Nitrite Levels Not Reducing

[DoogyRev]

Hello everyone..

Recently bought an aquarium - only 20 litre to start with. Had it running for 2 weeks before adding 2 Platys. One died the next day due to getting mouth fungus as did not like the change. The other one is fine, but I have very high nitrite levels.

Have done a 20% change, followed by a 50% water change and have not fed for 2 days now.

We have only gravel and plastic plants and 3 stage filtration system & air stone.

Been adding Nutrafin Cycle (1 capful a week into water) and was given Bacterlife by our local shop and added 2 capfulls into the filter yesterday and will need to add 1 every week until bottle gone.

What else could we try as we are new to this, but have done everything suggested. The fish seems very healthy and our Amonia levels & PH leverls are fine.

Hope someone can help.

Thanks.

 

[tim1]

Nothing that is in a bottle(except for a select few expensive and hard to get ones) can give you bacteria. You are better off doing a cycle on your own. If it is an option, I suggest you return the fish that you have, and begin a Fishless Cycle.

http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/

It will save your fish a lot of suffering, and maybe even death.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, now that you're down to one fish, it would be great to work out returning it and then doing a fishless cycle. It can be many weeks of work before an aquarium is really ready to be healthy for fish.

If you have to keep the fish, you will have to probably do even more frequent water changes. Its great that you have the ability to test already. You would need to do water changes any time either the ammonia test or the nitrite test detect much of anything. After a while you would get the feel for how long you could go between water changes. Water changes can be performed after waiting one hour.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[DoogyRev]

Yes, now that you're down to one fish, it would be great to work out returning it and then doing a fishless cycle. It can be many weeks of work before an aquarium is really ready to be healthy for fish.

If you have to keep the fish, you will have to probably do even more frequent water changes. Its great that you have the ability to test already. You would need to do water changes any time either the ammonia test or the nitrite test detect much of anything. After a while you would get the feel for how long you could go between water changes. Water changes can be performed after waiting one hour.

~~waterdrop~~

Hi guys - thankyou both for your advice.
I have been doing water changes more frequently and have already noticed a significant drop in the nitrite levels. Unfortunately I am unable to return the fish - but he is still looking fine.
I was surprised to see the level rise so much as before we added the fish to the tank, all of the levels on all tests were fine. Maybe two weeks was too early??

 

[tim1]

This is because when you added fish, the nitrogen cycle started. Your fish pee ammonia, which gets converted in time to nitrites, which in turn gets converted to nitrates, which your plants use as fertilizer. When you didn't have fish, or didn't add ammonia, nothing in your aquarium happened. So you basically just let the aquarium stand for 2 weeks.