Tank still cycling

[Sheila]

I am beginning to lose my patience and hope that this darn tank will ever finish cycling. My nitrites are still positive! It's been 3 1/2 weeks since nitrites were positive in my tank....and that long since I've added any fish. My nitrites stay at 1.6 no matter what I do. I can do a 25% water change and check 2 hours later and my nitrites are still 1.6. I have done water changes at least every 2-3 days, sometimes daily....usually 25% each time. I am dechlorinating the water before adding it to the tank and using stress zyme weekly. I did have a rainbow fish die about a week ago. My pictus is now showing signs of stress (I assume he's more prone because he's a bottom dweller where the nitrites would be more concentrated). The rest of the fish look great. I am just getting so dicouraged with this tank. I know they say that the nitrite spike is the longest...but goodness...this is forever. Am I changing water too frequently....that it would considerably slow the cycle down? I guess I'm just upset because I seem to be getting absolutely no where any time quick, not to mention the frequent water changes...although I can honestly say I have it down to a science now! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Sheila

Just thought I'd add that I checked levels tonight and ammonia is still negative and has been for over 3 weeks. The ammonia was only elevated for a week and I thought that the rough guide for nitrite spike was twice as long as the ammonia spike. UGH!!!!!

 

[konrad05]

how long have you had the tank running for? with and without fish? I think your problem is that you might have added too many fish at the same time. I read somewhere that 1 fish every 1-2 weeks is safe. The nitrites are high due to a low level of nitrobacteria. The best thing in my opinion would be to toss in some used gravel from your LFS to help increase the bacteria concentration.

 

[Sheila]

If you remember, I had the catastrophe in the beginning (about 2 1/2 mo ago) where the lfs told me to set the tank up add water conditioner and come back in 3 days...when they sold me 32 fish. I lost all but 5 of those fish....the 5 are still in the tank now. My ammonia and nitrites initially spiked off the chart, but came down within 2 weeks to zero. I then started adding about 2-3 fish a week and for the first 2 weeks, my levels were good, the nitrite would come up and then a few days later go to zero, but the 3rd week when I added the the buenos aries tetras and the pictus, well, the level hasn't come down. My pictus this morning is sucking air...I know I'll come home from work and find him dead...and he's my favorite fish in the tank....such a pretty little thing. I am just getting disgusted with all of this and ready to give up. I can't get gravel from the lfs...they just don't do that...or so I've been told. My son does have a water turtle tank if that would work...I have been too afraid to use any of the gravel from it for fear it would make the fish sick. I have been adding Stress Zyme every week to the tank....I just can't get anywhere. What's the solution here?
Sheila

 

[Kribensis]

I honestly think you have added to many fish to soon, hence why you have had a spike.

What size tank is it? and what fish do you have in there?

 

[kribs mate]

so what exactly is in the tank? how long exactly has the tank been running? what size is the tank? whats filters? and what are you current readings?

sorry for all the questions but its impossible to say without this info. from what i have read so far it sounds like you have added too many fish up until now. also never add more fish until you cycle is over.

 

[modernhamlet]

Sheila,

I've been following your saga for awhile now. First, let me say that I'm sorry it's been so hard on you. It sounds like you've gone through every possible pain of having a first tank.

That said, I really think you're almost there. I know it doesn't seem like it, but if ammonia is at zero and nitrites have been up for several weeks, it's really just a matter of time.

Yes, water changes are going to slow it down, as they take available nitrites away. However, as you know, it's essential to keep doing them for the fishes' health. If you can get them under 1ppm, that would be ideal.

And when the nitrites do go down, they'll go down quickly.

Hang in there! You can make it!

 

[pendragon]

Yep! Moderhamlet is right - I know it seems like the cycle will never end, but it will. I feel your pain, my 46-gallon tank took 51 days before the cycle completed. My nitrite spike lasted about 30 days. Just as sure as meat left out on the counter *will* eventually go bad, your tank *will* cycle. It's inevitable! Just hang in there and don't lose patience. You can make it!



pendragon!

 

[Sheila]

As I mentioned, my nitrites are hovering about 1.6 all the time...no matter how much I change the water. My pH tends to run a bit high...around 7.6 to 7.8 (and I don't mess with it), my ammonia level has been zero for 3 weeks now. Anyway, I did come home from work tonight to find my Pictus had died today. It makes me very upset as this was my favorite fish in the darn tank. Trust me...if it weren't for having 3 young children looking in the tank everyday and watching the fishes antics, I'd probably have given the darn thing away by now. I am tired of messing with it already. I love watching the fish, don't get me wrong...but this is more than I can endure.....really, really, really wish I'd found this forum before I bought the fish. Oh well, can't change it now. And the tank I have is listed in my signature...it has all those fish in it minus a pictus now and a rainbow fish. So, would the gravel from my sons turtle tank work...or no don't do it?

