Cycle reversing ??? ARRGGHH !

Hi Guys

Please could someone help ? My tank has gone cloudy white again like when it was cycling and there are tiny white dots stuck to the sides.

The values are :

Ammonia : 0
Nitrite :50-100 (colour is in the middle of the 2 numbers so around 75 ?)
Nitrate : 5
PH : 8

Was I too keen to put my axie in and has the cycling process gone wrong ?

It looks like nitrite is still in the process of turning to nitrate ? - but if there is no ammonia what is causing the cloudy white ? (I was told this occurred when the good bacteria were too small to be taken into the filter as a result of needing to feed on ammonia). However my ammonia reading is 0. Do I need to create more ammonia for them to feed on ?? If so how ? Do I leave food lying around on the bottom for a while and not clean it up ?? Any advice would be appreciated ..

PS Is the white stuff on the side of the tank good bacteria ? If so is there too much ? Do I wipe it off ?? Thanks !

Cloudy water is quite normal at first, it will clear,leave your axie in but do regular checks for ammonia and nitrite.Putting your axie in probably upset the balance a little.You can do some 30%water changes if your readings start to rise but make sure you use de-chlorinated water or you will kill off the good bacteria it took so long to build up.For Some reason the Nitrobacter bacteria,which breaks down Nitrite into Nitrate seems to take longer to build up than the Nitrosomonas bacteria which breaks down the ammonia,so once your Nitrite spikes you may find it will take longer to come back down than the ammonia.Keep an eye on the PH you don't want it any higher.Your tank will balance out just be patient.

Thanks Ian - where are you ?? Sounds like you are nearby ? I am in Stockton ...

ps my tank has been going around 7 weeks now ..

Hi Karen I live in Skelton, just past Guisbrough.After 7 weeks your nitrite should be on the way down,don't worry too much about nitrate as its relatively harmless but can cause green water.As i said putting your axie in may of upset the balance it should right itself after a time but keep an eye on ammonia and nitrite levels.The white stuff on the side of the tank is probably tiny air bubbles,what sort of filter system are you using.It sounds like you have done everything right so i wouldn't worry too much.

Hi Ian

The white stuff seems to be some kind of very small white stringy bacteria. No idea what it is or even if it's good !

The water is STILL cloudy.

I am still at a total loss as to why !!! :-(

Hi... Do u have coloured stones in your tank?

When i set up my tank i bought some blue stones from a garden shop, for weeks the water remained cloudy nd couldnt work out why, water quality was all good. It turnes out they had been dyed blue they wern't really blue..

When i removed the stones nd did a partial water change, the water cleared right up nd has remaind clear. Think stones were releasing small amounts of colour, making the water appear cloudy..

Anyway its justs a thought, could b your problem.

I do Leigh - what colour cloudy was the water ? My stones are black and the water is white !

my water was a cloudy whiteish with a touch of light blue, the stones I had were naturally light brown, but had been dyed blue. I think that the small amounts of colour coming out of the stones were colouring the water, making it appear cloudy white..

Black stones probably wouldn't have the same effect, the stones may not b your problem..

If you say that your water parameters are all good Ph,ammonium etc.. the only way to be sure about the stones is to remove them, do a partial water change nd c if the water goes cloudy again, thats what i ended up doing. If the water is still cloudy then the stones arnt the problem.

that about all I can suggest.

Anyway let me know how u get on