Nitrite at 0.25ppm

[Ross1977]

Hi all

New to this site and new to fishkeeping. Got hooked when my sister in law came home with a goldfish for the kids.

I now have a 200l tropical tank and was wondering how long it takes for the nitrites to fall to zero. I've had the tank set up for 6 weeks,first with no fish and then I've gradually added 6 zebra danios,8 corys and 10 cardinal tetras. I think I added the fish too soon as last week I had a nitrite reading of 5ppm. With constant water changes and reduction in feeding it's now at 0.25. Ammonia is 0 and nitrates between 0 and 10. Does this mean that the cycle is almost complete. I worry that the fish will suffer although they all seem to be doing fine. Will I need to go daily changes to get to 0. Also can I use some of my filter media from my goldfish tank to speed up the cycle

 

[Sunnyfish]

Hi all

New to this site and new to fishkeeping. Got hooked when my sister in law came home with a goldfish for the kids.

I now have a 200l tropical tank and was wondering how long it takes for the nitrites to fall to zero. I've had the tank set up for 6 weeks,first with no fish and then I've gradually added 6 zebra danios,8 corys and 10 cardinal tetras. I think I added the fish too soon as last week I had a nitrite reading of 5ppm. With constant water changes and reduction in feeding it's now at 0.25. Ammonia is 0 and nitrates between 0 and 10. Does this mean that the cycle is almost complete. I worry that the fish will suffer although they all seem to be doing fine. Will I need to go daily changes to get to 0. Also can I use some of my filter media from my goldfish tank to speed up the cycle

based on what i've read, nitrates are much less harmful than ammonia, and that level doesn't sound bad to me, but then again i've only ever owned bettas. as for the nitrite it would probably depend on how sensitive the fish in your tank are. as stated before i've only ever owned bettas and have researched only a couple other fish outside of them.
i've also read that yes, you can transfer filter media from one tank to another to speed up a cycle. not sure what the guidelines to follow would be though, if there are any.
also, just a note - you might want to wait for some other more experienced fish keepers respond. i'm not here to misinform, but i'm just now learning some of the more basic rules of keeping aquariums. the betta i currently have is the only betta i've kept that i've done my best to care for correctly. all of the ones before? not so much. the point is that i've still got a lot to learn.

 

[John Taylor]

Hi all

New to this site and new to fish keeping. Got hooked when my sister in law came home with a goldfish for the kids.

I now have a 200l tropical tank and was wondering how long it takes for the nitrites to fall to zero. I've had the tank set up for 6 weeks,first with no fish and then I've gradually added 6 zebra danios, 8 corys and 10 cardinal tetras. I think I added the fish too soon as last week I had a nitrite reading of 5ppm. With constant water changes and reduction in feeding it's now at 0.25. Ammonia is 0 and nitrates between 0 and 10. Does this mean that the cycle is almost complete. I worry that the fish will suffer although they all seem to be doing fine. Will I need to go daily changes to get to 0. Also can I use some of my filter media from my goldfish tank to speed up the cycle

As long as your ammonia and nitrites are clear, then yes, your cycle is finished. You can go safely to 40ppm nitrates and it usually wont bother fish, but its better to do a 20% water change anyway , Its the Nitrites you have to be very careful of. Anything over 0.1 starts to become a big problem. Nitrites stop the fishes blood carrying oxygen so its super detrimental.
Also, 75% of your bacteria is collected and grown in your filter medium, and usually the rest is on the surfaces of anything in your fish tank. doing water changes will reduce nitrates but not nitrites as much, Your reduction of feeding is a great idea. so i would be tempted to feed the fish only once every 2 days., until your tank learns how to convert ammonia and nitrites. but just be mindful of the water parameters readings for the next couple of weeks. It can take up to 6 months to do a fish in cycle but for a fish-less cycle its best to keep re-dosing ammonia till the cycle is complete in 24 hours. Hope this info helps. if you have any more questions please feel free to ask away