Nitrites...Am I just impatient?

[SuperBee]

So this is my first forum post so please bear with me. I have a 55-gallon planted tank that's been running for about a month. It has (3) Amazon Swords, (2) Scarlet Temple, (2) Crypto Wendii, (2) Stellatus Octopus. I also have added some fish (1) Koi Angel, (6) Cardinals, (2) Black Tetras Albino (3) Corydoras plus (4) Nerite Snails. Ammonia is down to zero but NO2 is really spiking...nice shade of purple but not what I want. I've done a couple water changes and after originally following the API Quick Start dosing directions I decided to flat out just add a lot of it after the water changes to get the bacteria going. Have not changed nor have I cleaned out the media in my HOB filter or canister filter. Still I can't get the NO2 to budge. Currently feeding once every other day to minimized added debris. I always add some salt as well. Fish don't look or act stressed. EVERY video I've watched on the Nitrogen Cycle has great info on how to get rid of NH3 and now to reduce NO3 but they all kinda gloss over the NO2. I don't have access to cycled tank media and frankly I feel I'm on my way to having my tank cycled but if there is a way to bump it along I'm open to ideas. Should I be using something other than the API Quick Start? If yes, is it okay to mix different bio additives? Or...am I just being impatient? I've been dealing with the NO2 spike for almost a week and it's still going pretty solid. I appreciate any advice/wisdom that can be shared to get my tank over the hump.. Image included for reference. Thanks!

[Isaac M]

Hi @SuperBee, welcome to the forum. How long has the aquarium been cycling? I know you set up your aquarium about a month ago but the cycle does not really get going until you have a constant source of ammonia. What are your water parameters? Nitrites and nitrates? 

It sounds like you are on your way to having a cycled aquarium. It does take time to establish your beneficial bacteria colony. It can take a few weeks to 1 or 2 months typically. Given that you have added live bacteria already, have plants, and are already seeing nitrites, your aquarium should be cycled fairly soon. At this point I would just be patient and do water changes whenever the nitrite levels creep up too high. Not feeding them everyday and not cleaning your filter media are good choices as well. 

I hope that helps. You have a great looking aquarium and it will only get better as it becomes established. 

[KBOzzie59]

NO2 converts to NO3.   When the cycle is up and running it should be at or very near zero with no intervention.  At this stage try Fritzyme 7 or API StressZyme.

[ScottieB]

Wow! Tank looks great! Welcome to the best aquarium community on the internet!

You should be very proud. Your well on your way. I wouldn’t chase the nitrite number down. It will happen by itself probably in another week or two. In the meantime you could limit feeding to once/week to avoid more build up. 

There are cases where the cycle “stalls” but honestly that’s pretty rare. At 4 weeks it seems to me your exactly where your supposed to be. 

Also, your doing the right thing by not messing with the filter media and I would even avoid additives considering the fish are doing fine. 

[SuperBee]

10 minutes ago, Isaac M said:

Hi @SuperBee, welcome to the forum. How long has the aquarium been cycling? I know you set up your aquarium about a month ago but the cycle does not really get going until you have a constant source of ammonia. What are your water parameters? Nitrites and nitrates? 

It sounds like you are on your way to having a cycled aquarium. It does take time to establish your beneficial bacteria colony. It can take a few weeks to 1 or 2 months typically. Given that you have added live bacteria already, have plants, and are already seeing nitrites, your aquarium should be cycled fairly soon. At this point I would just be patient and do water changes whenever the nitrite levels creep up too high. Not feeding them everyday and not cleaning your filter media are good choices as well. 

I hope that helps. You have a great looking aquarium and it will only get better as it becomes established. 

Thank you for the info. Fish have been in about 2-2 1/2 weeks ago. N02 is somewhere between 2-5ppm. Honestly haven't checked NO3 since I'm doing water changes and the plants are thriving. And thanks for the kind words.

[SuperBee]

5 minutes ago, ScottieB said:

Wow! Tank looks great! Welcome to the best aquarium community on the internet!

You should be very proud. Your well on your way. I wouldn’t chase the nitrite number down. It will happen by itself probably in another week or two. In the meantime you could limit feeding to once/week to avoid more build up. 

There are cases where the cycle “stalls” but honestly that’s pretty rare. At 4 weeks it seems to me your exactly where your supposed to be. 

Also, your doing the right thing by not messing with the filter media and I would even avoid additives considering the fish are doing fine. 

Thank you. I think I'll just pump the brakes on chasing it. I'll stick to the H2O changes and take a deep breath. Thanks!

[KBOzzie59]

5 minutes ago, SuperBee said:

Honestly haven't checked NO3

Probably not fully cycled.  You should start monitoring NO3, when it starts rising the NO2 will drop.

[Isaac M]

2-5ppm is a very high nitrite reading, I would do a water change or water changes to reduce that reading. I would try to be below 1 ppm and ideally below .5 ppm. You can do daily water changes and testing just to make sure it goes down and stays on the lower end given that you have fish in the aquarium. 

As others mentioned, testing for nitrate will allow you to see if your aquarium is beginning to process nitrites into nitrates. I would test your tap water or whatever source you are using for water changes and then test the aquarium water. Sometimes tap water can have nitrates in it already so it is helpful to know the baseline reading.