Newbie tank cycling: Nitrites still high

[vondoom]

Hey all, this is my first time cycling a tank, I used Dr. Tims and am currently doing a fishless cycle.

I'm currently 12 days into my cycle. My ammonia peaked at 5+ ppm on day 5 and has been reading 0 ppm since day 11. My nitrites peaked at 5+ppm on day 6 and have remained at those levels, despite a 20% water change. Has my cycling stalled? I also read somewhere nitrites don't really matter for saltwater and I can add my fish right now. Thoughts?

 

[myrjon]

not cycled long enough ,read this,

What to Expect During the First 30 Days | DrTim's Aquatics

An article about what to expect during the first 30 days after you set up your aquarium.

www.drtimsaquatics.com

 

[Hallowhead]

Time is your friend, don't rush this point as it will impact the future. As mentioned above read the article

 

[erics210]

Congratulations.
Just take your time.
How about a Picture?

Exciting times!!!
New beginnings!

 

[Mark_C]

Grats and welcome!
Annnnnnddd...nitrites can kill fish.
There's a few types of bacteria that need to establish in the tank. When the nitrite reducers propagate enough, the nitrites will drop.
This hobby is built on patience.

If you want to forgo everything and have the true experience, here's what was shared with me 12 years back or so...
'Just throw 30 gallons of water on the floor and burn hundred dollar bills.'

 

[mwil79]

I wouldn't do any water changes during your cycle. The standard "cycle" is roughly a month and I would only top the water off during that time frame. As the others have said once the beneficial bacteria builds up it will start to convert all that nitrite into nitrate.

If you know someone who has a tank just a small piece of established rock would do wonders if you want to speed the process up.

 

[vondoom]

Thanks for all the feedback, photo of my tank attached, IM 10 Nuvo Fusion Pro 2.

 

[Yates273]

Where are you located? With a tank that size a small piece of live rock will speed up the process of you want to add fish sooner. Just be careful since it’s a smaller tank things can go bad a lot faster.

 

[vondoom]

I'm based in Jersey City.

 

[DEL]

Hey man. Welcome to the hobby ! My number one advice I give to everyone is ....patience is key. Take your time. It pays off in the end. Don't do any water changes either. You want to build up all the necessary bacteria to get your system up and running. What part of jc are you? I was born and raised in JC. Armstrong ave.

 

[vondoom]

Hey man. Welcome to the hobby ! My number one advice I give to everyone is ....patience is key. Take your time. It pays off in the end. Don't do any water changes either. You want to build up all the necessary bacteria to get your system up and running. What part of jc are you? I was born and raised in JC. Armstrong ave.

I'm in Historic Downtown.

 

[Mark_C]

Man, I love that tank! Ran one for years. Since then have been many changes (to 40, to 80, to 120, etc) but always loved the IM tanks based off that IM 10g.
So much so that my current main display is an IM 30 in the living room.