10 Gallon Tank Log - Need Immediate Help

[Florida_Fin]

Ok I have had this tank for two months. 3 zebra danios, 10 gallon, OTB filter with actiated carbon inside, submersible heater, 3 pieces of driftwood, 1 lilybulb that is sprouting, and fake plants all around.

My nitrites have been over 10.0ppm (off the charts) for three weeks. fish seem perfectly fine, but this can't be.
Doing 10% PWC every day...no change. did a 40%...still no change.

Tested tap water, no nitrites.

Current log is as follows....

NitrItes - 10.0 + ppm
NitrAtes - 20ppm
Hardness - 300+GH (I live in florida, so normal)
ph 7.0
Alkalinity - 40

Please help!

(Water isn't cloudy anymore, that happened a month ago.)

 

[ctsv510]

Did you test your ammonia? Did you ever fully cycle the tank? You need to change 90% of your water and test again. If you are still getting the same readings then your test is giving false readings. If the large water change brings the levels down then you need to change 50% daily until you complete your cycle.

 

[Florida_Fin]

Ammonia is minimal but is showing. Its in the safe zone. If PWC90% itll kill my filter.

I do not know if i ever fully cycled it?

 

[Juggler75]

It won't *kill* your filter if you dechlorinate the water before you put it in. If your filter is cycled then it would be able to handle the ammonia and nitrites changing them into nitrates so readings would be 0 and 0.

 

[Florida_Fin]

Im just having a lot of trouble. Im getting conflicting advice from every source and have no idea where to go. Im tempted to just leave the aquarium alone for two weeks and then go back and check on it.

 

[ctsv510]

Leaving it is not a good idea, you'll end up more frustrated because your fish will be dead. You need to check the information here on cycling: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

If you are getting advice that conflicts with what you're reading here, then the other advice is wrong. What other recommendations did you receive? What type of test kit are you using? Just keep changing water because it sounds like you're in a fish-in cycle at this point, so you may as well finish it.

 

[Mowbz]

Ammonia is minimal but is showing. Its in the safe zone. If PWC90% itll kill my filter.

The "Safe Zone" for ammonia is 0. Anything else, and its potentially lethal, especially at lower level pH (4-6 i beleive)

Please post the actual reading, as false readings lead to false advice being given.

I do not know if i ever fully cycled it?

How long has this tank been running, and how to you start the tank?

 

[Florida_Fin]

My readings are the actual readings.
ITs been going for about two months

I started with all new equipment.

 

[the_lock_man]

My readings are the actual readings.
ITs been going for about two months

I started with all new equipment.

"Safe Zone" isn't a reading. What we want is a definite number, as with your nitrite of 10ppm,

I think the reason that your small water changes made no difference, is because it just wasn't a big enough change. As stated, a 90%, or higher, water change won't damage the filter. You can just leave the fish enough water to swim upright in, and it won't harm the filter - you just need to ensure that the water is dechlorinated, and is roughly temperature matched.

Give it a go, then let us know what your ammonia and nitrite levels are. Don't worry about nitrate, with nitrite that high, it will affect the nitrate test accuracy.

 

[Tizer]

i can vouch for the above advice, if you want to leave the tank alone for 2 weeks then expect to come back to rotting fish and a rather putrid smell. Or, be responsible and change 95% of the water in the tank, dechlorinate the new water going in and give your fish a chance to survive. There after, do a test every day and i suggest a 50% water change every day until everything balances out and you have no ammonia or nitrite.

 

[Florida_Fin]

Ok. 80% PWC, followed by daily 50% PWC. As long as it wont damage my bio filter im all for it.
Thanks!

 

[Dieses Madchen]

As above stated, keep up with the water changes. Daily (sometimes multiple in a day) to get the readings as close to 0 as possible. This is probably going to go on for a while. And despite the instructions on the box of filters, do not replace your filter media monthly. Keep the filter media until it is literally falling to pieces, then change the filter, but add the pieces of falling apart media to the new filter cartridge.

We will help you get through this

 

[Mikaila31]

I agree with what has been said above. However something is wrong here nitrites at 10ppm is pretty much instant death to a vast majority of fish. Along with their continued presence it is not logical that this is correct. I would very much question the readings from your test kit. Since it did get a reading of 0 on your tap I would assume for now the kit it is working. Its uncommon but sometimes certain kits can get false positives from other additives to the tank. So this makes me wonder what test kit are you using and what else is added to that tank regularly? A pretty clear indicator of an incorrect reading is the levels before and after a WC. If you change 80% of the water test right before and right after, if your nitrite level does not drop to 1/5 or so its original reading somethings wrong.

 

[Florida_Fin]

Thank you so much for the help guys .

I am using Jungle Test strips 5-n-1 and also Tetra 6-n-1. They both show nitrites over 10ppm. I went ahead and filled a water bottle up 40% with tank water, and dilluted it with 60% tap water (like a little water change in a bottle) and tested...the readings went down so thats good.

Both tests have equal results so something is causing the high nitrites. The only thing in my aquairum is a lily bulb that is growing but i dont think thats causing the problems

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Thank you so much for the help guys .

I am using Jungle Test strips 5-n-1 and also Tetra 6-n-1. They both show nitrites over 10ppm. I went ahead and filled a water bottle up 40% with tank water, and dilluted it with 60% tap water (like a little water change in a bottle) and tested...the readings went down so thats good.

Both tests have equal results so something is causing the high nitrites. The only thing in my aquairum is a lily bulb that is growing but i dont think thats causing the problems

I would highly recommend a liquid test kit, such as the API Master Kit. Test strips are known to be inaccurate.