Where did my nitrite come from - no fish ?

[Rob 28]

When I first set my tank up a coupla weeks back, I tested the water after a few days for amm, nitrite and nitrate.

No fish in the tank then and I had no ammonia, nitrite of 0.50 and nitrate of 40ppm.

Where did the nitrite come from seeing as i had no fish in the tank and when i tested the tap water there was a nil reading of nitrite in there. Could it have been the plants i put in or the couple of tiny snails from the plants ?

 

[tstenback]

The plants would definitely have some seeding ability so i woould suspect that is where the nitrate readings came from and i guess (not sure) that snails must have ammonia as a waste product so this coould induce some nitrite formation. I would normally suspect the tap water but you have eliminated that. Are you cycling the tank now? with or without fish? HTH

 

[Rob 28]

I'm cycling now with the gouramis listed below. I'm on day 17 approx. and the nitrite is being stubborn and not coming down. i done a couple of water changes - 25% the other day for two days which brought it down slighlty - though im concerned i may be interfering with the cycle too much by water changing - what do you think ?

thks.

p.s. nitrite about 0.5 rising to 1ppm without water changes.

 

[Erika_4404]

You could could but this stuf called PRIME and will bring those levels right down some people like it some don't... i help's i use it , it works for me.

 

[tstenback]

At worse all you will do with water changes in slow things down but you wont stop the cycle as long as the water is dechlorinated which i am sure it is Everything seems normal and the niTRITE spike is always the looooooooooooongest part of the cycle but it is the quick to end. Once the niTRITES spike they can often hit 0 in under 8 hours. So keep going everything seems fine.

 

[Rob 28]

Thanks - where can i buy some patience ?

 

[wetwetwet]

Thanks - where can i buy some patience ?

...at a hospital