Will my fishless cycle ever end?

[Goldy]

Hello, I am somewhat new to aquarium-keeping and new to this forum. I started a fishless cycle about 4/16/04. The ammonia I add (about 1/2 teaspoon) disappears overnight. I have a good level of nitrates. My nitrites are still high with no end in sight. I know that most people cycle for 4-6 weeks. I started with a completely barren tank so I know it takes longer. Are there any signs I can look for that might signal my nitrites are going to start dropping? My water had been cloudy for quite awhile and is now starting to clear.

 

[jujubee]

i believe i will probably be in the same situation as you shortly. I am doing a fishless cycle on my 46 gallon and my nitrites are way high, and every morning when i test my ammonia is lower than the previous day, so I am betting in a few days I will wake up to ammonia being at 0 and nitrites still off the charts.

 

[anonapersona]

Sudden drop

When the nitrites start to fall, they fall to zero in a matter of days. I've read that the nitrite part is about twice as long as the ammonia part of the process, but I can't recall if that was what I saw when I did a fishy cycle, it was long ago.

I've also read that it is about 38 days, give or take some for temperature I suppose. Cold temps slow the process. Crank up the temp a bit and that could help.

 

[Leopardess]

Is it possible to grab a handful of gravel from an established tank? A friends or a trustworthy LFS's if you have one? That will *significantly* hasten the progress.

Raise the temperature to 84-86 - you don't have fish to worry about and it will help the process.

Sometimes things just get "stuck in a rut" for whatever reason.

Are you sure your test kits are fresh and precise?

I know some people, myself included, have fishless cycled a tank in about a week - 2 weeks.

When the tank is seeded, I've had it cycle in just shy of one week.

Whatever happens, don't despair. And when you are getting sick of looking at the empty tank...just remember that no fish are being hurt in the process!

 

[daveedka]

It sounds like things are probably fine, as was said above, the Nitrite part seems to happen overnight and is usually the more frustating part of the program. I personally would cut the ammonia back to a very small dose about half of what you used at the start of the cycle. It doesn't take a lot to maintain the bacteria after they are there. With fishy or fishless, I have always observed the nitrite part as happening overnight after waiting forever. Give it a few more days and you should be fine.

BTW the 4-6week for ycle is really just a ball park thing, as Leopardess said it can go quickly and it can take a while.

 

[anonapersona]

Originally posted by daveedka

BTW the 4-6week for ycle is really just a ball park thing, as Leopardess said it can go quickly and it can take a while.

Yes, that "38 days +/- " was for tanks without any used gravel, no plants, just started from scratch. Anything you add like that shortens the time required.

And temp affects it, too.

And if your pH crashed, that slows it down a lot, so be certain that your pH is at a reasonable level, if it is below maybe 6.5 you may have a problem and need to test KH and pH more often.

 

[Goldy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Nitrites are still high today but my ammonia is still 0 even after adding some yesterday. I'm going to check my pH which I haven't done in awhile.

 

[andytwite]

A few people that have had this problem have found that a decent size water change has helped to 'unstick' the nitrite peak and finish the cycle off.

It might work!

 

[silentskream]

i did about a 50% water change on friday (day before yesterday), after my amonia levels, nitrate levels, and nitrite levels were all going crazy for a couple of days.

and today, i FINALLY got to put my new fishies in. 8)
they're all very excited.... at least they seem to enjoy their new big home. and i'm enjoying finally having somebody to look at!

 

[Goldy]

My pH yesterday was in the 7.6 range. This morning, unless I'm starting to see things, I think my nitrites are finally a bit lower. Maybe by tomorrow they will be significantly less. If not, I'll be trying the water change. Thanks so much for all your help. I'll keep ya'll posted.