. It doesnt matter about the nitrite, we know nitrite is neutral in reefing always and that testers aren't reading it accurately, we know that changing out wastewater for all new means we dont have to wait variable time frames for a legit start, we could meet setup dates or specific events with updated cycle science and we get to reef without hesitation, and we will save money. seeing the spikes of metabolites in your readings proves the bottle bac was live, its a handy confirm here.

change out water for as much new as you can.

 

[oneilwiz]

got it thank you, will start to raise my salinity today to 35PPT then add a green chromo from my old tank once the temp is at 78. Of course I will do a drip acclimate

 

[oneilwiz]

Update,:

I did a major water change ( 40G), while Nitrite was still high. I realized I had a bottle of Brightwell MicroBacter 7 on hand. So since my Ammonia has been 0 for the past two weeks-plus, I started to dose Bacter 7 daily. After two days the Nitrite fell to 0.

Now, of course, this product does bind nitrite, etc so I wouldn't say is the best approach but it works. I have had my clownfish in the tank for the past few days no issues while I am still monitoring water parameters. I do tend to slowly add a fish or to every two weeks, or so since my old tank of course is leaking. I decided to add the Bactor 7 for several reasons after reading its content and benefits etc.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just to clarify, MB7 doesn't "bind" nitrite in the way reefers (and scientists) usually use that word. You dosed bacteria, and they may have consumed the nitrite.

 

[oneilwiz]

Just to clarify, MB7 doesn't "bind" nitrite in the way reefers (and scientists) usually use that word. You dosed bacteria, and they may have consumed the nitrite.

Thank you Randy for clarification and pointing out my error.