Can't get Nitrites under control

[crazywolf]

Hi all I have a problem with my nitrite's. They are off the charts for the 2 tests I've done as well as nitrates. Ammonia is ok though.

Some info

12 gallon eclipse tank
using the OEM filter and bio-wheel.
PH is a little low 6.6-6.8
I've done several water changes in the past few week's including a 50% and tested 2 hours later and the readings were the same. I tested the water before I put it in and the water I added was fine.

My 10 gallon has been up 1/2 as long and the readings are perfect. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[StanTheBetta]

Well both of your tanks are a little overstocked imo. That can't be helping. Maybe you could try adding something from the cycled tank like some gravel, an ornament or filter media to help the 12 finish its cycle.

 

[crazywolf]

4 of the 6 barb's are very little sub 1" and the Zebra's are maybe 1"

So i can just pull a decoration from the 10 and put in the 12 to add the bacteria? I'm not sure how I would use filter media for the 12 gallon it doesn't have that kind of filter. Can I put a new filter in the back of the Top Fin filter in the 10 gallon let it sit for a few days then put it under the filter in the eclipse?


I thought the 12 was over stocked which is why I got the 10.....I moved the barbs and zebra over to it. Everyone in the 10 seems to be loving it. I test it daily to make sure everything is good to go. I test ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte, GH, and PH and it's stat's rock.


I also seem to have trouble keeping the PH up on the 12 gallon. It's very confusing as to why it's having such trouble cycling.

Thanks for the help.

 

[tstenback]

Just sounds like one has cycled and the other is stuck in the nitrite phase. Keep up with the water changes and it will come down sometime (dont you just hate the nitrite phase of a cycle) Are both the nitrites and nitrates off the scale? What are the limits of your test kit for both of these? Keep us posted

 

[crazywolf]

Well I was using test strips that nitrIte range is 0-10.0 and nitrAte is 0-200. That test maxes out even soon after a 50% water change.

I just bought today a Master test kit which uses drops. It doesn't do nitrAtes but the nitrItes goes from 0-5.0 It read's 1.0.

The water is super clear I know that doesn't mean much but it was fairly cloudy for like the first 2 weeks of the tank's life. It might not be 10 Zebra's in the tank I can't count them.

 

[noelberg]

Sorry to say you are a bit overstocked - this will lead to higher nitrite readings because you have a lot of fish waste in a little space.
Let's look at your biomass:
*2 neons - very little mess, but still need about 1-2 gallons (depending on size)
*6 black tetras - if these are the long finned black skirts, then they get fairly large. My regular fin blackskirts are a solid 2" long and a good 1" tall. They are cute and tiny as juveniles, but they quickly grow and they love to eat. Given the benefit of a doubt, they need at least 6 gallons if they are small juveniles, but should have 12 or more gallons when fully grown - they will produce more mess than the neons and need more space.
*10 danios - zebra danios usually get about 2" long when fully grown. They aren't silver dollar shaped like the blackskirt tetras, but will still require a good 12-20 gallons. They also love to eat.

So even if you have a lot of juveniles, you're looking at about 18-20 gallons worth of fish - minimum - in a 12 gallon tank ... as adults this should be in a 29 gallon tank. The bacteria have done a good job with ammonia but are struggling to convert the nitrites. I'm sure with that many fish in the tank your nitrates will be at unsafe levels as well. I suggest taking some fish out and possibly adding some plants to help soak up some nitrates.

I hope this didn't sound rude - I just wanted to helpfully illustrate how stocking density can have profound effects on your nitrate and nitrite levels.

HTH and GL

 

[crazywolf]

Ok dumb question but how other than setting up yet another tank do I remove the fish? I'm very new to this and trying to do it right and seem to have screwed it up yet again.


My wife will kill me if I get another tank. I bought the fish at Petsmart will they take them back? It's been a couple of weeks. What type of plants would you recommend? Also if I added a larger filter or added an additional filter would that help?

I didn't realize the black tetras grew so much. I actually thought I was getting 6 long finned. I bought them in 2 groups of 3. I wasn't paying enough attention apparently because I have 3 long finned and 3 regular. So anyway.....

I'm moving in about 2 months to a house and planned on getting a 35 gallon tank to move everything to. I guess I might have to re-think my plans.

 

[crazywolf]

Ok I'm retarded. I just tested the ammonia levels in my 10g and they were extremely high. No wonder the nitrite levels were low.....


Doing a 50% water change for the fish and also holding off feeding for a few days to try and get the ammonia levels under control. I'm definitely glad I got the large test kit so I can test everything easily anytime I want.

I guess the 12g is actually in better shape than the 10g after all. Thanks again for everyone's input. I'll give an update tomorrow and hopefully I can get through this without any fish loss out of either tank.

 

[Akasha]

hey have you been adding activated carbon to your filtration?
the carbon with reduce the nitrates etc.

I do find it a bit odd that you are have such problems with your filter..... as i have a bio filter and have no problems with them

 

[flintstone]

I had an ammonia problem with my Oscar tank a while back and found that adding neolite to my filter media container (in a Penguin Bio wheel) helped tremendously.

Live plants (any) will help-try an easy to care for variety. Petsmart has a decent selection (not too expensive either).

 

[CFC]

Quite simply the tank hasnt cycled yet and adding fancy medias isnt going to help the matter. All you can do is keep up with the water changes every day until the tank settles in, this could take a month or more since the tank is already heavily stocked for its size.

If you could you would be better replacing the two tanks with one single tank of around 30 gallons, this would only take up the same ammount of room but would offer your fish a much more stable enviroment to live in.

 

[crazywolf]

I did 50% water changes this morning. Should I do that large daily or just do that once a week and do 15-20% changes the other days? I also have stopped feeding the 10g fish for a couple of days to help cut back on the ammonia.


The problem is I'm moving in about 2 months so right about the time I got the 30g to cycle fishless so it was ready for the fish I would have to move it. Should I just continue with the daily water changes and try and let the 12g fish the cycle and the 10g actually start the cycle. Then when I move I will setup the 35g tank I was planning to do anyway. Then I can use the media from the cycled small tanks as well as the gravel to hopefully "instant" cycle the larger 35g tank so it's liveable for all my fish.

I guess I got some bad advice on my stocking levels. However at this point I just want to make the fish as comfortable as possible. I'm jsut worried that since neither tank has fully cycled I have no good bacteria to add to the large tank.

 

[CFC]

The smaller daily water changes will be fine.

 

[crazywolf]

I figured that since AI've read that the 50% changes too often will slow down the cycle. Is there a non-chemical way to speed up the cycle? I assume the non-chemical way is time. I just don't want my inexperiance to cost my fish anymore than it already has.

 

[crazywolf]

Well I added some Java Moss, Moonlight something, and Sword something to both tanks. I also upgraded the filter in the 10G to a penguin mini w/ bio-wheel. I took the filter media from the original filter and hung it in a stocking in the tank to keep the media helping. Hopfully between that and the plants everything pans out.


Moneywort not Moonlight LOL
Amazon sword was the large plant.