How high is too high?

[Avaston]

Hi all

Finally getting a zero ammonia daily with my "cycling with fish" and my nitrites are climbing...currently at 2.0 This was (and continues to flex) higher, but I have been doing 25% water changes with RO water 2 - 3 times weekly to keep them down.

My question is....how high is too high for nitrites and what is the effect on the fish? I know the nitrites are not AS bad for my fish as the ammonia, but are still very bad for them. Also, should I expect for nitrites to begin to "zero out" (similar to ammonia) after a week or so more into the cycle as they break down to nitrates?

Since I started to use RO water for my changes and have seen so much improvement in my fishes behavior. PH and GH levels are considerably down which I assume to be the cause for their added comfort....that and there is no ammonia anymore. Nothin like a noob makin progress

Thanks for the help

 

[corrosive]

Well im releaved lol, mine have started to get near 1.6, and i was getting worried lol.

Only reason for the rise is because my tanks cycling etc.

 

[Avaston]

Well... make no mistakes, I am worried. But not worried that it will kill them. Just don't want any long lasting after effects. I think I have tortured them enough with my noob mistakes and tank cycling thus far. But I know they are MUCH better now than they were 2 weeks ago, well since I started with the new water in my changes. Just have to tweak a bit to ensure they stay as healthy as possible.

 

[Chasing Puck]

I would encourage you to increase the water changes to kepp nitrites from getting higher than 1 ppm. Nitrites are equally toxic as ammonia--but nitrite poisoning is easier to prevent. You can add 1 tsp of salt per gallon of water (remove one gallon of water, dissolve the salt, add back to the tank, wait 10-15 for dispersion, then repeat until you've added enough). The salt ions will prevent nitrites from binding to the gills of the fish, which will suffocate them. Most fish are very tolerant of this low level of salt, including cories and catfish.

You might want to monitor the KH of your tank. Using straight RO will lower the pH and GH, as well and the KH--if the KH drops below 3ppm, you run the risk of having sudden drops in PH, especially in a cycling tank where there is a lot of acidification happening. Mixing your tapwater with the RO will result in conditions that are much more stable.

 

[clutterydrawer]

I'd try to keep them under 1ppm. What fish are you cycling with, and how many?

 

[TorPeteO]

Keeping the levels under 1 ppm will be better for the fish, without a doubt. But it will also prolong the cycle, making a resulting nitrate 'bloom' harder to come by. Still, I think for the sake of the fish, you should keep the nitrites as low as possible.

 

[Chasing Puck]

Actually, lowering the nitrite titer will not impair the development of bacteria colonies in the slightest. They will continue to reproduce at the same rate, whether there is 1 ppm or 10 ppm. The higher levels will damage the fish, but the lower levels won't impact the bacteria at all. After all, in a cycled tank, nitrites are never detectable on a hobbyist test kit, yet the colonies are fine, constantly replacing dead cells with new ones.

 

[corrosive]

Would you recommend a 10-20% change every day until it comes down?

Edit: most water changes i have done so far are a 2 gallon water change, today though i only did 1 gallon change.

 

[Chasing Puck]

I would actually do multiple 10-20% changes in one day, as many as needed to dilute the nitrites. This isn't bad for the fish or the tank, as long as you are keeping the other parameters stable (ie,pH, temp, etc). In emergencies, I've done 4 50% water changes in one day--with no ill effects to the fish. Not the usual routine, but effective for the 'accidents' (ie, neighbors child dumping a can of flakes into the tank ), or during cycling.

 

[Avaston]

Well I did 2 20% water changes last night before bedtime to bring the nitrates down and have a 1.0 reading. I am going to do 1-2 more changes today to bring them down a bit more. BTW...to answer your question Clutterydrawer, I am cycling with 2 Gourami, 1 Betta, and a Neon. I know these are not the "cycling" fish that I would have wanted. Well....I know that now anyway.

nitrite poisoning is easier to prevent. You can add 1 tsp of salt per gallon of water (remove one gallon of water, dissolve the salt, add back to the tank, wait 10-15 for dispersion, then repeat until you've added enough). The salt ions will prevent nitrites from binding to the gills of the fish, which will suffocate them. Most fish are very tolerant of this low level of salt, including cories and catfish.

BTW - Can someone give me some further opinion about this. If this will help the fish, I will be more than happy to do it, but would like some further opinion about it since I am a noob.

Thanks again