Nitrite Lvls High Ammonia 0 Help!?

[ibanezrg570]

75 gallon freshwater tank
6 african ciclids
1 catfish
1pleco
ive had these fish for 2 years never had this problem. ive moved them before but, i recently moved then to a new tank a bigger one (they were origanlly in a 55 gallon.)
i have a Fluval 404 which purchased 6 months ago because my old fluval 404 broke.
Long story short i originally had them in my 55 gallon, then about a year later i moved them to the 75 gallon, few more months later i moved em back to the 55 gallon, and now about 3 months later i moved em back to the 75 gallon. I never had a problem after moving them before untill this time.

Ph is 7.0 (like i always had it)
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 5.0 ive never ever seen it at that lvl and it could be higher cuz thats as high as the test kit shows.
my fish are just hovering the top of the water and i have no idea what to do. i did a 20% change, next day 20% change, and then agian the following day. doesnt seem to be working. The filter seems fine i checked it a bunch of times.

The only thing different from the other moves is the gravel. It had sat around for a little bit before i put it in. when i moved them back to the 55gallon i had extra gravel from the 75gallon so i kept it in a bucket. i dunno if that had anything to do with it but in case it does there ya go.

 

[Tolak]

It could be from letting the substrate sit, more than likely you may have let the filter media sit for too long without a food source (ammonia). Nitrites inhibit a fish's ability to process O2 properly, increasing aeration, along with the daily water changes will help this.

 

[ibanezrg570]

It could be from letting the substrate sit, more than likely you may have let the filter media sit for too long without a food source (ammonia). Nitrites inhibit a fish's ability to process O2 properly, increasing aeration, along with the daily water changes will help this.

ok i rasied the filter exit (i guess you call it that) so that its splashing for the aeration, did a water change and it already seems to be looking better. They seem active and arent just sitting at the top gasping for air.
Q1. will i have to clean or do something to the substrate or do you think that it will be able to level off on its own.
Q2. if i the substrate does sit for a while is there some sorta way to make it so this doesnt happen?
Q3. is there a quieter means of aeration something splashing?
thank you very much for your help! Extremly fast response time!

 

[Tolak]

Unless the substrate is loking dirty, I wouldn't vac it with the daily water changes, once weekly should be fine. I've found that by moving substrate from one tank to another you usually have taken plenty of the debris out in the process.

If the substrate sits for longer than a few hours you could feed it with some ammonia. Make sure there is plenty of water in the bucket & swish the substrate around once in a while. I've done this with filter media when redoing my fishroom, which seems to be a yearly project.

You could hook up an air pump & air stone, or a powerhead right below the surface. O2 transfer occurs when the water surface is moving, it's friction between water & air.

No problem helping, I'm just sitting here waiting for some hot dogs to simmer.

BTW, welcome to TFF!

 

[ibanezrg570]

Unless the substrate is loking dirty, I wouldn't vac it with the daily water changes, once weekly should be fine. I've found that by moving substrate from one tank to another you usually have taken plenty of the debris out in the process.

If the substrate sits for longer than a few hours you could feed it with some ammonia. Make sure there is plenty of water in the bucket & swish the substrate around once in a while. I've done this with filter media when redoing my fishroom, which seems to be a yearly project.

You could hook up an air pump & air stone, or a powerhead right below the surface. O2 transfer occurs when the water surface is moving, it's friction between water & air.

No problem helping, I'm just sitting here waiting for some hot dogs to simmer.

BTW, welcome to TFF!
[/quote

what to you mean by feeding it with ammonia (hope you dont say piss in it lol!)

I must say i really and glad i ran into this forum via yahoo search because in less then 2 hours you have been more than helpfull. i was so nervous when i got home to see them all in a bunch gasping at the surface. Phew. again thanks im sure ill run into ya later. been checking out the user tank section now... man are there some beautiful tanks might hvae to try live plants soon they look so good. probably a lot of work tho anyway ill stop babling Farewell!

 

[Tolak]

You need to get the cheapest dollar store type of ammonia you can find, the kind with no soap added. It's usually marked clear ammonia, give the bottle a couple of shakes. If the bubbles break up after a few seconds it has no soap. If they remain, or if it foams, it has soap. This is one case where cheaper is better. Look into fishless cycling on this site, it's similar to that, but just a bacterial maintenance procedure.

Glad you found this place, and glad you are enjoying it. There is a ton of info here, along with some really knowledgeable members. BTW, I've messed with the RG570, nice fast neck. I still like my '77 Strat better, probably because I've had it since it was new.

 

[ibanezrg570]

77 strat wow, thats a nice guitar back when fender was good. im sure thats worth a pretty penny too. You dont see to many of them around and youve had it since it was new thats awesome. but as a shred head i stick with my rg570 not that i can play like petrucci but im gettin there. i actually thought they were over rated till i got one and fell in love and bought 2 more lol. tho i go for the early 90's late 80's model dont like the new ones as much they actually seem bulky compared to the older ones. i just love that super thin neck and ultra low action. Wish i could set it up myself i just cant seem to get it done like the set up guy in the store i teach at. i always get a buzz somewhere when im think im close.

 

[ibanezrg570]

Couple of questions
Q1. Could putting straight tap water be a problem with the nitrite lvls?
Q2. Is just High nitrite fatal? cuz they just seem to breath hard and thats it.
Q3. how long do you think it will take to be at a safe lvl agian?

 

[Tolak]

1) If you are on a municipal water supply and aren't using something to neuteralize chlorine, chloramine, and ammonia this would be a problem. I use straight tap water in all my tanks, right from a hose, adjusted for temperature. I add Seachem Prime to treat the water, on the fly as the tank fills.

2) Nitrites can cause damage to gill functions if exposed for long enough. It may involve the liver or other internal organs, this is something I would have to look up to check.

3) Depending on the tank, water, fish, filtration, and other unknown variables it could be anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks. Here's a chart I got off the internet some time ago, this is just an average for a cycling tank.

 

[Maximumbob]

Sounds like you have a mini-cycle going on. If there are fish present in the tank you will need to do regular water changes.

If high nitrite is a problem there is one additional thing you can do. If your fish will tolerate it - add a small amount of aquarium salt. The chloride ions will compete with nitrite reducing the damage done to the fish.

Its the only time I advocate the use of aquarium salt in freshwater tanks. The 'dose' if I remember is 1-2 teaspoons of aquarium salt per gallon.

 

[ibanezrg570]

so far so good i put the aquarium salt in, i bought an air stone threw that bad boy in and, did another water change, and there breathing now seems to be regular even though the nitrite is still high. Thanks