Nitrite in a fishless cycle

[pckroeger]

Hello all,

I began cycling my tank using fish food a while ago, took a bit of trial and error but got my ammonia levels to 4ppm and then removed all food and that level stayed constant. Today i tested my ammonia and nitrite and got a reading of around 4ppm nitrite and 2ppm ammonia. I am aware i need to keep feeding the tank with ammonia once the ammonia levels drop to 0, however, this will obviously make the nitrite levels rise even further. WHat level should nitrites be kept at to best aid the growth of bacteria to convert nitrite into nitrate? Will i need to change the water to keep it at a certain level or can i just let it keep rising and rising until the bacteria grow? Thanks very much for your time :)

[mizzoutank]

I hope you don't have any fish in the tank.

IF
there are no fish, then just keep testing till ammonia hits 0
you dont need to worry about the other parameters until that happens.

once you get the "ammonia BB" to establish, your "nitrite BB" will start to grow to knock that to 0, then nitrates are removed by you via water changes

what are you using to test the kit?
ever considered using pure ammonia? its easier to control the cycle.

[Cliff]

You should keep your ammonia level around 2 ppm (half of what you started with) by only adding more fish food once it hits 0ppm. No need to control the nitrite level.

Just like Mizzoutank, I am also assuming you are cycling without fish

[pckroeger]

No there aren't any fish in the tank, I am using API master freshwater test kit to test the water.
I have looked everywhere where i live for pure ammonia i cannot find it anywhere, any suggestions for where i can find it in australia? it seems to be impossible to get.
also i was just wondering for when my ammonia is 0 to i just keep adding ammonia and not worry about the nitirite levels untill they are 0 or is there an ideal level on nitrites for bacterial growth to convert the nitrite into nitrate?

[pckroeger]

Thank you for the responses!