I'm cycling a new 55g tank and it's been 5 weeks now. The ammonia has finally dropped to nearly zero and now the nitrites are up. Should I expect another 4 weeks or so for the nitrites to drop to zero, or do they tend to drop faster than ammonia during the cycling process?
What's the estimated Nitrite Cycling time?
- Thread starter Siouxish
- Start date
The bacteria colonies responsible for processing nitrIte are slower growing than the ammonia group. You should see a drop in a few more days, along with an increase in nitrAtes.
twice the ammonia time
The nitrite phase is about twice the ammonia phase, with some overlap. The total time will be near 40 days or so. Less if you imported bacteria on plants or gravel or filter squeezin's.
The nitrite phase is about twice the ammonia phase, with some overlap. The total time will be near 40 days or so. Less if you imported bacteria on plants or gravel or filter squeezin's.