Damn those Nitrites

[Fawke]

Hi there,

Wow, cycling is a real toughy.
Got through the ammonia peak unscathed.
Now its the Nitrites that are taking there toll.

The Nitrites seem to be doing the worst damage to the fish (below) so far.
The Gourami's are sitting on the bubble wall, covering themselves with bubbles (presumably do increase oxygen intake?).
Occasionally they'll flick against a rock because of the burns i presume they're getting.
Really sad to watch, and to know that im putting the fish through this

I noticed somebody talking about an "Air Stone" which increases oxygen in the water. Is this an Air Stone (as i know it) that connects to a pump (like my 2foot bubble wall), or is it something dissolvable in my tank that oxygenates my water?
If the latter, would you recommend one?

Salt is a no no, - Branston and Woody will not tolerate it

Dear o dear, i guess im just after some support really, getting stressful.... for me too!

Il keep you posted

 

[tstenback]

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If you are in the nitrite phase with fish you have to do water changes daily specially if the levels are over 1. As you cant add salt to help with the burning the goal has to be the comfort of the fish because the tank will cycle even with the water changes it will just delay the completion slightly. As you chose to cycle with fish you need to help them out to get through this. The gouramis can breathe air from the surface so they are probably in the bubbles for relief from the itching.

 

[modernhamlet]

The nitrite part of cycling can be especially dangerous to fish for two reasons:

1. Unlike ammonia, which has low toxicity at relatively low (<7) pH levels, nitrite is toxic at any pH.

2. The nitrite spike is often much longer and often higher than the ammonia spike.

What are your nitrite levels?

It is absolutely essential to keep the nitrites below 1ppm. This will be especially hard in a small tank cycling with very messy fish. Daily water changes are not out of the question...

 

[Fawke]

Sorry, didnt mean to panic anyone.

I am doing 1-2 water changes a day to keep the nitrites down. Also using Cycle and Aqua Plus.
Ammonis levels are low, but nitrite is around 1.5mg/l before water change (although it drops to below 1 after a water change)

Hard work man.....

 

[Rory the cat]

Can only offer moral support - am having water problems too and have been doing daily water changes for the best part of the last 2 months.

I know how it feels.

 

[Mesome]

Just keep doing what you're doing. It is a painful process, but it'll happen. Just remember that when the water quality is poor, the fish will be more suseptible to disease, so keep a good eye out for any outbreaks.