My Nitrites/Nitrates are REALLY high...

[MemphisEcho]

My Nitrates and Nitrites are really high, but my Ammonia is down to 0, I did a 50% water change last night and the Nitrates/Nitrites are still really high. I'm still putting in 1/2 the amount of Ammonia, do I just keep doing that until the Nitrites/Trates go down or do I do another water change?

 

[luxum]

Don't do water changes yet, you are just slowing the process. Keep adding your half dose until the nitrites are completely converted, then do water changes to get your nitrates down and then stock your tank!

 

[Voorhee]

well im still in middle of cycling tank.. (fishless)

as of yesturday my reading are..

ammonia 3ppm ( i keep it at that)
Nitrite .3
Nitrate 7ppm

thats day 4 lol..

 

[luxum]

That's good, Voorhee, your nitrites will spike soon. Make sure you keep adding ammonia daily (half the dose you used to get to 3ppm).

 

[Voorhee]

so keep ammonia at 1.5 ppm? till all is zero (ammonia and nitrite) after 24 hours then do water change to lower Nitrates??

 

[luxum]

You won't be able to "keep" the ammonia at any level much longer, because the colony will soon be able to convert all of that fairly quickly. So just daily add half the dose you used to get to 3ppm, until both ammonia and nitrites fall to zero within 24 hours of dosing, then do water changes to bring nitrates down, i shoot for nitrates below 20ppm.

 

[Voorhee]

Thanks..

i should really keep track of how many eyedroppers i use lol..

cause my plants in the tank soak up alot of the ammonia.. so it seems different everyday..

how should i go around adding ammonia after the nitrite spike?

2 eyedroppers full a day till everything is zero? i don't want to screw up the cycle or bacteria??

Thanks!!

 

[luxum]

Well... you should have noted how much you had to add to get the tank to your target of 3ppm (i use 5ppm, but anyways). Since you didn't do that, you'll have to note the current ammonia level, note how much it takes you to get to target, do some algebra to figure out what the dose should have been from zero ammonia, then halve it. Or you could guesstimate.

 

[MemphisEcho]

GOTCHA, thanks.