6 weeks in

[RedLoach]

I've been having some trouble with my fishless cycle. I have nitrite readings, but after adding ammonia everyday, they are quite high. Would doing a partial water change to dilute it help things along? Its a 75 gallon tank, and I've been adding 5 ml of a 5% ammonia daily. My nitrite is above 5ppm.

[Cliff]

what does that daily dose of ammonia bring the ammonia level up to?

Are you allowing the ammonia to drop to 0ppm before adding more ?

[RedLoach]

It takes it to 1ppm, and when I test it 24 hours later, it reads zero.

[Cliff]

Is this the same 75 gallon tank you were having trouble cycling a few weeks back?

[RedLoach]

Yes, it is. Adding gravel from another tank into the canister helped start things, but it seems to be stalled again. I'm getting some nitrate, about 5ppm, but that has been steady for over a week. All my other tanks are doing great.

[VRB]

Do u have nitrate readings?

[RedLoach]

nitrates about 30 now. Would high nitrite negatively affect a cycle? Don't know how high they are because my test kit tops out at 5ppm. Should I do a water change to bring the levels down, or leave it?

[~firefly~]

Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong, but it might be taking a long time because you're only dosing to 1ppm. When I cycled mine I bumped it to 3 - 4ppm (after letting it drop to 0 each time) and my cycle completed pretty quickly.

[catman767]

Do the water change.... I had the same problem you have and that is how I got my tank to finish it's cycle.

Jim

[RedLoach]

I'll try a water change and hopefully that will help.