Setup a QT waited 1 month + Nitrite is still 50ppm can I add fish?

[mxm]

Well I setup my QT and been waiting over a month now and finally Ammonia is zero. But I'm tired of waiting and want to start adding 2 clownish to begin the QT process but Nitrite is 50ppm.

Should I wait another 2 weeks or so for this to come down or Can I add fish and being copper and other treatments.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

You need to stop setting a time limit on the cycle, it will be ready after the nitrites go to 0 and not before.

Never put copper in your main tank. I would suggest that you setup a QT tank and go ahead and get your fish in there as they will need to be QT's for 6 weeks or so to make sure they have no diseases. You also NEVER treat anything without it being an issue, do not treat copper just because. It's very stressful on most fish and can actually kill others.

The only thing you should be doing now is waiting for the nitrites to go to 0. This will happen all of a sudden. Then you should wait a week of 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites before you do anything, then when that time comes, and it will, you do a large water change to drop your nitrates... Now you can add fish, so the ones in quarantine will be ready to switch tanks,

I just read your post again and realized you were talking about a QT. Yeah you can use Prime to drop the nitrites and to keep ammonia at 0. I would get an ammonia badge as it will tell you with color change that you have ammonia. Much easier than doing the full test.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Sorry, up too early and needed my first at least sip of coffee

 

[ScienceRulez]

I know it's hard to hear but patience here is indeed the key. When I first took over the tank here at work, the bottom was awash in GHA, so much so that every surface that wasn't scrubbed every day had it, including the plumbing I later found out. It took me 4 months to bring the nitrates and phosphates under control with water changes, live rock changes, and all kinds of other things.

Just be patient, and it will work out.

 

[PAXpress]

Well I setup my QT and been waiting over a month now and finally Ammonia is zero. But I'm tired of waiting and want to start adding 2 clownish to begin the QT process but Nitrite is 50ppm.

Should I wait another 2 weeks or so for this to come down or Can I add fish and being copper and other treatments.

You know a long time ago when I first started keeping fish tanks, during my first cycle of a tank I was very impatient. Started too soon with fish. My fish were living I was using ammolock and similar products to keep ammonia from being toxic. All the while reading 8.0+ on the ammonia card which was probably higher. This was in freshwater and my fish were doing fine still, but it had been forever and my tank hadn't finished its cycle yet... Did a lot of research and ultimately was told at a certain point that ammonia that is toxic to fish and food to the bacteria eventually becomes too concentrated and TOXIC to the bacteria that eats it i.e. the cycle never would have completed if I didn't do waterchanges to get ammonia down. Did some large water changes to drop the ammonia content and low and behold a week later the tank was cycled. I'm not saying this is your issue, its just something to think of maybe. If I were you I'd do a 20% water change. It won't remove all of your nitrites so your cycle will continue, however it might help get things moving? Just trying to give some helpful advice.