Nitrite and Nitrate

[chevyvega927]

I think it's perfectly alright to have a difference in opinion due to experiences and real life circumstances.

I myself have cycled a tank in 5 weeks with tetra safe start + but also cycled a larger tank in 2 months with a seeded sponge from the LFS. So in my experience they have both worked. Then again, I'm the dummy who squeezed out a lot of my valuable autotrophs so take that with a grain of salt.

Back on topic -

What would you do if your nitrites rose from 0.5ppm to 2-5ppm within 24 hours? Even after daily large water changes?

Dang bro! Did this happen to you? That's a big jump for 24 hours. Normally water changes would be the advice but if it isn't working then it may just be a broken cycle. I think I addressed this in your other thread but there just may not be enough bacteria in the tank. This same thing just happened to me last week... I wasn't thinking and I changed out both cartridges in my marineland 350 biowheel at the same time. Luckily the space is big enough and i keep an extra sponge in both compartments. But even with that, after weeks of zeroes on all tests, my nitrites went to 1ppm, ammonia to .50 ppm, and nitrates to 10 ppm. I added some prime and after a week the cycle readjusted and I'm back down to zeroes. In the meantime the fish barely noticed. Again, I have substrate and a lightly planted tank. I also only do 30% changes every other day. BUT this is just what works for me.

I know you work hard at your discus keeping but sometimes the best course of action is patience and monitoring the fish. If the nitrates are at 40ppm but the fish look great then you're probably ok. If they look stressed then make an adjustment. Just remember that Stendker keeps their tanks at 200 Nitrate ppm or below and Hans at 100 ppm. Long story short, you got a lot of room to play with. Too much fiddling can be bad too. Either way i have seen how much you love your fish and what you have been through so i hope it does correct itself for you.

[chevyvega927]

whole tank.jpg

Here is my set up. Super simple and my fish are all eating like savages and colored up nice. I even have an electric blue acara in there too.

[Shan_Evolved]

Very gorgeous setup and thanks for sharing R V. I'm glad you got through your minicycle successfully.

I am more worried specifically about nitrites than nitrates, but I agree on what you're saying regarding patience. My fish seem okay and are still eating. Just worried about high nitrites. I would like to reduce water changes to help the cycle, but at the same time my nitrites keep on climbing so I'm not sure if reducing water changes is the correct choice.

Sorry if this isn't exactly what OP posted about, but since we're on the discussion of nitrites thought I'd say something

[bluelagoon]

Welcome to the forum!!

I would just keep up with the water changes until nitrites disappear, although 75% may be a bit too much. Good for discus, bad for bacteria colony. Adding additional bottled bacteria won't speed up the process. Now if you see an ammonia spike then keep a close eye on everything and adjust water changes as needed. If you see a larger nitrite spike then adding 2 tablespoons of salt per 10g will help them deal wit nitrite poisoning. I'd guess you have another 2-4 weeks to go.

+1 best answer so far.