New Tank

[SunnyHouTX]

Yes it is. Very good news Chris. Because you're using Stability, you can let the tank run for a couple of days more without worrying too much about nitrite toxicity and you will see the nitrites will also go down.

[mnemenoi]

Congrats!!! You've now been through the first step of cycling. Now you'll have to watch your nitrites like a hawk as yours will skyrocket. Its the next step, and after it spikes it will have another bacteria begin to flourish and start converting it to Nitrate and you're tank will be fully cycled. The only way to remove nitrates is water changes (plants can use some, but unless its a fully planted tank they'll only put a minor dent in it)

[eklikewhoa]

It's being converted and starting to establish

[Chris.d514]

So idk what happened overnight but 0 ammonia and .25 nitrites.

[eklikewhoa]

I really hate cycling a tank since you have to wait forever with an empty tank and even after it cycles, the addition of fish could cause a bloom.

I've always just filled with fish and do daily water changes till it settles. Safer for the fish IMO and it allows for the filtration to slowly catch up to the load properly. Not for the weak at heart I guess but that could be an option if you are fed up with replacing fish.

[Chris.d514]

Yeah we are just gonna leave the plants and one ghost shrimp and let it do it's thing, testing once a month.

[mnemenoi]

That is certainly the culprit, lol. In all honesty I would just let it roll on as is and it will all work itself out. Eventually the ammonia will fall to 0, followed by the Nitrites and eventually only nitrates will remain. Do some water changes to drop them at that time and you'll be golden. I'd just let it go as is, you have decent numbers, so the bacteria will have more then enough to feed on and eventually it will cycle.

[Chris.d514]

Here's a pic the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are high.

[mnemenoi]

I know the feeling, glad to hear Holly enjoys it. Its fun in its own certain way. The ghost shrimp can be finicky and will likely not make it either way, but the snail should be fine. If it does not work, your more then welcome to as many as you'd like later.

[Chris.d514]

Waiting for my wife to test since she said she enjoys testing but moved everything but a ghost shrimp that would not be caught and the assassin snail

[mnemenoi]

+1 Parameters will help, I have a feeling its just spiking far too high on either Ammonia or Nitrites. Depends on where you are in the cycle... I'd honestly pull everything out and wait to finish a fishless cycle...

[aquabee]

Oh no. What happened? Parameters?

[Chris.d514]

So I got home tonight and looked at my daughters tank an found 2 dead glofish, a dead endler, and a dead shrimp I moved over the rest of the glofish/zebras. All that's left in her tank is a dwarf gourami and some ghost shrimp.

[Chris.d514]

With the levels it showing I'm not too worried right now but will watch fish and test every 3 days or so til cycled. Also gonna wait one adding endlers til numbers are better.

[aquabee]

In an emergent situation, you can also dose Prime at up to 5 times the normal dose to reduce toxicity of nitrites/nitrates and also increase slime coat. The problem with that is that it'll falsely show elevated ammonia levels when you test.