High Nitrite And Nitrate - Help

[d7w7]

My tank has NITRITE result of just over 1.6mg/l and NITRATE result of 110.0mg/l

What shall i do?

Please help

 

[Miss Wiggle]

hi there, can you please tell us some more about the tank, how big is it, how long has it been set up, what equipment do you have running and what fish do you have in it?

have you also tested for ammonia, what is this reading please?

For some reason your tank is not fully cycled, answering the questions above will help us work this out with you.

The nitrate is less of a problem although it's high enough for concern but that level of nitrite is lethal and needs to be sorted asap. You need to do an immediate 80% water change, 1 hr after the change test the water again, if the level of nitrite is above 0.25ppm then do another large water change, keep going like this until you get it down to 0.25ppm or less. You'll need to do this every day until both ammonia and nitrite hold steady at 0 by themselves.

 

[neutral]

hi there, can you please tell us some more about the tank, how big is it, how long has it been set up, what equipment do you have running and what fish do you have in it?

have you also tested for ammonia, what is this reading please?

For some reason your tank is not fully cycled, answering the questions above will help us work this out with you.

The nitrate is less of a problem although it's high enough for concern but that level of nitrite is lethal and needs to be sorted asap. You need to do an immediate 80% water change, 1 hr after the change test the water again, if the level of nitrite is above 0.25ppm then do another large water change, keep going like this until you get it down to 0.25ppm or less. You'll need to do this every day until both ammonia and nitrite hold steady at 0 by themselves.

Telling someone to do an 80% water change without knowing what is in the tank is not very smart.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Why not?

there's no reason not to do an 80% water change, all the bacteria live in the filter not free swimming in the water and any fish sensitive enough to be upset by an 80% water change will be dead from that level of nitrite in a few hours anyway.

a level of nitrite that high poses a massive risk to the fish's health and consequently drastic actions is needed.

 

[arobinson1984]

I think what neautral was trying to say is, it would be better to do 3 x 50% water changes than one 80%, it will be less stressful to the fish whilsts having the same effect.

Andy

 

[neutral]

I think what neautral was trying to say is, it would be better to do 3 x 50% water changes than one 80%, it will be less stressful to the fish whilsts having the same effect.

Andy

Pretty much took the words right out of my keyboard...

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yes, try to answer the questions Miss Wiggle asked.

What kind of test kit are you using to obtain your results?

Like stated above, NitrIte that is over .25 ppm (mg/l) is lethal tot the fish, also NitrIte over .25 ppm is going to give the fish permanent nerve damage.

You have to do water changes ASAP to get the level of NitrIte down to or below .25 ppm.

-FHM

 

[rabbut]

I'd actually go bigger than 80%

That level on NitrIte will kill fish within a few hours, so letting it stay high is far more stressful that letting it stay "up" and bringing it down slowly. The fish will take a hammering over the large drop in nitrate, but that is going to occur with a 50% wate rchange anyway, and leaving it poses the chance of certain death to the fish

Leaving the fish in nitrite will do far more stress related damage, and chemical poisoning related damage than a large water change.

Many Discus breeders do 3 90% water changes daily for growth rates. Discus are renown for being prone to stress and suffer from poor water conditions. If a 90% water change was that stressful, most Discus in the shops today would have died while being reared

So, go do that water change ASAP. Leave just enough water to cover the fish and then refill with dechlorinated water, at approximately the same temperature as the tank's current temperature

All the best
Rabbut

 

[paulbr1]

Agree with the 80% but fill it slowly don't chugg the fish around the tank.

Good luck,

Paul.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with MW and rabbut, a very large water change like 80% is the right action in this type of situation (with conditioner and temperature matching of course) and should be followed up with re-testing and changing in necessary an hour later. The nitrite damage trumps other shock concerns here.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[aaronnorth]

I think what neautral was trying to say is, it would be better to do 3 x 50% water changes than one 80%, it will be less stressful to the fish whilsts having the same effect.

Andy

Pretty much took the words right out of my keyboard...

so doing 3 water changes as opposed to 1 is less stressful? I would be more bothered about the NO2.
I do massive water changes all the time, and sometimes i do 50-80% everyday for 3-5days in a row. My fish or 'delicate' shrimp have never died or become diseased as a result.
Follow the advice Rabbut an MW have given you.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

thanks for the backup guys