Hello,
I have a 55 gallon tank that is 2 months old, and is now fully stocked with fish. I did use SeaChem's Stability to kick start the cycle and speed things up. Things have been going well for several weeks. However recently upon adding my last addition of fish I've noticed the nitrite/nitrate levels have gone through the roof. The interesting thing is ammonia levels are at or near 0.
After a lot of research it sounds like I might have started a 2nd cycle, since I did introduce a 2nd batch of fish in the last week. It appears I have enough bacteria to convert ammonia and nitrites, but am not converting the nitrites fast enough or effectively removing the nitrates.
If this is true, I've heard conflicting suggestions about how to lower the nitrite levels. I was told that doing a water change would only slow or interrupt the cycle, but also told it's the only way to reduce the nitrite levels quickly. I only have one small living plant in the tank at the moment.
I've been adding Prime to keep the levels under control. My question is two-fold: Does the daily addition of Prime hinder this 2nd cycle by breaking down the nitrates/nitrites, and would adding an "emergency" dose of Prime break or hurt this 2nd cycling by interrupting the bacteria's natural method? And the second question - For further measures to bring down nitrites, would a water change hinder the cycling process?
I was told that in this situation, I need to play it out since it's now mid-cycle. Once nitrites are down to 0 and I only have nitrates, that is when I should do a 50-75% water change to get your nitrates down to a safe enough level. Is this true? And if so, should I be adding Prime in large amounts until I can do a water change so the levels don't get too high and kill my fish?
I haven't seen it discussed elsewhere, but I'm also curious if I could add more bacteria (SeaChem Stability) to help break down the nitrites faster.
I appreciate any input or suggestions you may have!
Sincerely,
Sean
I have a 55 gallon tank that is 2 months old, and is now fully stocked with fish. I did use SeaChem's Stability to kick start the cycle and speed things up. Things have been going well for several weeks. However recently upon adding my last addition of fish I've noticed the nitrite/nitrate levels have gone through the roof. The interesting thing is ammonia levels are at or near 0.
After a lot of research it sounds like I might have started a 2nd cycle, since I did introduce a 2nd batch of fish in the last week. It appears I have enough bacteria to convert ammonia and nitrites, but am not converting the nitrites fast enough or effectively removing the nitrates.
If this is true, I've heard conflicting suggestions about how to lower the nitrite levels. I was told that doing a water change would only slow or interrupt the cycle, but also told it's the only way to reduce the nitrite levels quickly. I only have one small living plant in the tank at the moment.
I've been adding Prime to keep the levels under control. My question is two-fold: Does the daily addition of Prime hinder this 2nd cycle by breaking down the nitrates/nitrites, and would adding an "emergency" dose of Prime break or hurt this 2nd cycling by interrupting the bacteria's natural method? And the second question - For further measures to bring down nitrites, would a water change hinder the cycling process?
I was told that in this situation, I need to play it out since it's now mid-cycle. Once nitrites are down to 0 and I only have nitrates, that is when I should do a 50-75% water change to get your nitrates down to a safe enough level. Is this true? And if so, should I be adding Prime in large amounts until I can do a water change so the levels don't get too high and kill my fish?
I haven't seen it discussed elsewhere, but I'm also curious if I could add more bacteria (SeaChem Stability) to help break down the nitrites faster.
I appreciate any input or suggestions you may have!
Sincerely,
Sean
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