Cycling Question

Ok my tank has been cycling for little over 4 weeks using all dry rock and dry sand with raw shrimp.

My parameters are as followed

Sal 1.025
temp 77
ph 8.1
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 4

my question is these parameters havent changed for over a week now and im worried my nitrites have stuck. Ive read where it can happen and people have done water changes to fix it and I was wondering what I should do. My tank has like a milky look to it also Im sure it has to do with bacteria but just need you guys thoughts and help on what to do.

 

I never did water changes while I cycled..but some do...It certainly would not hurt, I would presume it would at worst..extend the cycle..I could be wrong..but it would be interesting to see the record of your params during the cycle..has anything changed etc.. jmo
I never did the raw meat thing either though..so not knowing when done like that.

 

Don't forget to keep adding ammonia sources until it is cycled. You don't want to lose the bacteria you have developed.

 

Have you tested Nitrate? You should do a partial water change when your Nitrate go off the chart or become stable. Nitrite is not stable and will be converted to Nitrate to complete the cycle.

 

My ammonia peaked around 1 and dropped nitrite then rose to 4 and haven't moved. So should I add another shrimp to help it along or check my nitrate and see what it is. Is there a level of nitrates I'm looking for to indicate All is going how it's suppose too?

 

Had a slight Diatom breakout come and go also

 

Yes, the bacteria that oxidizes nitrite into nitrate, oddly enough, is sensitive to high levels of nitrite and will become inhibited from making the conversion. You'll need to change 25% of your water, then test for a few days, and repeat until your nitrite starts dropping on it's own. Once your nitrite reaches zero, I'd suggest adding another raw shrimp and allow your cycle to repeat. However, don't let your ammonia exceed 2.0 before removing the shrimp.

Also, there's no point in testing nitrate while you're still showing nitrite, as nitrite interferes with the accuracy of the nitrate test.

 

Thank you that's what I was thinking also I will do a water change and see where I'm at after in a few days thank you

 

What will repeating the raw shrimp do and how long will it take the second time?

 

Repeating raw shrimp will keep your cycle going. It's a source of ammonia. Since there are different types of bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate you need to ensure that the colony of bacteria you already established doesn't die because it has no food. The raw shrimp will provide the food for the bacteria until your tank is cycled. At that point, the livestock you add and any uneaten food will provide the ammonia source for the bacterial culture to survive.

You can't focus on just nitrites at this point because failing to continue providing ammonia will necessitate restarting your cycle.