awesome_loser
New Member
ive got all the stuff (tank buddies, ammonia clear that sorta stuff) but i cant remember which is which to use when the nitrites are too high, my tank is reading high right now and i need to get them in there help!
Nitrite Question
- Thread starter awesome_loser
- Start date
dirtydog
Fish Fanatic
if your nitrites are too high then your tank wont have cycled properly. a water change may help in the short term.
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
not nescessarily, a poorly maintained or overstocked tank could also yield high nitrate results, some people even have tap water with 40ppm or more of nitrate to start off with.
regular maintenance and adequate filtration is the key to keeping ntirates manageable, if you can please tell us a bit more about your tank set up we'll help you work out what the problem is, can we have the following info
tank size
filtration used
fish stocking list
ph
ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
how long the tank has been set up
description of your maintenance routine
tap water nitrate
regular maintenance and adequate filtration is the key to keeping ntirates manageable, if you can please tell us a bit more about your tank set up we'll help you work out what the problem is, can we have the following info
tank size
filtration used
fish stocking list
ph
ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
how long the tank has been set up
description of your maintenance routine
tap water nitrate
Nitrite readings mean the tank isn't fully cycled. As dirtydog mentioned, do partial water changes as often as necessary to keep the nitrite (and ammonia) readings as low as possible. As for the chemicals, throw them all away except for your dechlorinator. They really aren't necessary and you can become dependent on them if you don't allow the tank to cycle properly.
The answers to the questions Miss Wiggle asked would be very helpful.
The answers to the questions Miss Wiggle asked would be very helpful.
OP
OP
awesome_loser
New Member
my tank is 10 gallon and i was told at the place i got it that the fish i have in there were fine (3 mollies and 6 platies), and everything tests fine except the nitrites (and that just started being bad) ive had the tank a week or so..but i screwed up when setting it up bc i got some bad advice from some people who didnt know what they were talking about... as fro my tap water nitrae..i have no clue...
dirtydog
Fish Fanatic
I am going to guess you are using 5 in 1 strips which don't have an ammonia test on them. Since the tank has only been set up a week, I imagine your ammonia is extremely high or at least has been and could have been the cause of the danios death. Ammonia (from fish waste) is the first toxic chemical to appear in tanks. It baffles me why the 5 in 1 strips don't test for that as it is much more toxic in the beginning stages than nitrite and is present from the momment you put the first fish in the tank. Nitrite wouldn't appear for 3 to 7 days after adding fish as there has to be enough bacteria develop to start proccessing the ammonia into nitrite.
I would suggest getting a good liquid master test kit. They are much more accurate and cheaper in the long run than strips. Test the ammonia ASAP. Take it to the LFS if necessary and tell them to give you the actual reading and not just tell you it's fine. Their idea of fine and the true meaning of fine are totally different things. Any reading for ammonia or nitrite other than 0 is not fine.
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
right, your tank is cycling then, the link in my sig 'what's cycling?' should explain to you what's happening and what you need to do.
rdd is quite right, invest in a liquid test kit which allows you to test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH as a minimum
rdd is quite right, invest in a liquid test kit which allows you to test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH as a minimum
mark.w.jones
Fish Herder
You are a bit overstocked I'm afraid and unless you donate some of those fish to other people you are destined to get continued problems. By the sounds of things you've also stocked too quickly and didn't find out about a fishless cycle in time. Anywho what to do.
1. I'd suggest removing the mollies altogether as they do better in brackish (slighty salty) water anyway and are gonna get too big really for a 10gal.
2. Also, if you keep all those platies you are just about fully stocked so maybe cut down to just 4 of them to increase your stocking options.
3. Consider getting maybe a small school of pygmy cories or some amano shrimp in a month once your levels of nitrite and ammonia have settled down to 0ppm.
4. In the meantime, get yourself a liquid master test kit so you can check your own water stats and think about regular water changes as mentioned above. Around 20% every other day.
