Slow tank cycling... huge nitrite. What do I do from here?

[claing]

Hi
I have one of my axies in a 50 L tank. We've had it for about 2 months and it is still cycling. I was told that this is mostly because of the small tank size and also i over estimated the original size and instead of changing 15-20% of the water twice a week, i was changing 30-40% for the first 3 weeks.

Anyway, the tank finally seems to be getting somewhere, as the ammonia is dropping and the nitrite is rising... heaps. Today is the highest it has been, 1.0 ppm.

The question is where do I go from here? I have products that temporarily treat the ammonia and nitrite but that won't help in the long run. I have also read that adding these products regularly can prolong the cycling even more.

Also what damage is this going to do to my axie? He seems perfectly ok currently, no signs of stress or disease. I keep the tank clean, and don't over feed my axie.

thanks in advance, claing

 

[Shizeric]

What do you mean by "products that temporarily treat the ammonia and nitrite"?

 

[jclee]

I'm guessing those products are the kind of things that claim to cycle the tank for you,,, if you add it every week,,, which does postpone the cycle, although I've read some diverse explanations as to why. I'd say continue with regular 10-20% water changes every day until you get fully cycled.

I had an ammonia spike when I first set up my tank, and it did thin out one of my axolotl's gills; I'm not sure what nitrite would do. (She recovered in ~3 weeks). If you're getting nitrite readings, the tank is almost cycled, so it shouldn't be all too mcuh longer. Just keep monitoring it closely, and I think the cycle should finish up in a little while.

 

[Cts]

I'd go with Jclees advice and continue with regular 10-20% water changes every day. Some live plants could help too, since they take care of nitrates, if you don't have any

 

[angyles]

Since you cycled the tank with the axolotl in it, the best thing you can do now is 20% water changes daily, and use a product like Seachem Prime to nuetralize the affects of the nitrites and ammonia. Nitrites are actually more armful than ammonia so this is a very delicate phase in the cycling process. Prime is arguably the best product on the market for both water conditioning, and detoxifying the affects of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, binding them into an inert state until the biological bacteria can deal with it. It will not delay the cycle, because it's still there in a form that the bacteria uses.

Also, I have found that another product by Seachem, Stability, has worked wonderfully to create an instant cycle when I had to tear down and bleach my 150G community tank. I had to trash everything due to an illness, and throw my entire stock back into an uncycled tank. I used stability, did all my tests daily, and it truly did cycle instantly. Well worth the $10, but make sure the date is good if you get it.

 

[claing]

I have been using prime to neutralise the ammonia and nitrite, and have now gotten onto the stability. Glad to hear it won't slow the cycling down. Will the frequent water changes slow the cycling down? I know I have to do some inevitably, but if I'm keeping the ammonia and nitite neutral is it necessary? Also, how do you recommend I use the prime? Standard doe of 5ml per 200 L or 5 times the standard for nitrite emergencies?

 

[angyles]

I would dose for the nitrite emergency.The nitrite will still be available for your BB. and Yes, the frequent water changes will slow it down, but that's the nature of doing a 'fish-in' cycle vs. a 'fishless' cycle. or in this case, 'axolotl-in' You're half way there. Just keep doing what you're doing, and you should have nitrates pretty soon.

 

[claing]

great, thanks for the advice