nitrites wont go down

[thewraith]

hi everyone im new to the hobby and i need a little advice from you guys..i have a new tank that is still in its cycling mode..its been cycling for 4 1/2 weeks..it is a fish only tank with no live rock or coral..i started off with damsels and 1 1/2 weeks ago my nitrites spiked to peek level and all my damsels died..ive been testing my levels since then and my ph is good as well as ammonia is perfect..my nitrites have been at 2.0 for the last week and a half..i have no fish in there as of now..also my nitrates are at 10ppm ..does anyone have any suggestions of how i can lower my nitrite level..thanks alot
joe

[Reefmedic79]

Tank is still cycling, your nitrites will go down in time. I wouldn't put anymore fish in for at least another 4-6 weeks and only after testing the water again.

[thewraith]

thank you for your quick reply..i was also wondering do you think it is a good idea to put more damsels in..i asked around at lfs and they gave me different answers..one lfs told me my nitrite level is at a pause..he told me it will not drop because there is not enough bacteria in the tank to let the level go down..is this true?

[speccialj922]

ok, if youre talking about using damsels to cycle your tank, that is a no no. it is inhumane to make any species live in a cycling tank. there are many other ways to cycle a tank without hurting anything. if youre worried about keeping levels up over time, then you can add fish food to your tank periodically. whether fish eat it or not, the result is the same. personally i dont think that damsels are a good candidate for tanks. they are cheap and hardy, but they are extremely aggressive and hard to catch. they can kill fish many times thier own size. just give things time, your nitrates will go down. this part of the cycle takes longer because the bacteria that break down nitrates into nitrogen gas primarily thrive at anerobic conditions(theres less of these conditions in your tank).

[Reefmedic79]

I wouldn't put anything alive in your tank. I second the option of adding a bit a fish food periodically to help hasten the cycle a little. Like I said before though I would wait at least another 4 weeks before adding anything else.

[reefitup]

Would a raw shrimp facilitate the cycling at this point?

I might add some live rock. I've even (in FO) tanks, got bio media from a buddies tank and chunked it into my wet/dry.

If you don't want to keep the live rock after the tank is done cycling... no problem. I'll buy it from ya.... 1.25 per pound sound good :P

[thewraith]

thank you all for your quick responses..i am going to do what you guys said and just add some fish food here and there..i just got confused because everyone at lfs were telling me different stories..they also mentioned something about a fishless cycle by raising my amonia level..and they also mentioned something called cycle to put in my tank to speed up the process..is this stuff any good or were they telling me something just to shut me up so i wouldnt ask so many questions like im doing now..im sorry for all the questions i just want to make sure everything i do or hear is correct and i dont harm any fish in the future..thanks alot again for your fast replies..

[scotty1234]

Use a product called Cycle, you should be able to it from a local store or online for cheap. If you do water changes during the cycle it will increase the amount of time the tank takes to cycle.

[Mariner]

Sounds to me like your tank is having a hard time establishing its biofilter (which isn't surprising since you have no live rock). May I ask where/how you plan on establishing a good biofilter? Do you have bioballs, a DSB a wet dry or ? It'll be hard to ever get this tank stable without some plan for biofiltration.
FWIW,
Mariner

[speccialj922]

dont use cycle. we sell it at my lfs. whether it works or not isnt the issue. its better to let your tank cycle naturally. this is a hobby of patience. just let the cycle work out naturally. you will have years of enjoyment out of this tank. no need to try and speed up things to get fish in there.

[thewraith]

i bought the tank 2 months ago from a women who was moving and needed to sell her tank...she gave me a fluval 304 and a whisper 30-60 top filter..i asked at a lfs and the said that would be alright in my 75 gallon since i was only doing fish only..so do you guys think i should add live rock?? and if so will these 2 filters be enough to handle it or do i need more to it??

[markdt]

Did you replace all the filter Media for the Fluval when you got the tank. Also it is just me but I would not user the whisper I would take that out. Live rock will be ok it shold help out a lot.

[scotty1234]

Depending on the type of filter you have if you add Poly-Filter somewhere in it you're nitrites will drop rapidly possibly in a day, at least mine did when I had to cycle my tanks. It's also a great filter for anytime use and is pretty cheap if you get it from Fosters and Smith.