I’m cycling my tank I’m on day 12 my ammonia is zero my nitrite is around 2, 4 ppm and my nitrate is around 100 probably more do I keep dosing ammonia

[tiny9026]

It will be fully cycled when the nitrite hits zero.
At this point I think some people would start adding a small fish as long as the ammonia is getting processed.

I had dosed 1ppm ammonia yesterday and today it’s zero just my Nitrite is still present

 

[tiny9026]

Agreed I would wait till nitrite drops to 0 and then test if the nitrate is lower then you are ready for fish. Dont dose anymore ammonia th

Thank you I’m not going to dose no more ammonia then ima just wait until my nitrite is zero

 

[kvansloo]

So what should I do just let the cycle still go and wait until nitrite drops

Stop adding ammonia, do a small water change like a gallon since your tank is only 8 gallons. Watch the Nitrites they will go up till they peak then start going down. I know it sounds crazy but check dates on your test kit. I have bought test kits that are out of date and will do this also. Just got one from red sea the regents in it was 1 year out of date with red sea that does not happen often. Verify you are preforming the test correctly take your time don't rush. Maybe take a water sample to your LFS and have them test it for you. With 2 - 4 ppm Nitrites if this was first Nitrite test you likely don't have Nitrates.

 

[tiny9026]

Stop adding ammonia, do a small water change like a gallon since your tank is only 8 gallons. Watch the Nitrites they will go up till they peak then start going down. I know it sounds crazy but check dates on your test kit. I have bought test kits that are out of date and will do this also. Just got one from red sea the regents in it was 1 year out of date with red sea that does not happen often. Verify you are preforming the test correctly take your time don't rush. Maybe take a water sample to your LFS and have them test it for you. With 2 - 4 ppm Nitrites if this was first Nitrite test you likely don't have Nitrates.

I have 2 nitrite test kits one says I have zero nitrite and the other says I have 2 - 4 ppm the new one I got says I have 2-4 ppm and the old one says I have zero but the old one I have dosent show u the exp date it erased

 

[twentyleagues]

According to a lot of people nitrite is not toxic to saltwater fish. That said I still waited until I showed 0. I was not in a rush to add anything. But you could add fish slowly right now if you needed/wanted to. The big thing now is disease prevention. QT your fish or get QT'd fish.

 

[Formulator]

I’m not sire why, but this thread has attracted a lot of bad advice and misinformation. If your ammonia is zero and you have measurable nitrates, your cycle is complete. Do a 50% water change and add your first fish or 2. Continue doing 10-20% water changes every day or 2 until you get nitrates down to 5-10 ppm. Nitrates won’t hurt anything, but they will invite algae and bacterial blooms, and slow coral growth. Nitrite is inert in the aquarium and everyone has some low level of nitrite, even in established tanks. It will not hurt anything.

 

[Aaron75]

I’m not sire why, but this thread has attracted a lot of bad advice and misinformation. If your ammonia is zero and you have measurable nitrates, your cycle is complete. Do a 50% water change and add your first fish or 2. Continue doing 10-20% water changes every day or 2 until you get nitrates down to 5-10 ppm. Nitrates won’t hurt anything, but they will invite algae and bacterial blooms, and slow coral growth. Nitrite is inert in the aquarium and everyone has some low level of nitrite, even in established tanks. It will not hurt anything.

Sure, Nitrite isn't harmful but the cycle is not complete if there are nitrites. The cycle is literally the nitrogen cycle. It's not complete until ammonia is fully cycled into nitrites and then nitrates. The best way to assure your tank can handle a real load is to be able to fully process ammonia in 24 hrs, that includes nitrites. Why people skip the last half of the cycle because it takes a few extra days is beyond me.

 

[Dburr1014]

Sure, Nitrite isn't harmful but the cycle is not complete if there are nitrites. The cycle is literally the nitrogen cycle. It's not complete until ammonia is fully cycled into nitrites and then nitrates. The best way to assure your tank can handle a real load is to be able to fully process ammonia in 24 hrs, that includes nitrites. Why people skip the last half of the cycle because it takes a few extra days is beyond me.

I do 100% agreed with what you're saying about the nitrite cycle, his cycle is not 100% complete. And this is very true information.

Having said that, nitrite is not really harmful to the fish. It's the ammonia that's harmful. He is processing ammonia just fine, this is why people start adding things now, though very slowly to let the nitrifying bacteria catch up.

