Having An Issue With Nitrites :(

[Wills]

Right so yesterday I had a bit of a catastrophe in my tank, I cleaned my filter and then hooked the hoses up the wrong way around so it backed everything up from the filter into the tank very bad Then I got the pipes the right way around but then I realized I had put the filter floss in the top chamber of the FX5 and it was clogging the system and this took ages for me to work out what was going on. I eventually got it sorted after about 2-3 hours of faffing around with the filter etc. I knew it was bad straight away, the tank cleared in about 2 hours and this morning looked fine. Fish looked okay last night and this morning, but when I got home I tested the water and I had about 0.5 ppm (on api test kit) - or 0.50 I cant remember how the ratings go just recognize the rating colour dont have the cards to hand.

So I did a 50% water change about 2 hours ago and re tested the water just now and its still at the same reading..... Planning to do an other water change tomorrow but its going to be in the evening as I need my partner around to help me out to do them.

Ive stopped feeding for now (much to their disgust) other than being hungry the fish seem okay, one of the geos has slightly frayed fins but that could be from fighting... and my nic is a bit pale but getting a bit better than after the water change.

So my question is should I just keep doing daily water changes and hope for the best or what? I tested ammonia and that was a straight 0.

Im just so gutted I feel so bad for whats happened its my own stupid fault for hooking the tubes up the wrong way and then the polishing pad in the top gahh, its not fair though because I had that pad in the top before but it was weighted down with other media so I guess that sorted it out but its still just so gutting.

I guess this has turned into a bit of a rant but if anyone has any advice for what I should do please chip in.

Wills

 

[PDSimon]

Hope you sort it out asap.

Maybe for future prevension you could colour code the tubes?

 

[kaivalagi]

Sorry mate, not a nice thing, we have all made mistakes it's just unfortunate this has turned out to be such a worry.

I'm lucky I have a quick release that holds both hoses and comes off in one piece I can't get it the wrong way around (tetratec filter), not that helps your problem, although you may consider an alternative filter next time around....sounds like a design flaw on the FX5 to me...


What I don't get is how the nitrite levels are staying up, I would have thought a backfill pumps unprocessed nasties from the filter media into the water but you would expect them to get drawn back into the filtration system and be re-absorbed fairly quickly...unless the back filling damaged some of the bacteria in someway?

If it were me I would do the daily water changes just to feel like I am doing all I can, it wont hurt and may be somewhat therapeutic...

I don't see how you have another choice, but I can't see that it will take more than a few days to sort itself out....I can't see how the damage can possibly be long term.

Fingers crossed for you

 

[Wills]

Thanks guys Im hoping that because of the lack of ammonia being present I think the cycle has just been bumped not tested the water yet today as I would rather be in ignorance until I can do something about it. Im going to have a thourough clean of the tank tonight just to make sure there are no pockets of debrey in there still I think I have them all but who knows.

I had a head count of all fish today as well and they are all present and accounted for.

Wills

 

[kaivalagi]

Good news...

I did read somewhere that it is suggested that Nitrites are not so evenly dispersed in a tank so doing water changes doesn't help as much as we'd like to think. They like to hang out on surfaces, especially around the substrate so doing a been of a clean across the top of the sand would be a very good move, assuming what I read is the case.

Hope those tests come out good

 

[Wills]

Just tested the water about half an hour ago, nitrite was perfect 0 but ammonia is about .25 now (i hate the ammonia test .25 and 0 look so similar to me dont know if its me or not though haha)

Fish are a bit pale but will need to wait till mrs gets in to help me lug buckets around for water change. I think this could be okay after today but not out of the woods yet.

Wills

 

[Bignose]

Good news...

I did read somewhere that it is suggested that Nitrites are not so evenly dispersed in a tank so doing water changes doesn't help as much as we'd like to think. They like to hang out on surfaces, especially around the substrate so doing a been of a clean across the top of the sand would be a very good move, assuming what I read is the case.