1. I'd suggest removing the mollies altogether as they do better in brackish (slighty salty) water anyway and are gonna get too big really for a 10gal.
2. Also, if you keep all those platies you are just about fully stocked so maybe cut down to just 4 of them to increase your stocking options.
3. Consider getting maybe a small school of pygmy cories or some amano shrimp in a month once your levels of nitrite and ammonia have settled down to 0ppm.
4. In the meantime, get yourself a liquid master test kit so you can check your own water stats and think about regular water changes as mentioned above. Around 20% every other day.
OP
OP
awesome_loser
New Member
We are getting another tank (10 possibly 20 gal) hopefully this weekend from gf's grandparents, gunna get that to cycle right so that will help with stocking problem. But like my gf was saying a pet store told us it would be ok what we have, she didnt seem to be trying to sell us anything actually was telling us we didnt need some of the stuff we were going to get. Havent been able to get master test kit yet but got an ammonia one last night it reads at like a .5ppm its color coated so thats a guess according to color, it gives ppm above color but its not completly accurate. Nitrite also reading at like a 3.0ppm on my 5 in 1 test, but we will look for master kit this weekend try and set the new tank up right this time and get things settled.
We did about a 30% change last night and added a bubbler (have another post asking bout fish eating bubbles said oxygen might be low so got a bubble curtain).
A question about filter media though, the tank we will be gettin was set up before, ive heard about getting old media from healthy tank if they have the old media can i use that or should i get a new one?
Water temp. at about 78
As for the mollies we have added some aquarium salt to the tank, probably diluted now from the water changes though.
We did about a 30% change last night and added a bubbler (have another post asking bout fish eating bubbles said oxygen might be low so got a bubble curtain).
A question about filter media though, the tank we will be gettin was set up before, ive heard about getting old media from healthy tank if they have the old media can i use that or should i get a new one?
Water temp. at about 78
As for the mollies we have added some aquarium salt to the tank, probably diluted now from the water changes though.
If the tank you are getting is currently running then it should be cycled and you could use some filter media from it to help cycle your existing tank. if it has been sitting for a while, then all the bacteria would have died off.
rdd-,
If you were referring to my Danio that died last night I test the water every other day for amonia and PH
The amonia level has been and is still is stable at '0' for weeks. The PH sits at '6.0'. I know it should be more like '6.5' but it seems no matter how much PH 'up' I add the water always drops back down to '6.0'in a day or so. Does anyone know why this is happening? On the advice I got on this forum I stopped adding PH 'UP' because it was just stressing the fish.
I do 30% weekly water changes. The PH in the tap water is '6.0'.
If you were referring to my Danio that died last night I test the water every other day for amonia and PH
The amonia level has been and is still is stable at '0' for weeks. The PH sits at '6.0'. I know it should be more like '6.5' but it seems no matter how much PH 'up' I add the water always drops back down to '6.0'in a day or so. Does anyone know why this is happening? On the advice I got on this forum I stopped adding PH 'UP' because it was just stressing the fish.
I do 30% weekly water changes. The PH in the tap water is '6.0'.
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
yeah i know why it's happening, pH up is rubbish!
get some crushed coral add a teensy bit to the tank and give it a few days for the pH to stabilise, then add a teeny bit more and wait a few days again. then just keep on like that until the pH is where you want it. just have to be patient and make very small adjustments as big changes will stress the fish out.
get some crushed coral add a teensy bit to the tank and give it a few days for the pH to stabilise, then add a teeny bit more and wait a few days again. then just keep on like that until the pH is where you want it. just have to be patient and make very small adjustments as big changes will stress the fish out.
If your tap pH is 6.0, then you will have to do as Miss Wiggle mentioned and add some crushed coral to the filter or find a piece of tufa rock. Both will help raise the pH naturally and keep them steady.
I think I confused your danio post with this one somehow. The OP here didn't have danios. That's what happens when you get old.
I think I confused your danio post with this one somehow. The OP here didn't have danios. That's what happens when you get old.
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