Help! Nitrite Levels 0.5

[Lawrence]

As you didn't mention ammonia, I assume you are using test strips. I wold suggest getting a good master test kit as soon as possible. I would suspect that your ammonia is very high also although the fact that you have nitrite does seem to show that some ammonia is being processed.

actually i am using a good master test kit and not using any test strips as those are inaccurate...i have test bottels one to test the nitrite and one to test the ph...the fish keeper said ammonia was not vital and that i would be fine off with nitrite and ph testers.
also he gave me Oak Extract to reduce the ph.

as i asked the fish shop if i could return the fish, they said no...
i was thinking if it would be possible to put the neon tetras in a small bowl with a heater (no filter)...i could change the water every day easily, to keep good water quality for the fish. once my tank has cycled i could return the neon tetras to my main tank...
would this be possible to do? Or i could instead buy a breeding container where i could put the neon tetras in so they are not swimming in the same water as the other fish are (eg better water quality)

 

[Harlequins]

ammonia testing is vital along with nitrite,these are the main two you need to test for.

How high is your ph from the tap? ,mine is 8.0, and i don't mess about with lowering it,its best for the fish to have a stable ph rather than a fluctuating one.


I not too sure about your neons,they're quite delicate fish away unless you got a mature tank,so i can't really answer this.although to be honest you will probably need to do regular water changes on your fish in the 60l anyway,so you will end up doing water changes for both.

IMO i think you need to get a liquid ammonia testing kit asap to see what your readings are.

 

[Lawrence]

ammonia testing is vital along with nitrite,these are the main two you need to test for.

How high is your ph from the tap? ,mine is 8.0, and i don't mess about with lowering it,its best for the fish to have a stable ph rather than a fluctuating one.


I not too sure about your neons,they're quite delicate fish away unless you got a mature tank,so i can't really answer this.although to be honest you will probably need to do regular water changes on your fish in the 60l anyway,so you will end up doing water changes for both.

IMO i think you need to get a liquid ammonia testing kit asap to see what your readings are.

yeah i will get an ammonia tester then...but if i bring down the ph to 7, wont the fish like it more?
and my ph reading chart only goes from 6 to 7.6 (it is a master kit)

and i dont know why but my water looks a bit yellow... is that because of the new wood piece i put in my tank, or ammonia?

 

[Curiosity101]

You may want to invest in a 'High PH' kit aswell then.
Just to check if your pH is 7.6 or higher. To be honest for most community fish 7.6 is a perfectly good pH an if you buy you fish from nearby shops then chances are that is the sort of pH they are kept in...so it'd be worse to change it.

Also as Harlequins said, unless you have an extreme pH eg less than 6 or more than 8 then most fish will adapt. And it is worse for them to have fluctuating water conditions and pH than to just have one which isn't 'perfect'

The yellow staining will be from the wood if you have just put some new wood into the tank. It's just tanning which aren't bad, some fish actually quite like them. If you want rid then all you need to do is put a bit of activated carbon into the filter for a couple of days and that should remove them.