# how long does it take for nitrites to fall



## smit3183

I have been seeing 2.0 nitrites in the tank for the last 2 weeks. I've done 4 water changes during this time at about 30-40% and they still haven't fallen. Ammonia is at .25 and nitrates are 10-20, hard to tell difference from the orange. This is 6th week of cycling. I've got 5 zebra danios and 2 giant danios; lost a couple of giants.


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## Reefing Madness

smit3183 said:


> I have been seeing 2.0 nitrites in the tank for the last 2 weeks. I've done 4 water changes during this time at about 30-40% and they still haven't fallen. Ammonia is at .25 and nitrates are 10-20, hard to tell difference from the orange. This is 6th week of cycling. I've got 5 zebra danios and 2 giant danios; lost a couple of giants.


Cycling a tank should be done without the fish, for, as you see, losses can happen. And a cycle is hard to define as how long. Usually, they run 6 weeks. And it's not the Trates you should worry about, the Ammonia is worse than Trites. The trates are not all that harmful unless in extremely high ranges.


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## smit3183

No need to respond to thread if you don't have the answer. I chose to cycle with fish as many of us do. I know it's ammonia, then nitrites as being harmful. Would just like to know on average how long it takes for nitrites to fall after they peak.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Reefing Madness

smit3183;839167[B[B said:


> ]]No need to respond to thread if you don't have the answer[/B][/b]. I chose to cycle with fish as many of us do. I know it's ammonia, then nitrites as being harmful. Would just like to know on average how long it takes for nitrites to fall after they peak.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


WOW, really dude...... I believe I did answer that question. I said the cycle take on average 6 weeks. But because you jacked with the way its done, you now have to wait longer. No need, to respond. Hopefully someone else that has more than 12 years experience will help you.......


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## smit3183

I didn't ask you how long the tank takes to cycle.. I asked how long it takes for nitrites to start dropping once they've peaked.. read the question. Really don't care how long uve been doing fish keeping. Not everyone can be "perfect like you " and do a fishless cycle
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bigfish93

He was simply trying to answer your question that doesn't have a definite answer. A full cycle can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks. As far as the spikes of nitrite and amonnia go, it is different for everybody. The ph, hardness, temperature all play a role in how long these spikes take.


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## zof

Its hard to tell because every cycle is different, my guess is one more week and you should be set, I'm with you and like doing a fish in cycle but it does require every day or every other day water changes to keep the numbers low so the fish can survive, plus you are starting out a bit heavy, most the time most people will recommend you do the cycle with 1-3 hardy fish unless of course you are cycling some monster thats larger then 100 gallons, then more fish would probably be fine.


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## smit3183

Thank you very much for giving me a better response. I think he basically just tried to sneak in and criticize me for doing a fish in cycle. My ph is high at 8.4,out the tap it's 8.0 and rises after it sits so that's where the 8.4 comes from. Don't know the exact hardness. More than likely very hard. Have a 55 gallon
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bigfish93

That pH is pretty high. Do you have any rocks in the tank? Gravel? The reason I ask is because your pH is going up after sitting. Most of the time it stays where its at or it goes down some. More than likely you have hard water which is also contributing to the high pH.


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## Nubster

I won't sneak in....I'll just say it...don't come here and start asking questions then when you don't get the answers you want, start acting like a douche. It's the internet. That's how it works. People don't always respond to your exact question but regardless it's a good way to learn from other's perspectives. Don't like it...go to your LFS and ask them for help. Since you already screwed up it probably won't do much more harm to follow their advice rather than people here that actually know what the heck they are doing.


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## zof

Tap is probably 8.4 but has co2 in it so it lowers to 8 until the co2 escapes, my tap is 7pH and after sitting for 24 hours it rises to 8 then gradually falls back to 7.6 in my established aquariums.


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## smit3183

The tap actually rises to 8.4 after sitting out for as day.. nothing in the tank out of ordinary.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## smit3183

OK.. Mr know it all.. what exactly did I screw up.. if your talking about the 2 giant danios that died.. it wasn't from the water paremeters.. they were bullied to death from another danio.. constantly chased into corners and not allowed out.. all my other fish are doing just fine. I'm making sure the ammonia and nitrites are detoxified
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## zof

Alright guys cut the attitudes, whats said has been said now let it drop, we are here to help each other and the fish we care for, not everyone is going to have the same opinions that being said ignore said opinions unless they are giving flat our wrong information.


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## Reefing Madness

Fishless Cycling - Article at The Age of Aquariums - Tropical Fish
Fishless Cycling of the Aquarium - Algone.com
Fishless cycling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Freshwater Aquarium: How long does it take a tank to cycle, ammonia level, new aquarium
Tips for Cycling Your New Aquarium - The First Tank Guide - Getting Your Fish Tank Up and Running with Minimal Headaches

RESEARCH:


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## finsNfur

smit3183 said:


> been seeing 2.0 nitrites in tank for last 2 weeks. Ive done 4 water changes during this time at about 30-40% and they still havent fell. ammonia is at .25 and nitrates is 10-20,hard to tell difference from the orange . This is 6th week of cycling. Ive got 5 zebra danios and 2 giant danios,lost a couple of giants


I think the mistake you made was not doing more frequent water changes those first two weeks. With a fish-in cycle it's better to do partial water changes every day or two. I would do 30% daily water changes until the ammonia level drops, then continue to do daily testing for a few additional weeks to monitor it. It can take a few months for a tank to cycle, and you do have quite a few fish. I like to use Prime with water changes, it's a great de-chlorinator that turns ammonia into a non-toxic form, and this will last a day or two.