Hope those tests come out good

I'd very very curious if you could post or forward the link where you read that from. Because it is utterly wrong. Nitrites are dissolved in the tank water, and constantly mixed. They are mixed by filter returns, by any airstones you may have, and even by the fish swimming about. Furthermore, concentrations so small that they have to be measured in parts per million will not have any measurable density striation occurring. The random nature of the molecular movement will ensure that the tiny amount will be evenly spread.

Put a drop of food coloring in a glass of water, and watch how the color spreads out until it is even -- it is a small amount of food coloring in a body of water, just like it is a small amount of nitrites in the water. And, that's a perfectly still container of water -- the mixing from all the currents, large and small, will ensure that our tanks are going to be for all purposes, perfectly mixed. Nothing is ever "perfectly" mixed, but it is close enough that it doesn't really matter.

Just tested the water about half an hour ago, nitrite was perfect 0 but ammonia is about .25 now (i hate the ammonia test .25 and 0 look so similar to me dont know if its me or not though haha)

Fish are a bit pale but will need to wait till mrs gets in to help me lug buckets around for water change. I think this could be okay after today but not out of the woods yet.

Wills

Just keep doing water changes. What I wrote in this article: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/226664-why-water-changes-during-cycling-are-good/ is just as true about nitrites as it is for ammonia. As your cycling bacteria grow back, they will still grow the same size, even if you keep doing water changes. The water changes help keep your fish in lower pollution levels.

If possible, you may want to get some duckweed and let that float on the top of your tank. Duckweed is a very fast growing plant and will take up nitrogen from the water very readily. It will take up ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. If your LFS sells some, a clump may help quite a bit.

 

[Wills]

Ah cool thanks I have to admit I remember seeing a diagram as well on how ammonia floats around the bottom and then nitrite above and nitrate on the top levels of the tank but I knew it all got mixed together in the tank because other wise you could just extract exact levels from the tank...

Good call on the duck weed! Ill try and get to LFS tonight to get some the tank is quite densly planted and there are some plants not sure what they are but they grow like weeds so imagine they will suck up quite a lot as well.

Thanks again Wills

 

[Wills]

just tested the water nitrite is a little above 0 but not .25 so I think Im getting there now phew.

 

[kaivalagi]

I'd very very curious if you could post or forward the link where you read that from. Because it is utterly wrong. Nitrites are dissolved in the tank water, and constantly mixed. They are mixed by filter returns, by any airstones you may have, and even by the fish swimming about. Furthermore, concentrations so small that they have to be measured in parts per million will not have any measurable density striation occurring. The random nature of the molecular movement will ensure that the tiny amount will be evenly spread.

Put a drop of food coloring in a glass of water, and watch how the color spreads out until it is even -- it is a small amount of food coloring in a body of water, just like it is a small amount of nitrites in the water. And, that's a perfectly still container of water -- the mixing from all the currents, large and small, will ensure that our tanks are going to be for all purposes, perfectly mixed. Nothing is ever "perfectly" mixed, but it is close enough that it doesn't really matter.

It was through a conversation with Waterdrop in this forum regarding PDSimon's fish-less cycle not getting past the "Nitrite" hump...it was only speculative hence the "it was suggested" bit.

here's the post

I'll take you word for it bignose, no questions

just tested the water nitrite is a little above 0 but not .25 so I think Im getting there now phew.

Excellent

 

[OldMan47]

The thing that might cause a slightly higher concentration of ammonia at the substrate is that it is a place where organic matter can accumulate and decay. That means the source of production of ammonia will be the surface of that decaying matter. Until it gets mixed into the water column, there could be an almost unmeasurable localized build of ammonia. As Bignose said, the chemical is in solution and should mix very quickly into the water column.
As far as doing more good, removing the decaying organic matter with a water change would mean less ammonia production, which may be what you have seen before.