nitrite test

happychem, if i stop addim NH3 wont that starve the NH3 eating bacteria?

JSchmidt, yes I have been adding baking soda to the water. I did the nitrite test on plain tap water and got an accurate reading (0). I will try and get my water to the store tonight to verify my tests and to check the nitrate levels
 
I wouldn't think immediately. At least it shouldn't in the amount of time it should take for the full conversion. My point was, though, not to add fish to water that has high NH3 and/or NO2 levels. As frustrating as the fishless may be, it would be more frustrating (and expensive) to replace your fish every time. Not to mention the questionable morality of putting them into a situation that you know is going to, at the very least, harm them.

I'd take JSchmidt's advice though. Basically if you switch to a fishy cycle, you're just shooting yourself in the foot.

I've forgotten if we've mentioned it already (must've), but have you seeded your tank? If not, perhaps you just need more diligence in your search for seed colonies.
 
Were you still adding NH3 each time you changed the water? If so, then easily. You know that you've got a healthy colony of ammonia nitrifiers, so pretty much all the NH3 you add is being converted to NO2 quickly. The 90% change is a bit of a shock though. Do you have anything in your tank that could be decaying? Have you double checked your test kit results against a second or third, like by bringing some into the lfs?
 
The Hagen/Nutrafin test kit goes up to 3.3ppm. At that level, it's not surprising that it's off scale. After all, if you've been maintaining a level of 5ppm ammonia, and this has been getting converted into NO2, well, logically it would be higher than 5ppm NO2. However, still being that high after a 90% change is astounding.
 
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