What's causing my high nitrate levels?

[skjl47]

The established media is the key.

hello; Very much my take as well. The water holds little if any bb.

 

[TheWolfman]

Do you have a friend/acquaintance fish keeper in the neighbourhood who could lend you some established media (a sponge for example)?

I have been back into tropical fish for the last 15 years and have only cycled a tank once. When I want to set up a new tank or have torn down an old one for a while, I fill the new tank with 80%-85% fresh water, treat for chlorine, add heater and empty filter and run a few hours to make sure temperature is where it needs to be.

Then I add a sponge from my established tank (or two if it is a bigger tank) and Bio-Max from my established tank and immediately add the new fish and top off with some old tank water. I have done this with sensitive Tanganyika fish, even wild caughts and never lost a fish. I am careful not to feed too much the first week nor add too many fish that week.

I have set up tanks at work a 15 min. drive away using the same method; bringing media from home, keeping media submerged in tank water in a bucket, and doing the transfer as soon as I arrive at work. I am not sure how long media can retain beneficial bacteria without circulation and how much temperature change the media can handle, so I try to be quick with this scenario and not press my luck.

I have heard some people say to add mostly established tank water and established gravel but I have not found that to make a difference myself. The established media is the key.

Beneficial bacteria lives on all surfaces inside the aquarium gravel included decorations live plants your name all of those things will help kickstart the cycle in a tank. Sometimes it’s not possible for someone to get any cycled media but you can buy a live plants from a pet store that will have beneficial bacteria on it. Heck you could put the cycled gravel in inside your filter for that matter.

 

[duanes]

Although bottled bacteria can hasten the cycle, bottled bacteria are in a dormant state, and need time to become non-dormant and start to divide into a large enough, and robust enough population to handle the fish load. They may handle a few small fish, but if you jump right in with a large group of fish, you are probably pushing the envelope.
I believe (as a former microbiologist) many of the claims made of instant cycling are over optimistic.
In all my sumps, I keep extra containers filled with media (old filters, floating bio-wheels, rocks, junk, anything else that bacteria will grow on to start a cycle in new set ups).
You can often get seasoned media from members of a local aquarium club or society that are much more effective than dormant bacteria that's been sitting a long time in bottles.


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[BarnacleBoy]

Thank you everyone so much for your feedback. I have an update. I checked my water quality today and my tank now appears to be cycled. Or at least almost cycled. Thanks to the fish iv sacrificed over the past month. I just need your opinions on my water quality now. I posted a picture. I think my nitrite is between 0ppm and 0.25ppm. Ammonia and nitrate is in the picture too. Is it safe to add fish? Ph is about 8.2.

 

[markstrimaran]

Your nitrite has not cleared out yet

Nitrate looks great at 40ppm on a fully cycled tank.

If it was my tank, I would add 1/4" cup of ammonia per 100 gallons, until ammonia is in the 2-5 ppm green, and wait until its back into the yellow. At 0ppm.

 

[BarnacleBoy]

Your nitrite has not cleared out yet

Nitrate looks great at 40ppm on a fully cycled tank.

If it was my tank, I would add 1/4" cup of ammonia per 100 gallons, until ammonia is in the 2-5 ppm green, and wait until its back into the yellow. At 0ppm.

Okay should I head out to my local fish store to see if they have ammonia or somewhere else. Do I have a short window to add ammonia before my bacteria die?

 

[markstrimaran]

I am assuming the tank is fishless!.
2 ML per gallon will provide 1ppm of ammonia on a Api test.

1/4 cup is 59 ML.

 

[markstrimaran]

Grocery store, $ 2.49.00
The bacteria, will be fine in the short term.

 

[tarheel96]

You must have done a water change. That nitrite doesn't just go away. It turns into nitrate by nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. So this doesn't tell us anything.

You also need to shake nitrate solution #2 like crazy for at least 2 minutes when testing. Not doing so can give a false negative.

 

[BarnacleBoy]

You must have done a water change. That nitrite doesn't just go away. It turns into nitrate by nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. So this doesn't tell us anything.

You also need to shake nitrate solution #2 like crazy for at least 2 minutes when testing. Not doing so can give a false negative.

I actually haven't done any water changes since my nitrite levels were through the roof. Soooooo there must be some explanation as to why the nitrite went away