Nitrate And Nitrite High

[kevd]

Nitrate and Nitrite high, its a new tank around 6-7 weeks old with around 6 fish in (2 foot tank). They seem to be itching against things quite alot and they all seem to be fighting...even my neons are fighting

So I though the water must be pretty crap, and ...it was. Nitrate and Nitrite are very high. Amonnia is fine. How do I level them off?

Have cycled and read through..the only thing I can think of is water change??

 

[Hero]

First off, welcome to TTF!

If your tank is cycled then chances are it's doing a mini cycle due to lost bacteria/new additions. But, if your getting high readings of nitrite there is a good chance that your tank has not completed its first cycle. Water changes are done once a week (after 1st complete cycle) or sooner if needed to keep nitrate levels down. If both your levels are reading high right now the safest thing you can do is a 50% water change followed by a 25% water change every 2-3 days until your tank has cycled.