As for danios, they can be very nippy if there aren't enough in a school. Different types of danios will not necessarily school together, and to keep everyone happy you should have at least five zebras and 5 giants. But I wouldn't add any more fish until you are fully cycled. If you don't plan to increase the number of giant danios in the future, you might consider returning your 2 to the LFS.


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## smit3183

I heard constant water changes slows down the cycle, can I just dose with prime every couple of days until the ammonia and nitrites fall
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## finsNfur

No, the ammonia will just continue to build up. Prime is only a temporary fix, and is not going to eliminate a tank full of high ammonia.


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## bigfish93

Constant water changes do slow up a cycle, but when doing a fish in cylce they are needed for the sake of the fish. If any fish is exposed to to much ammonia then it will die. That is why the fishless cycle is faster because you don't need to do water changes.


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## Byron

I've an observation on cycling with fish that is important to understand. While they may live through it, fish are _*always*_ stressed and this--with or without internal damage from the ammonia/nitrite--will take its toll. Even at* very* low levels, both ammonia and nitrite affect fish internally, and it is not reversible; the damage has been done. I would respectfully suggest you all read my article on bacteria for a more complete description:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/bacteria-freshwater-aquarium-74891/

This does not mean you cannot cycle with fish; you can, but it requires some actions as a couple other members have mentioned. Daily water changes of 50% of the tank to keep ammonia and then nitrate near-zero are essential. Using a water conditioner that detoxifies ammonia (some do this) and nitrite (a couple also do this) will also help. Seeding the tank with bacteria from an existing established tank or a quality bacterial supplement will speed up the cycling but not eliminate it. Using live plants basically avoids any issues as the plants will assimilate all of the ammonia/ammonium, so even some floating stem plants help; this is best of all. These points are expanded a bit in the afore-mentioned article.

Byron.


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## smit3183

Does it help that I'm running 2 filters with 2 bags of biomax 70 in each filter to help detoxify the ammonia and nitrite?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Byron

smit3183 said:


> Does it help that I'm running 2 filters with 2 bags of biomax 70 in each filter to help detoxify the ammonia and nitrite?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Not really, since the bacteria still have to appear, colonize surfaces, and multiply--and this takes time. This is explained in that article.


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## finsNfur

smit3183 said:


> Does it help that I'm running 2 filters with 2 bags of biomax 70 in each filter to help detoxify the ammonia and nitrite?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



Patience, my friend. You are trying to rush nature, but you really need to get the good bacteria to build up for you. You can't really get a quick fix from a bottle or bag. Just keep up with the partial water changes. And it's important to remember that even after your tank is cycled you'll still need to do weekly partial water changes. I know it seems like a PITA but it's necessary for the health of the fish. I have six tanks, I spend a lot of my time each week doing water changes. :lol:


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## smit3183

Thanks, I know I'm asking alot of questions but I seem to get a different answer for everything I ask. I just want this tank to cycle. I know I'm close as I'm seeing nitrates. I've asked so many people different questions and have gotten a different answer each time, I just don't know what to believe and not. I've been to different fish websites and they have completely different ways of doing things. I really appreciate the help though and will do the water changes until it cycles
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Electric

The rate that bacteria double varies greatly depending on tank conditions (temperature, bio load, water parameters including water change frequency and percentage, if live plants are present, etc). There are too many variables to be able to give an exact answer. Small differences in doubling rate will have huge impact on the time it takes to build a colony in your tank that is large enough to process the waste. No one can give an exact answer for your specific situation, so that is why you only get general guidelines.

I was doing 20% daily water changes on my 29 gallon tank during my cycle. My ammonia never exceeded 0.25 ppm. It took 4 weeks to drop to 0. The Nitrite peaked at 0.5 ppm and dropped to zero 2 weeks after the Ammonia reached zero. 

Near the end of the cycle I was sick of water changes. Now that I know about the fishless cycle, that is what I will do if I ever cycle another aquarium.


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## bigfish93

Here are a few tips to speeding up the cycle:

Slowly raise the tank temperature to around 80 degrees. (I know you have fish in the tank so make sure they can handle it). Bacteria grow faster in warmer water.

Lower the water level to create a water fall effect. 

Run an airstone in the tank.

Try and get a hold of some substrate from an established tank


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## Reefing Madness

bigfish93 said:


> Here are a few tips to speeding up the cycle:
> 
> Slowly raise the tank temperature to around 80 degrees. (I know you have fish in the tank so make sure they can handle it). Bacteria grow faster in warmer water.
> 
> Lower the water level to create a water fall effect.
> 
> Run an airstone in the tank.
> 
> *Try and get a hold of some substrate from an established tank*


 That is what speeds up the cycle. the waterfall affect creates more O2. You'd have to raise the temp over 82 for the bacteria to grow faster, being that 78-82 is normal.


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## 99gtbaby

smit3183 said:


> I didn't ask you how long the tank takes to cycle.. I asked how long it takes for nitrites to start dropping once they've peaked.. read the question. Really don't care how long uve been doing fish keeping. Not everyone can be "perfect like you " and do a fishless cycle
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


You were definitely an unnecessary a**hole, hopefully that’s changed in the last 12 years.


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