Is my cycle stalled?

[CLYRIC]

I raised my ammonia too high to 4 ppm before adding fritz turbostart 900. After 3 days, my ammonia has gone down to 0.25 ppm (I'm using an API test kit, so I know that I won't get a 0 ppm reading, but this is the lowest on the chart). My nitrite has spiked a lot (+5 ppm, the highest reading), probably around the 2nd day after I've added fritz turbostart. As of writing, this is the 5th day (almost 6th) and the ammonia is still the same (0.25 ppm), but the nitrite hasn't gone down one bit, did I do something wrong or is this normal and I should just wait?

I'm just confused since the decrease of ammonia showed tremendous progress in 1-3 days, but the nitrite has spiked to +5ppm (the highest reading), but it still hasn't changed at all after 3 days, so I'm just wondering if this is normal or not? Did my nitrite spike too high, that it will take longer than usual for it to go down or did I do something wrong to "stall" the cycle?

I will be getting salifert testing kits for more accurate testing, but they will be arriving in 3 days time.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Garf]

I raised my ammonia too high to 4 ppm before adding fritz turbostart 900. After 3 days, my ammonia has gone down to 0.25 ppm (I'm using an API test kit, so I know that I won't get a 0 ppm reading, but this is the lowest on the chart). My nitrite has spiked a lot (+5 ppm, the highest reading), probably around the 2nd day after I've added fritz turbostart. As of writing, this is the 5th day (almost 6th) and the ammonia is still the same (0.25 ppm), but the nitrite hasn't gone down one bit, did I do something wrong or is this normal and I should just wait?

I'm just confused since the decrease of ammonia showed tremendous progress in 1-3 days, but the nitrite has spiked to +5ppm (the highest reading), but it still hasn't changed at all after 3 days, so I'm just wondering if this is normal or not? Did my nitrite spike too high, that it will take longer than usual for it to go down or did I do something wrong to "stall" the cycle?

I will be getting salifert testing kits for more accurate testing, but they will be arriving in 3 days time.

Thanks for any advice!

Folks tend not to worry about nitrite on the initial cycle any more. It just means you will have no idea what the nitrate level is because it interferes with the nitrate test. You can wait till it comes down, change your water or just ignore it altogether, doesn’t seem to have an impact on livestock health.

 

[CLYRIC]

Folks tend not to worry about nitrite on the initial cycle any more. It just means you will have no idea what the nitrate level is because it interferes with the nitrate test. You can wait till it comes down, change your water or just ignore it altogether, doesn’t seem to have an impact on livestock health.

If I were to do a water change right now, would it lower the nitrites? Would this be better or should I just start adding livestock (2 clownfish), wait for the nitrites to lower and for the nitrates to rise over time and then do a water change?

Or is there literally not that much of a difference between the two choices?

 

[ryshark]

If I were to do a water change right now, would it lower the nitrites? Would this be better or should I just start adding livestock (2 clownfish), wait for the nitrites to lower and for the nitrates to rise over time and then do a water change?

Or is there literally not that much of a difference between the two choices?

I'd wait for the ammonia to show 0 before doing a water change or adding livestock. I've always seen the API Ammonia kits eventually read the 0 color. If you're still getting that green color from .25 then wait a little longer. It's only been 5-days.

 

[ryshark]

.

 

[Garf]

would it lower the nitrites?

Yes, by the ratio of water change, compared to tank volume.

wait for the nitrites to lower

This is what I would do but it’s probably unnecessary in the strictest sense. I’ve never been interested in quick cycling. After learning a hard lesson about fish disease long ago, I use the time to put livestock in an observational quarantine tank.

 

[ryshark]

You also want to be registering nitrates to ensure the cycle is complete. Hang tight for the Salifert kits you ordered, to arrive in a few days.

 

[CLYRIC]

You also want to be registering nitrates to ensure the cycle is complete. Hang tight for the Salifert kits you ordered, to arrive in a few days.

Turns out my order got cancelled, so that sucks. Right now would it be better for me to just buy the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate salifert test kits in my LFS to get them quicker (They're a couple dollars more than online) and buy the rest (magnesium/calcium/etc etc) online which would arrive at the end of the week/next week?

 

[CLYRIC]

Yes, by the ratio of water change, compared to tank volume.


This is what I would do but it’s probably unnecessary in the strictest sense. I’ve never been interested in quick cycling. After learning a hard lesson about fish disease long ago, I use the time to put livestock in an observational quarantine tank.

Yea I think I'll just wait for the nitrites to lower. How long does it usually take for nitrites to go down when using live nitrifying bacteria? It's going down way slower than my ammonia going down, so I'm just confused.

 

[Garf]

Yea I think I'll just wait for the nitrites to lower. How long does it usually take for nitrites to go down when using live nitrifying bacteria? It's going down way slower than my ammonia going down, so I'm just confused.

You can try adding a little crushed flake food to get some extra bacterial activity. Some folks wait weeks, others just a matter of days.

