Almost there!

fishface76 · 04-03-2008, 05:03 PM

My water levels are coming in line, my only concern is Nitrite. I'm at 3. ppm. Should I do a water change, if so how much, or should i just let it run it's course. Also total alkalinity is a bit high.

Thanks.

fishface76 · 04-03-2008, 05:08 PM

Also, When shold i change my first filter. It has been 4 weeks, but there seems to be small particles in the water. Not cloudy, but just tiny specs swirling around.

Obsidian · 04-03-2008, 08:30 PM

Do not change anything with your filter while you are cycling. If it were me I would not touch the filter until at least 3-4 weeks after my cycle was finished. At that time it would be okay to rinse in tank water when you perform a water change. You want to make sure you rinse it in the old tank water, and not the new water coming in. I just rinse it right in the bucket I use for water changes.

fishface76 · 04-03-2008, 08:54 PM

What about a water change now? Say 20% or so? Will this help bring the levels down, or should I just ride it out?

Obsidian · 04-03-2008, 09:02 PM

Is this fishless? If it is fishless then leave it be. If there are fish in there, change the water to get it down to 1.0ppm at the least.

fishface76 · 04-04-2008, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Obsidian

Is this fishless? If it is fishless then leave it be. If there are fish in there, change the water to get it down to 1.0ppm at the least.

Currently fishless. i started it with fish though. My levels have peaked and are on the way down, I'm just trying to speed up the process. I have been cycling 4 weeks today.

Obsidian · 04-04-2008, 06:14 PM

It is not really a process you can "speed up" unless you want to add BioSpira or Stability. Then you can speed it up. Otherwise it is a process that involves patience, patience and more patience. Since it is fishless I would keep it closer to 2-3ppm as that will give the nitrates a lot of nitrite to feed on without being so high that it is hurting your cycle. Thats probably the "fastest" way to do it without adding the above products.

You should have anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks left, though sometimes it can take longer than 6 weeks. That is less common in general. Often times the nitrite spike is quite fast so I would check it regularly to see when those hit 0

gores95 · 04-04-2008, 08:00 PM

Check out my thread in this forum...my fishless cycle took a month and a half but the Nitrites EVENTUALLY went to zero. They stayed at 2-4 for what seemed like forever then in two days went to light purple and then blue. Have patience and remember to keep adding ammonia daily to keep the good bacteria fed!

04-03-2008, 05:03 PM	#1
fishface76 Fishy Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Madison, WI Age: 31 Posts: 22	Almost there! My water levels are coming in line, my only concern is Nitrite. I'm at 3. ppm. Should I do a water change, if so how much, or should i just let it run it's course. Also total alkalinity is a bit high. Thanks.

04-03-2008, 08:30 PM	#3
Obsidian Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arizona Age: 37 Posts: 997	Do not change anything with your filter while you are cycling. If it were me I would not touch the filter until at least 3-4 weeks after my cycle was finished. At that time it would be okay to rinse in tank water when you perform a water change. You want to make sure you rinse it in the old tank water, and not the new water coming in. I just rinse it right in the bucket I use for water changes. __________________ Obsidian 20 gallon 1 Dwarf Gourami; 6 Cherry Barbs 4F 2M; 8 Black Neon Tetras; 3 Peppered Cory's; 1 Bristlenose Pleco 10 gallon 5 Zebra Danios 5.5 gallon Betta 100 gallon 8 giant danios; 4 Rosy Barbs, 2 German Blue Rams, 5 Julie Cory cats, 2 Burmese Loaches

04-03-2008, 09:02 PM	#5
Obsidian Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arizona Age: 37 Posts: 997	Is this fishless? If it is fishless then leave it be. If there are fish in there, change the water to get it down to 1.0ppm at the least. __________________ Obsidian 20 gallon 1 Dwarf Gourami; 6 Cherry Barbs 4F 2M; 8 Black Neon Tetras; 3 Peppered Cory's; 1 Bristlenose Pleco 10 gallon 5 Zebra Danios 5.5 gallon Betta 100 gallon 8 giant danios; 4 Rosy Barbs, 2 German Blue Rams, 5 Julie Cory cats, 2 Burmese Loaches

04-04-2008, 06:14 PM	#7
Obsidian Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arizona Age: 37 Posts: 997	It is not really a process you can "speed up" unless you want to add BioSpira or Stability. Then you can speed it up. Otherwise it is a process that involves patience, patience and more patience. Since it is fishless I would keep it closer to 2-3ppm as that will give the nitrates a lot of nitrite to feed on without being so high that it is hurting your cycle. Thats probably the "fastest" way to do it without adding the above products. You should have anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks left, though sometimes it can take longer than 6 weeks. That is less common in general. Often times the nitrite spike is quite fast so I would check it regularly to see when those hit 0 __________________ Obsidian 20 gallon 1 Dwarf Gourami; 6 Cherry Barbs 4F 2M; 8 Black Neon Tetras; 3 Peppered Cory's; 1 Bristlenose Pleco 10 gallon 5 Zebra Danios 5.5 gallon Betta 100 gallon 8 giant danios; 4 Rosy Barbs, 2 German Blue Rams, 5 Julie Cory cats, 2 Burmese Loaches

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04-03-2008, 05:08 PM	#2
fishface76 Fishy Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Madison, WI Age: 31 Posts: 22	Also, When shold i change my first filter. It has been 4 weeks, but there seems to be small particles in the water. Not cloudy, but just tiny specs swirling around.

04-03-2008, 08:54 PM	#4
fishface76 Fishy Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Madison, WI Age: 31 Posts: 22	What about a water change now? Say 20% or so? Will this help bring the levels down, or should I just ride it out?

04-04-2008, 08:00 PM	#8
gores95 Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Northern NJ Age: 41 Posts: 35	Check out my thread in this forum...my fishless cycle took a month and a half but the Nitrites EVENTUALLY went to zero. They stayed at 2-4 for what seemed like forever then in two days went to light purple and then blue. Have patience and remember to keep adding ammonia daily to keep the good bacteria fed!

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