Cycling .... and Nitrites

[Cribbinator]

Hello,

Just a quick question. Once I visibly start to see Nitrites in my test kit in my 2 cycling tanks what do I do next ? When do I know it is safe to add fish ? I am doing the "Tom Griffin" fishless cycling technique with adding ammonia daily until the Nitrites peak but it doesn't say what to do next. Also, roughly how long into the cycling process until I should see nitrites from the day I start cycling ?

In my new 55 gallon tank I had a piece of driftwood from a previous tank and have noticed a clear film growing around it after 2 days of cycling, is that part of the process ? I've seen this before in my previous tank doing a fishy cycle.

Thanks,

James

 

[wataugachicken]

you continue with the addition of ammonia at 3ppm after nitrites show up, and once both the ammonia and nitrites have dropped to 0 24 hours after adding the liquid ammonia, then you can add the fish. you may want to make sure it does it a couple days in a row. do a big water change to bring the nitrates down below 20ppm and you're all set. if you can seed the tanks in some way with top-layer gravel or filter media from an established tank, that will make it go a little faster.

that clear film on the driftwood should go away when you finish cycling. it's a fungus which will be replaced by the good bacteria.

 

[Cribbinator]

Ok. So keep doing what I am doing until the nitirites peak and then lower the amount of ammonia until both the ammonia levels and nitrites are at zero. No water changes at all right ? I should be checking ammonia and nitrites daily or less often ?

Thanks,

James

 

[OrionGirl]

no water changes are needed--but make sure you monitor your KH as well, since the biological activity can burn through the KH, drop the pH, and end up so low that it inhibits bacteria. If you KH starts going below 3, do a water change to bring it back up.

I'd check ammonia daily, simply to know how much to dose, and nitrites every 3-4 day initially, then daily at about day 5 of nitrites present (nitrites tend to stay steady for a longer time, then abruptly go way down).