robert clements
Fish Crazy
What well be the best way to keep nitrite low please
How To Keep Nitrite Low
- Thread starter robert clements
- Start date
Nitrites should ALWAYS be zero in a properly cycled tank. If your nitrites are above zero you need to do water changes to keep them as close to zero as possible.
N0body Of The Goat
Oddball and African riverine fish keeper
Are we talking about a mature tank that already has fish in it, a new tank that is "fish-in cycling," or one that is "fishless cycling"?
Do you mean the toxic nitrite or the much less toxic nitrate?
In a mature tank that is not overcrowded and the fish are not overfed, the bacteria colony in the filter media should be keeping nitrites at zero using a liquid test kit. If the reading is not zero, then a "massive" water change is in order (I tend to do at least 75% water changes in such instance, diluting the toxin by at least 4, giving fish pretty good water unless the reading was >0.75mg/l).
In a "fishless cycle" the nitrite processing bacteria take longer to populate the filter media in the presence of dechlorinted water. As long as you don't let the concentration of ammonia exceed ~5ppm, eventually the nitrite bacteria will come along, typically giving you your first additional nitrate reading (above that found in most tap water) after ~25 days (but this does vary enormously).
Nitrates are usually kept low by water changes, or a combination of water changes with plants (especially fast growing ones using T5 lighting for 5-8 hours per day, substrate fertiliser, food like Prolito and a carbon souce like Easycarbo). Some fish are very fussy about water quality and nitrates, for instance Rainbowfish and Puffers, in which case 50% water changes are considered the absolute minimum per week. More tolerant fish can cope with nitrate buildup better and so ~25% could in theory work if the fish are not overfed. Personally, my standard weekly water changes are 50% per tank, with my Lionhead Cichlid fry tank and my goodeid/African catfish youngster tanks getting two or even three ~40% water changes per week (because young growing fish need more food, which means more nitrate, plus fish growth rate is known to slow down by chemicals/hormones released by the fish that we do not test for).
Do you mean the toxic nitrite or the much less toxic nitrate?
In a mature tank that is not overcrowded and the fish are not overfed, the bacteria colony in the filter media should be keeping nitrites at zero using a liquid test kit. If the reading is not zero, then a "massive" water change is in order (I tend to do at least 75% water changes in such instance, diluting the toxin by at least 4, giving fish pretty good water unless the reading was >0.75mg/l).
In a "fishless cycle" the nitrite processing bacteria take longer to populate the filter media in the presence of dechlorinted water. As long as you don't let the concentration of ammonia exceed ~5ppm, eventually the nitrite bacteria will come along, typically giving you your first additional nitrate reading (above that found in most tap water) after ~25 days (but this does vary enormously).
Nitrates are usually kept low by water changes, or a combination of water changes with plants (especially fast growing ones using T5 lighting for 5-8 hours per day, substrate fertiliser, food like Prolito and a carbon souce like Easycarbo). Some fish are very fussy about water quality and nitrates, for instance Rainbowfish and Puffers, in which case 50% water changes are considered the absolute minimum per week. More tolerant fish can cope with nitrate buildup better and so ~25% could in theory work if the fish are not overfed. Personally, my standard weekly water changes are 50% per tank, with my Lionhead Cichlid fry tank and my goodeid/African catfish youngster tanks getting two or even three ~40% water changes per week (because young growing fish need more food, which means more nitrate, plus fish growth rate is known to slow down by chemicals/hormones released by the fish that we do not test for).
OP
OP
robert clements
Fish Crazy
I am talking about the none toxic please
Live plants feed off of nitrate. If you plant your tank, it will not get rid of all of the nitrates, but it will keep them a little lower 
OP
OP
robert clements
Fish Crazy
Thank. You more plants it is then and thanks for your help
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