High nitrites!! Wont drop

[Diamond21]

I have a new tank, I thought it was fully cycled so put fish in. ( i have the betta trio tank) however it wasnt fully cycled. I have high levels of nitrites, 0 ammonia and my nitrates are no more than 10.
So I have been doing daily water changes, but this is not making a difference. I was told maybe nitrites were trapped somewhere in my tank, so I done a good gravel clean. I've got plants in aswell
I have another tank the filter uses filter cartridges, my new tank uses sponges and I have the rest built up with rocks ( I dont know the name lol) what i want to know is, should I take my filter cartridge out my other tank and drop it in the filtration of my new tank would this help with my nitrites?
Thanks

 

[Oblio]

What test kit are you using?

What is the Nitrate level of your tap water? You can often find this info online.

It sounds like your tank is not fully cycled - You have bacteria that are converting ammonia to nitrite, but the other species that converts nitrite to nitrate is not yet established.

Water changes should work, what percentage are you changing?

Reduce feeding to every other day, remove any un-eaten food asap.

 

[Oblio]

I have another tank the filter uses filter cartridges, my new tank uses sponges and I have the rest built up with rocks ( I dont know the name lol) what i want to know is, should I take my filter cartridge out my other tank and drop it in the filtration of my new tank would this help with my nitrites?

It should help, but the issue could be twofold:

• You will temporarily lose the bacteria filtration in the donor tank, though there should be some in the substrate or any other media.
• You risk introducing any pathogens into your new tank from the old.
  
  
  

 

[Diamond21]

I'm using the API liquid testing kit
I tested my water the other day to check and the reading was 0 for nitrites.
I have been changing 50% sometimes abit more everyday. I have not been feeding my fish either for the past 4 days, i was not to feed them and keep my light turned off.
My fish dont seem stressed at all, and the kit is in date, I just dont know what else to try.
Do you think dropping my old filter cartridge in the tank would help?

 

[Diamond21]

I have got two different medias in my old tank, it's a ciano so I have 2 cartridges and a small sponge in, so I thought just moving one cartridge would be ok as it will still have other media in.
Sorry to sound stupid, what are pathogens? I'm still abit new to all this lol

 

[Diamond21]

I think it's my testing kit, I dont know how. But even after doing large water changes, I test my water an hour later and the nitrites levels read exactly the same. Maybe it's the testing tubes? Can I use something else instead of the testing tubes to take a sample? Just so I can rule it out

 

[Colin_T]

Just feed the fish every 2nd day for a few weeks.

Do a 75% water change every day until the levels are on 0ppm
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[Oblio]

Pathogens == Organisms that cause disease

Try testing tap water (or distilled if you have it), the Nitrites should be zero.

Make sure you are:

Adding the correct number of drops
Waiting 5 minutes after a 5 second shake (IIRC)

 

[Diamond21]

My tap water is 0
I have noticed the lids on my test tubes are not tight and as I'm shaking I can feel water coming out. Would this effect the reading?

 

[Oblio]

My tap water is 0
I have noticed the lids on my test tubes are not tight and as I'm shaking I can feel water coming out. Would this effect the reading?

Are they pressed on all the way, they should not leak, but unless it is a huge (>0.25 ml) it should not affect the reading much.

I would worry more about getting the chemicals on your skin.

Note: If the caps are hard to twist off, DO NOT TWIST, or the glass will shatter. Gently push up on the lip with your fingernail, going around the tube. Don't ask me how I know this

 

[TwoTankAmin]

@Diamond21
Please have a read here and you will learn about nitrite. If you had a nitrite issue your fish would be gasping at the surface. If you do have have a nitrite issue, a bit of salt will keep the fish safe while the needed bacteria multiply to handle it.
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-il.433778/

 

[Colin_T]

My tap water is 0
I have noticed the lids on my test tubes are not tight and as I'm shaking I can feel water coming out. Would this effect the reading?

It's unlikely to affect the reading. You can put some plastic wrap over the top of the tube and put your thumb over it to shake it up. That will stop any of the test solution from coming out or getting on your skin.

But as @Oblio said, I would be more concerned about the reagents getting on your skin. Just wash your hands with soapy water after doing the tests.

 

[Essjay]

I hold the tubes with my finger on the lid and thumb on the bottom of the tube and squeeze while shaking. This pushes the lid on tightly so no liquid escapes.

 

[Diamond21]

I came to the conclusion today it's not the testing kit, it's just me tank lol.
Before I add salt, I wanted to see if I can just put an established filter cartridge in this tank first? I think your right my tank hasnt got enough of the bacteria to covert nitrite to nitrates, so thought an established media cartridge from my other tank might help this? My fish seen completely fine, no gasping for breath or anything, but it's been nearly 2 weeks with these high levels so I'm getting worried

 

[Colin_T]

Yes you can add a filter pad from an established tank.