 

[Formulator]

Sure, Nitrite isn't harmful but the cycle is not complete if there are nitrites. The cycle is literally the nitrogen cycle. It's not complete until ammonia is fully cycled into nitrites and then nitrates. The best way to assure your tank can handle a real load is to be able to fully process ammonia in 24 hrs, that includes nitrites. Why people skip the last half of the cycle because it takes a few extra days is beyond me.

They “skip” it because there is no benefit to waiting. “Finish” the cycle with fish. There is nitrate present and no ammonia, meaning that the cycle is completing. The metabolic process is occurring at all stages of the cycle or there would be no nitrate. The important part is that ammonia is zero 8-12 hours after dosing ammonia. If that’s the case, the tank can support fish just fine. Honestly I don’t know why we bother testing nitrite. Sure it gives us some early indication that our tank is starting to cycle for peace of mind, but once ammonia is zero and nitrates are present, nitrite is irrelevant.

 

[eelman07]

Sure, Nitrite isn't harmful but the cycle is not complete if there are nitrites. The cycle is literally the nitrogen cycle. It's not complete until ammonia is fully cycled into nitrites and then nitrates. The best way to assure your tank can handle a real load is to be able to fully process ammonia in 24 hrs, that includes nitrites. Why people skip the last half of the cycle because it takes a few extra days is beyond me.

+1 while you could add fish now, waiting to finish the full cycle is the best option.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Don't take my word for it.
Here is randy holmes farley talking about it.

Post in thread 'Cycling Help' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cycling-help.1052900/post-12503916

Dont bother retesting or water changing.

Habib Sekha, owner of Salifert, has stated that, like most nitrate kits, a few ppm of nitrite reads as a ton of nitrate.

 

[Formulator]

Dont bother retesting or water changing.

Habib Sekha, owner of Salifert, has stated that, like most nitrate kits, a few ppm of nitrite reads as a ton of nitrate.

Good to know. So part of my response above could be incorrect, but I still stand by my point that if ammonia is zero within 8-12 hours of dosing, its safe to finish the cycle with a fish in the tank.

 

[tiny9026]

Good to know. So part of my response above could be incorrect, but I still stand by my point that if ammonia is zero within 8-12 hours of dosing, its safe to finish the cycle with a fish in the tank

so nitrite doesn’t matter there around 2-4 ppm and my nitrates are high but my ammonia is zero

 

[Dburr1014]

so nitrite doesn’t matter there around 2-4 ppm and my nitrates are high but my ammonia is zero

You got it.

If you like, add 1 or 2 small fish or wait a few more days.

It is a good practice to QT fish but for the first addition with no coral anyway, most just add to the display.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Good to know. So part of my response above could be incorrect, but I still stand by my point that if ammonia is zero within 8-12 hours of dosing, its safe to finish the cycle with a fish in the tank.

I agree

 

[KrisReef]

Aren't you supposed to look down through the top unless the color is too faint?

https://www.jlaquatics.com/media/bss/productattachment/nitratetest_instructions.pdf

 

[Formulator]

Aren't you supposed to look down through the top unless the color is too faint?

https://www.jlaquatics.com/media/bss/productattachment/nitratetest_instructions.pdf

Good point. Looking through the side changes the path length of the light by a factor of 10. So 100 ppm becomes 10 ppm. But that looks too dark to be using the side view result.

 

[tiny9026]

Good point. Looking through the side changes the path length of the light by a factor of 10. So 100 ppm becomes 10 ppm. But that looks too dark to be using the side view result.

So do I look at it through the top?

 

[tiny9026]

I do 100% agreed with what you're saying about the nitrite cycle, his cycle is not 100% complete. And this is very true information.

Having said that, nitrite is not really harmful to the fish. It's the ammonia that's harmful. He is processing ammonia just fine, this is why people start adding things now, though very slowly to let the nitrifying bacteria catch up.

Should I feed the bacteria with ammonia chloride I haven’t fed it in around 2 days a little bit of drops like around 8 drops or should I just leave it alone but my nitrites are still present but right now my ammonia is at zero

 

[twentyleagues]

Should I feed the bacteria with ammonia chloride I haven’t fed it in around 2 days a little bit of drops like around 8 drops or should I just leave it alone but my nitrites are still present but right now my ammonia is at zero

it will be fine for a bit without anything.