 

[CLYRIC]

You can try adding a little crushed flake food to get some extra bacterial activity. Some folks wait weeks, others just a matter of days.

wouldn't crushed flake food increase ammonia instead? I have bottled ammonia (fritz fishless fuel) to increase ammonia if needed.

 

[Garf]

wouldn't crushed flake food increase ammonia instead? I have bottled ammonia (fritz fishless fuel) to increase ammonia if needed.

A little, but you’ll be feeding fish anyway and ammonia reduction seems acceptable, and there’s this;

 

[CLYRIC]

A little, but you’ll be feeding fish anyway and ammonia reduction seems acceptable, and there’s this;

Ah, My tank is fishless right now, I thought it would be best to wait for the nitrites to lower before adding fish? So is the purpose of adding crushed flake food, just to increase the ammonia, but not too much for extra bacterial activity?

And yes, I just checked the phosphates in my tank using API test kit, so the reading is a bit weird, but the color shown is definitely not the lowest reading (0 ppm), but it's not the second lowest reading (0.25 ppm), so it's between 0 - 0.25ppm

 

[Aqua Man]

Ah, My tank is fishless right now, I thought it would be best to wait for the nitrites to lower before adding fish? So is the purpose of adding crushed flake food, just to increase the ammonia, but not too much for extra bacterial activity?

Your cycle is ok. The bacteria that convert nitrites to nitrates take awhile to ramp up. The fish food will add carbon and other stuff that bacteria like which will help them build up faster. The food should not add ammonia, unless you add way to much. Just a pinch will do.

(magnesium/calcium/etc etc) online which would arrive at the end of the week/next week?

When your tank is packed with coral, then think about getting these others kits. Without coral, these elements will not deplete very fast at all.

 

[ryshark]

Turns out my order got cancelled, so that sucks. Right now would it be better for me to just buy the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate salifert test kits in my LFS to get them quicker (They're a couple dollars more than online) and buy the rest (magnesium/calcium/etc etc) online which would arrive at the end of the week/next week?

I’d only buy the nitrate now. The API ammonia kit will eventually turn from the greenish .25 to the 0 color. No need to waste money on nitrite kit and you don’t need to test magnesium, calcium, etc yet.

 

[CLYRIC]

I’d only buy the nitrate now. The API ammonia kit will eventually turn from the greenish .25 to the 0 color. No need to waste money on nitrite kit and you don’t need to test magnesium, calcium, etc yet.

Won't I need the nitrite kit to see if the nitrite levels have gone down? I heard that if the nitrite levels haven't gone down to 0, it can affect the nitrate readings. Won't the reading of 0 nitrite also be a good indicator of when to add the fish?

 

[CLYRIC]

I’d only buy the nitrate now. The API ammonia kit will eventually turn from the greenish .25 to the 0 color. No need to waste money on nitrite kit and you don’t need to test magnesium, calcium, etc yet.

I ended up buying salifert ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kits and turns out my ammonia and nitrite are 0 while my nitrate is 100 (the highest).

I tested multiple times to make sure, my API still reads my nitrite as really high and ammonia as 0.25, but my salifert test kit says that it's 0 for both ammonia and nitrite while nitrate is really high. Does this mean that API is the problem and my cycle is done and all I need to do is a water change?

 

[StatelineReefer]

... Where's Brandon, he's usually all over these threads... like, immediately.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I raised my ammonia too high to 4 ppm before adding fritz turbostart 900. After 3 days, my ammonia has gone down to 0.25 ppm (I'm using an API test kit, so I know that I won't get a 0 ppm reading, but this is the lowest on the chart). My nitrite has spiked a lot (+5 ppm, the highest reading), probably around the 2nd day after I've added fritz turbostart. As of writing, this is the 5th day (almost 6th) and the ammonia is still the same (0.25 ppm), but the nitrite hasn't gone down one bit, did I do something wrong or is this normal and I should just wait?

I'm just confused since the decrease of ammonia showed tremendous progress in 1-3 days, but the nitrite has spiked to +5ppm (the highest reading), but it still hasn't changed at all after 3 days, so I'm just wondering if this is normal or not? Did my nitrite spike too high, that it will take longer than usual for it to go down or did I do something wrong to "stall" the cycle?

I will be getting salifert testing kits for more accurate testing, but they will be arriving in 3 days time.

Thanks for any advice!

You need to know your niTRATE level before deciding on the next step. API tests are perfectly fine for cycling.
You don't need a "nitRITE spike" in saltwater... Sometimes the bacteria converts trites to trates quickly and you only really see ammonia and nitrates.

With no ammonia and really high nitrates, do a large water change to get them down to 30 or less, and then you can add livestock.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Won't I need the nitrite kit to see if the nitrite levels have gone down? I heard that if the nitrite levels haven't gone down to 0, it can affect the nitrate readings. Won't the reading of 0 nitrite also be a good indicator of when to add the fish?

No. Stop measuring nitrite.
You need to have no ammonia and some nitrates before adding livestock.