Sorry, another cycle / Nitrate post (used MicroBacter)

[Cheeze]

Really sorry for yet another cycle/nitrate question, but I read a ton of threads and still had no where to turn...

First thing first, I have a 38 gallon AIO. I use a 5 stage RO/DI and RedSea test kits.
About 5 weeks ago I started a fishless cycle using MicroBacter XLM and Quikcycl. Dry rock and dry sand. No media filter, skimmer has been off all times. Used the products per the online directions for a week, but misreading at first I may have dosed the Quikcycl too much.

Fast forward to today. My Ammonia has been near zero for a week. Both Nitrites and Nitrates were very high (dark pink/purple reading on the test kits).
Last week I did a 15% water change. Waited a couple of days and readings had not moved.
Yesterday I did a 50% water change in the hopes of removing Nitrates, and this morning measured lower Nitrites (which I know from other threads really don't matter so long as they aren't crazy high) but my Nitrates were still 50 (dark pink test reading). My other readings:
Salinity 1.025
pH 8.0
Temp: 76F

No brown algae on the sand or rocks, but I did some house cleaning before the big water change and there was this orange slimy film on my wave pump, some of my wires and pump tube in my tank chambers.

What should my next step be? I'm staying patient, and have no issue waiting if I have to. I will measure Nitrates again tomorrow, but should I be doing something like dosing more XLM or QuikCycl, or turning on my skimmer, or adding a carbon filter? Should I do another large water change? BTW, I don't have a sump or a refuge since it's an AIO, so using macro algae to reduce the Nitrates isn't really an option right now.

 

[brandon429]

you are done

change water, refill and begin

here's why: at five weeks ammonia is controlled, per any cycling chart. your tests seem to indicate that.

if they didn't, the test would be wrong not the chart or your tank's cycle.


per updated cycling science, only ammonia control matters, so you're cycled and cannot not be cycled. its a certainty
(nitrite is fully neutral it cannot affect anything like ammonia control, though you may read it can. it can't. nitrate is for coral tuning, dinos prevention its no longer a required cycling tests. nitrate tests aren't very accurate anyway)

ps: isn't updated cycling science so fun...we fixed quite a problem rather instantly off about three key terms in your descript.

at no point in history has a 5 week cycle failed to complete in a sand + rock reef tank. there are ten million misreading test kit posts, but that has no bearing on the actual cycle.

we even have threads where cycles completed with no bottle bac no feed, mere exposure to the home elements. cycle charts were written before bottle bac was for sale.

 

[Cheeze]

Thanks Brandon! I know you are the resident expert with this stuff!

Should I do a 100% water change, or would another 50% be sufficient given I just did a 50 yesterday?

 

[brandon429]

50% is ok no prob

the #1 difference between today's cycling rules and rules from two years ago is that you can't mess it up.

By having the whole world think water bacteria don't adapt well to being added back to water from a bottle, or that they don't come from nature free, old cycle rules authors had the whole world over investing in bottle bac sales to prop up events that were not taking place. cycles are not stalling they're completing.