Tank Cycling Update....anything I Need To Do?

[tameem]

Hi.
I have had my 55 gallon tank for more then a month now and it is cycling. For the last week or so, nitrite levels started to rise. From .25 to now 1.0 for the last few days! I have been doing daily water tests. I do notice my ammonia levels seems to be going down, from .50. In the past when testing the water, very quickly the color would turn a light green. Now it stays yellow (0ppm) for a few minutes before the appropriate time passes (5min) to take a reading. It still though gets readings of about .25-.5 of ammonia. Im concluding that ammonia is lessening.

With the nitrite level, I have been doing daily water changes, about 20% to kepe nitrite levels low, but I stopped doing that, and was advised to do at least once a week.

Is there anything I should be doing, or doing wrong? I dont want my cute cory catfishes and tiger barbs get too stressed.

Thanks for your response(s)!

 

[OldMan47]

With nitrites at 1 ppm, you should be doing water changes to bring it down to a safe level. At over 0.25 ppm of either ammonia or nitrite it is a good idea to get right on doing a large water change to reduce the harm being done by the pollutants in the water. Since you are cycling the tank with fish in it, water changes and testing are very important to the health of the fish. If you let up on caring for the water properly the fish will start to die. That's just a simple fact of life.

 

[tameem]

I thought doing a large water change if ther eis a fish in the tank can be also not a good thing for the fish. How much are you talking about hwen you say a large water change? And as long as nitrites are as high as they are, should I do them daily?

 

[jagz]

though i can see the reason for water changes to lower the nitrites , i think the more changes you do the longer your cycle will take. this is the reason alot of people now do fishless cycles so you dont subject your fish to unacceptable levels of ammonia and nitrite . so if i was you i would be trying to get hold of some biological boost such as seachem stability to help boost bacteria in your filter

jagz

 

[tameem]

well, cycling using fish has been a long established method. Only recently with the internet did fishless method popularize become some people thoght it was not humane and unethical, and I would agree.

I also raelize that changing water frequently does make the cycle last longer, however, I do it to keep levels low for the very reason that it does cause them stress, so I try to minimize that.

Using these bacteria booster products, Im skeptical, highly, although I have heard by some that the stability product isnt a bad one. Does that help reduce the cycle period and introduce all the helpful bacteria to get rid of ammonia and nitrites?

by the way, because I dont want my fish to be stressed, I just did a 25% water change tonight and I will do another one tomorrow.

 

[jagz]

ok good call with the changes if you dont mind waiting a little longer.

i too dont like alot of the bacteria in a bottle but if i was to get one it would be seachem stability. yes it does put in the benificial bacteria that will help get rid of nh3 and no2 alot quicker , just to give it that boost i think you may need

jagz

 

[OldMan47]

The water changes will not make a cycle take longer. Its very simple when you think about it. As long as there is ammonia in the tank that you can measyre, there is more in there than your present bacterial colony can use. End result, the bacterial colony has excess food to grow. Same priciple when there is measurable nitrites, they have food to grow a larger colony. A large water change is whatever it takes to reduce the ammonia or nitrites to safe levels. If you have 0.50 of either one then a 50% change is in order. I am well aware of how things were done in the past, I have been in the hobby for 50 years. It would be pretty sad if we had learned nothing in all that time. The small stress of a properly treated water change is much less than the stress of an unhealthy water environment.