 

[konrad05]

do the gravel transfer, about a cupfull should do it. There shouldn't be anything in the turtles gravel that will upset your fish, thats unless you're not using any kind of filter.

 

[modernhamlet]

my nitrites are hovering about 1.6 all the time...no matter how much I change the water.

That would mean your tapwater should read 1.6ppm nitrite. Does it?

 

[swammy]

I feel you sheila. I started my tank wrong also. Did Everything that I wasn't supposed to do. I also bought a pictus, but he didn't last one night(i still swear it's the LFS fault...she was rough with him). I recently lost my favorite fish (My Black Ghost Knife) to an outbreak of ich, finrot, and some slime on his body. The disease is now gone from the tank, and my ammonia is dropping, but it's been taking forever. I have had my tank for a little over a month now, and ammonia still hasn't dropped completely. So trust me, I know how you feel. There are times that I want to give up, but.....the final product is SOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo worth it!!

I ended up going out and getting a 10 gallon tank about a week and a half ago, and cycled it the proper way. What do you know.....it worked like a charm. Fish are a very simple chore for the most part (when you finally get the tank cycled). The most difficult thing you will ever have to do is a water change/tank cleaning. It is not all that difficult, and as I am repeating myself....the end result is it's own reward. I love my fish, and would not give them up...no matter how much they upset me.

As for your nitrates staying at 1.6 - I had the same problem w/ ammonia. I am not sure what the problem was. I think that I made the mistake of putting ammo-lock in my tank....and it made the ammonia indigestible by the bacteria. I'm not sure if this truly was the case, but it makes sense in my head so i'll keep on believing that. Anyways...to make a long story short, my ammonia stayed at 8.0 forever!! No matter how many water changes I did, ammonia was always at 8.0
Now we all know that much ammonia will kill a fish, am I right?? so I knew this was not the case. Somebody told me that I was getting false readings. Anywho, I know I'm blabbing right now,so let me stop somewhere. I guess all I'm trying to say is....you're VERY close. Just wait it out. I eventually will go out and get another pictus simply because they're beautiful. Good luck in your tank. Keep us posted on how it goes. If you would like to trade war stories, feel free to e-mail me...i'll check to make sure my e-mail is on file under my profile. Anyways...I'll keep tracking this topic to see how you do. I can't wait until it's all done!!

DON'T GIVE UP!!

 

[Sheila]

modernhamlet...
QUOTE
my nitrites are hovering about 1.6 all the time...no matter how much I change the water.



That would mean your tapwater should read 1.6ppm nitrite. Does it?

I actually thought the same thing...and I've already ruled that out...my tap water is zero nitrites. I can honestly say though that there is no difference in the shades of red on the nitrite card before or after a water change. Although, got my fingers crossed...tonight's reading looked a bit less red than yesterday's did.

 

[modernhamlet]

If you get a chance, I'd say a trip to the LFS with a couple of samples of water and your test kit for a side by side comparison might be in order. If you dilute 8 gallons of water at 1.5ppm with 2 gallons of water at 0 ppm, the level drops to 1.2ppm. That's like a physical law of nature. I've got to think your kit is out of wack.

However, any lightening of color can't be a bad thing. Hopefully you'll get that wonderful nitrite plunge soon! Then this will all be academic.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

 

[StanTheBetta]

Well I might be sympathetic but my tank has been up 5 and a half weeks and I still have high ammonia and no nitrItes. Seems like you're doing the right things though. You're farther along than me. Just keep it up. Also test your tap water with your test kit and maybe have the lfs test your aquarium water to verify the results. Seems weird the nitrite wouldn't go down with lots of water changes. Good luck.

 

[Sheila]

Well...I have a Tetrasafe master test kit and the problem I have with it is that on the nitrite scale the numbers/colors go from 0.8 to 1.6 and then from 1.6 to 3.3 with nothing in between, so it makes it rather difficult to judge an exact amount. I know that the red shade I have when I test it is a much lighter shade of red than the 3.3, but maybe occasionaly just slightly darker than the 1.6, so guessing maybe 1.8 or 2. I did have the LFS double check my water readings about 2 weeks ago and they were the same as what I'm getting. And I used this test prior to my nitrites spike and it read zero then. The nitrites are probably going down somewhat with a partial water change...however, it's just not enough of a color difference to register on the kit I have....it would have to drop down to 0.8 or in half before it's a new color on my kit. Today all the fish still look fine and no signs of stress in any of the other fish, so keeping my fingers crossed. Off to do another water change.
Sheila