# 4 weeks, No Nitrites



## KJurgelewicz (Oct 5, 2011)

I have been cycling my 26 gallon tank with 3 Red Wag Platies for 4 weeks now. I know everyone recommends fishless cycling but I did not know that from the start. Since doing research, I have been testing water everyday and changing water as needed to keep the ammonia at least below .5ppm. I am trying to keep it down at .25ppm but sometimes with my work schedule it creeps up a little higher.

I still have rising ammonia and 0 nitrite. I have no problem being patient and keep doing water changes, I just want to make sure nothing is wrong. I know fish in cycles take longer but I was expecting to at least to start to see nitrites by now. 

Is there anyway I can find out if I messed something up and my tank is not progressing?


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

What type of dechlorinator are you using?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

What is your pH? and what sort of filter? pH under 7 can cycle really slowly. And the filter matters. You could try bacterial supplement to speed things up. Do you have live plants? They can eat up your nitrite.


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

Watch for the ammonia and nitrite values to drop, not for the nitrate values to rise. When the Ammonia and nitrite measure zero, your tank is cycled. Nitrate values only matter if they get too high. As mentioned above, if you have live plants, you may never see nitrates.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Fishpunk, he is saying that nitrites are not rising. That means he is not getting to the second stage of the cycling process. Nitrates come after nitrites.


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## KJurgelewicz (Oct 5, 2011)

pH is between 7.6 -7.8

Filter is an Aqueon 30, which I believe is 200 GPH.

I did at Tetra SmartStart the second day.

No live plants.

Water Temp is 76-78.

Water Conditioner is Top Fin Water Conditioner.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752207

Also I do put 1 tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons of water, this was recommended by a LFS store guy, not sure if that affects the cycle. If so, I can start removing salt by pwc's.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Salt will slow down the cycle, but should not stop it.
I see this line in the description of the dechlor


> Also reduces the effects of ammonia.


Here is what is in your dechlor.

EDTA - Removes heavy metals
PVP - A binding agent, possibly binds ammonia
Potassium Chloride - Salt, Potassium binds to chloramine
Sodium Chloride - Salt, Sodium binds to chloramine
Sodium Thiosulfate - Removes Chlorine
Glycerin - Something found in many pharmaceuticals, has many uses

The PVP is a binding agent, which will bind to ammonia and change it to a non-toxic substance. Ammonia binders are known to hamper the progress of the nitrogen cycle. I would suggest switching to a dechlor that does not say ammonia detoxifier/binder/remover/etc.


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## KJurgelewicz (Oct 5, 2011)

Any dechlorinator suggestions?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

try this....test for ammonia.....nitrite.....nitrate....PH......
it is quite possible that the safestart along with the fish have already cycled the tank...it just may be if you are getting a nitrate reading but not a nitrite reading....as stated before , certain kinds of chemicals that remove ammonia and that remove chloramines will give you weird false readings.....
and instead of using 16 different kinds of water treatments ; try to stick to just 1....i recommend "Dechlor" made by Weco..........i have been using it since i started in the hobby.....inexpensive and does a great job...
also.....are you testing with test strips or a test kit using liquid reagents ? and how old is the test kit ? what is the expiration date on it ??


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## KJurgelewicz (Oct 5, 2011)

Test kit is API Master Test Kit, I can check the expiration date when I get home, however I just purchased it with the tank so I would hope it is not expired.

I don't recall seeing Dechlor but I will look for it. 

I have tested for nitrates here and there to see (not everyday) and its always between 5 - 10. My tap water has a reading of 5 and I think my 10 readings are just because it is hard to distinguish between the 2 oranges on the API kit.


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

bmlbytes said:


> Fishpunk, he is saying that nitrites are not rising. That means he is not getting to the second stage of the cycling process. Nitrates come after nitrites.


Misread. I gotta slow down when I'm reading.


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## Guest (Nov 10, 2011)

Never Chase for test results.
A smart way of fish keeping is *keeping a close eye* at the tank.

I stop testing water/tanks 4 yr ago. I found out doing your water change weekly will help keep your tank healthy. If you can keep up with 30% water change a week you will be fine. Adding live plant will also help. By the time you know, in A FLASH your tank is cycle.


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## KJurgelewicz (Oct 5, 2011)

ForMany, Im not all too concerned with testing everyday (obviously only until the cycle) is complete, and still having to be patient. I am not complaining about the length of time, just verifying that I did not screw something up.


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## KJurgelewicz (Oct 5, 2011)

Loha, How about API Tap Water Conditioner?


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

http://www.amazon.com/Wec-Cond-Instant-Dechlor-4Oz/dp/B003C5ZGTA

You are more likely to find Dechlor at a local pet store than a PetCo or Petsmart. Or just order it from Amazon!


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

As an aside, Dechlor is good but trying to use that bottle to put in a measured number of drips is near impossible, but is still essential for small tanks. Frustrating when a better bottle design could easily solve that problem. Fortunately, I've never had a health issue in a tank after adding too much Dechlor. 

(Last time I ordered it from Amazon, they sent me the Kindle version.) 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Fishpunk said:


> (Last time I ordered it from Amazon, they sent me the Kindle version.)


Either you are kidding, or I have no idea what you are talking about.


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## KJurgelewicz (Oct 5, 2011)

"Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks."

I will order, but I will also buy something to change over to until that comes in. I only have Petsmart near me, so I need to see if anything they sell will help me start moving the cycle along until the dechlor comes in.


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

bmlbytes said:


> Either you are kidding, or I have no idea what you are talking about.


The former.


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## giants1249er (Aug 3, 2011)

I use Prime as my dechlor. I also used platies (2 mickey mouse and 1 orange with black spots for a fishin cycle (didn't know anything about cycling at the time). They survived and are thriving now. I had to do multiple pwc daily to keep ammonia low at first, then nitrites. It took me 6 weeks to fully cycle my tank.


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

In my experience, tetras make the best fish for cycling, with black tetras being the most resilient. That said, once the tank cycles, you have to keep the tetras. An even more resilient fish is the Australian desert goby but they are not easy to acquire or even find. 

I have used the fish food method to cycle tanks. It has the advantage of keeping the ammonia levels fairly low. Seeding a tank with something from a healthy established tank is by far the best method. I have transferred a mature sponge filter into a new planted tank and never saw a trace of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate ever.


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

Prime IMO is the best dechlor next to just sodium thiosulfate. Prime will convert ammonia to ammonium, but will not have any effect of the cycling process. When looking at different dechlors is important to look at the dosage amounts as they are all different. Prime tends to cost a bit more then most, but it is very concentrated at treats a lot of water.


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