# Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks



## Raqs (Mar 10, 2011)

Help, I have done everything that I was told, I check everyday for the levels but the N's are still in the danger zone, I bought everything that I was told to buy to increase the bacteria levels and even a life plant but the water is clear as can be but as far as the N's go, the strips are showing me high levels.

I have even added water from an existing tank as well as gravel from that tank and nothing has changed.

What else is there to do?

Thanks,

R.


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*



> I bought everything that I was told to buy to increase the bacteria levels


Some folks say they are great some folks say they are no good, I tried to cycle a tank using 1 from Nutrafin I think it was and it made no difference tank took weeks to cycle with a few dead prawns, I think they are either hit and miss products or the folks who say they are great have just got lucky with a fast cycle and it had nothing to do with it at all, I believe they can also go useless if they are past their shelf life.



> even a life plant


I don't think 1 plant is really going to make a difference and anyway it's the bacteria that come on the filter media and substrate you are wanting.



> the strips are showing me high levels


Strips are very poor and can be a big bit off, get a proper liquid test kit from API or 1 like that. P.S. the Nitrate test from API is a real pain.



> I have even added water from an existing tank as well as gravel from that tank and nothing has changed.
> 
> What else is there to do?


Get a proper test kit see what results they give if it is still high then sit back and let nature take its course or try and get some filter media from an established tank.

And you say it has been 2 weeks to be fair that's nothing, cycling a tank can take weeks, the old fashioned dead prawn left to rot you can be looking at 8 weeks or even more, after 2 weeks you have nitrates I would be happy with this if the results are true.

There is a few ways to cycle a tank I have Marine and used Live Sand my tank cycled after 2 weeks but my Amonia and Nitrite never hit a high level they always stayed low so I had a light amount of bacteria so I couldn't put a heavy bio-load in it straight away.


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## Raqs (Mar 10, 2011)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*

Hi:
Thanks so much for your feedback, I'm going to buy a test kit, every time I go to the store they try to talk me out of them and say that the strips are much better, but they are getting costly as I'm going through them very fast.

I will do whatever it takes to get this tank up to par.

Have a good night and I will let you know how it all turns out.

Raquel


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*

LOL Test Strips are not better, Does the Shop you go to by any chance not stock the Liquid Test Kits.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*



Raqs said:


> Hi:
> Thanks so much for your feedback, I'm going to buy a test kit, every time I go to the store they try to talk me out of them and say that the strips are much better....


They're idiots.

If you want nitrites to go down, and not knowing what that value is makes it hard to give a recommendation, then do a water change.


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*

Having high Nitrite levels after 2 weeks of cycling is very normal. After two more weeks your Nitrite should be decreasing and nearing zero. Nitrate levels do not decrease during cycling but slowly increase. Nitrate is the final destination of your Nitrites and Ammonia. One normally decreases Nitrate in an aquarium by water changes.


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*

as i have experienced, every tank is different in its establishing. My 55 gallon took 2 weeks, my 2.5 gallon took 2 days.. my 10 gallon took a month!, my 20 gallon sw took 1.5 weeks. so just be patient and it'll get there sooner or later. Nothing is going wrong at all. Test strips can be off by a certain percentage so the titration tests do give better results IF you do it correctly.


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## Raqs (Mar 10, 2011)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*

Thanks so much for the advice, I'm being very patient, I just want to see fish again and move the little one that I have left from the 1 gallon into the 5 gal, I want her to have more room and I want to add more friends for her.

Anyway thanks again.

Raquel


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## Endaar (Jan 27, 2011)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*

I finally had my 5 gallon cycle after about a month. It really does take a lot of patience.

Endaar


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## fishman81 (Jan 12, 2011)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*



NeonShark666 said:


> Having high Nitrite levels after 2 weeks of cycling is very normal. After two more weeks your Nitrite should be decreasing and nearing zero. Nitrate levels do not decrease during cycling but slowly increase. Nitrate is the final destination of your Nitrites and Ammonia. One normally decreases Nitrate in an aquarium by water changes.


dead on here from my experience. big water changes won't hurt anything if you do it right. Make sure h20 temps are right, or very close if you do more than i'd say 25% at a time (which is alot). From my experience and experience of talking to other's that have done aquariums for 30+ yrs. big water changes are a good thing in the beginning if not doing a fishless cycle (i've never done fishless though).


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## ReStart (Jan 3, 2011)

*Re: Help my new tank still showing high nitrate & nitrite levels, it's been two weeks*

Yeah, I about went crazy looking at an empty tank. I had tried fishless but became impatient with my 60. I finally bought some Zebras and just then test, wc, test, wc for about three weeks with high nitrites, until.....one day nitrites went to zero. There was no slow reduction, just high one day and zero the next. After that, all chemistry was near perfect. Zebras living the high life now. I'm going to get Raninbows soon.

Do the wc, as others have said. It saves fish lives and really does not slow down the cycle in my opinion.


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