During the conditioning period, monitor the nitrite level daily. Initially, no nitrite will be present. As the ammonia-converting bacteria begin to multiply, the nitrite level will rise as ammonia is converted. Within a couple of weeks to a month, the nitrite level will peak and then begin to decline. This event signals the development of nitrite-converting bacteria, which grow more slowly than the ammonia-converters. As nitrite becomes nitrate, you will observe a precipitous decline in nitrite. When the level of nitrite reaches zero, the conditioning process is complete.
A check of the nitrate level at this point will reveal that the level, originally zero, has now risen considerably.
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