Quarantine Tank With Nitrite?

[**sarahp**]

I have set up a quaratine tank for some new loaches. I had the filter sponge in my main tank filter, so the day they arrived I syphoned off some of the main tank water into the QT. Got the filter sponge out of the main filter, took some sand out of the main tank and set it all up. So far so good.....

but I have nitrIte and I have no idea why?? Ammonia is and has always been 0ppm. But nitrIte is 0.25 - 0.5ppm. I am doing regular water changes to try and keep it down but why is it happening? I would have thought with everything coming from my main tank it would be ok

Any ideas anyone what the hell I'm doing wrong?? I am getting a tad concerned about the safety of my polka-dots and am considering putting them in the main tank for their own health

 

[Tolak]

What is the size, stocking, and filtration of your main tank, and how long has it been running? What size & how many new loachs, and what size is the sponge that you transfered?

Feed sparingly for the first week, this will keep waste down, as well as keeping fish that may be stressed from getting constipated. A quar setup is not only for keeping your fish in your established tank from getting something from the new fish, it is also for keeping the new fish from being exposed to something that your existing fish get by just fine with.