Emergency! Please Help!

[riggs111]

hi guys im desperate for help, ive been doing water tests every day on ammonia and nitrite and my ammonia has been 0.25ppm every test i do pretty much so ive been doing about a 75% water change every time i find ammonia in the tank, ive just done a test 5 mins ago and the ammonia level is just about 0.25ppm but the NITRITE is pretty much 5ppm!!!! what have i done wrong? what shall i do??? please help!!!
ps ive had the tank for about 4 months now and its been going good done the big mistake what newbies do and not to the testing and listenning to the LFS!! but i thought it had cycled a couple of weeks ago as i bought a API test kit and the readings were good and i had some good help from here! nothing serious has happened until now where my nitrite levels have gone sky high and this is the first time its happened, whats going on?

please reply!

adam

 

[fluttermoth]

I'm not sure what's caused your nitrite spike, but the only remedy is more big water changes to bring it down as soon as possible. Sorry to be giving you more hard work

 

[riggs111]

oh i dont mind doing W/C'S just want my tank to settle and be ok i dunno what has caused that ive done nothing diff really, apart from take out my large bogwood and soak it properly as it was tanning the water and i took out a small peice of bogwood that has a plant on it to do the same and i added them in yesterday after doing a big water change as i found 0.25ppm of ammonia in my test and put them back in and i come to test it just now and showing ridiculously high levels!!!

adam

 

[Harlequins]

How often do you clean the substrate?

Did you disturb the substrate on removing and replacing the bogwood?

Have you cleaned the filter recently?

Any dead or dying plants?

What fish do you have?

Was your test tubes clean?

 

[KittyKat]

Water changes and time. No idea what caused, it sorry...

 

[riggs111]

right thats my water change done, i done about 75% - 85%!

thank you all so much for you quick replies!

this are the answers to your questions harlequins

How often do you clean the substrate? every time i find ammonia in my tank and do a water change i vacumn the gravel as much a poss

Did you disturb the substrate on removing and replacing the bogwood? yeah i probably did

Have you cleaned the filter recently? no i havent cleaned the filter for weeks

Any dead or dying plants? no i dont think i have any dying or dead plants ive only got one plant and that growing on a peice of wood ->

What fish do you have? i have 5 glow lights and 4 cherry barbs, 3x neons and 3x rummy nose tetras! i did have 4 rummy nose until this am were when i looked there was one dead but strangely it was caught in filter on the outside toggle were you adjust the flow rate pictured below, in the little gap next to the blue knob it was hanging in it by its tail? that is the 2nd time its happened now in 3 weeks?? i had a neon on there before!.

Was your test tubes clean? well every day i do my tests i rinse them in hot water and leave them drip dry.

i just dunno what im doing wrong i just want the test to be settled and constant!

please help!

adam

 

[hillmar77]

have you checked your water supply readings during this crash?
Also what water conditioner are you using for your water changes?

 

[riggs111]

what do you mean water supply readings?? tap water?? what tests?

i use api water conditioner

adam

 

[hillmar77]

what do you mean water supply readings?? tap water?? what tests?

i use api water conditioner

adam

Yeah test the tap water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

 

[RustedKnight]

Think he means your test strip readings or water test kit. Test your tap water with it.

ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, ph gh kh and cl2.. that sort of thing.

 

[riggs111]

oh right i see ok ill do a test on the tap water now, ive only got tests for ammonia,nitrite, nitrate ph, and ph high! so ill do them and post up the results! shall i put that tap conditioner in the water??

adam

 

[RustedKnight]

oh right i see ok ill do a test on the tap water now, ive only got tests for ammonia,nitrite, nitrate ph, and ph high! so ill do them and post up the results! shall i put that tap conditioner in the water??

adam

Nah leave it as is, we want to see how the real stuff is before you treat it, please.
And those results should be enough.

 

[riggs111]

right ive done 2 groops of tests because i use hot water from my boiler and cold from the cold supply, both from my bathroom taps.

tests from cold water tap -> ammonia: 0ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
PH: 7.6ppm
nitrate: 5ppm

tests from hot water tap -> ammonia:0ppm
nitrite:0ppm
PH:7.6ppm
nirtrate:5ppm

hope this makes sense that i done 2.
what you think?

adam

 

[RustedKnight]

right ive done 2 groops of tests because i use hot water from my boiler and cold from the cold supply, both from my bathroom taps.

tests from cold water tap -> ammonia: 0ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
PH: 7.6ppm
nitrate: 5ppm

tests from hot water tap -> ammonia:0ppm
nitrite:0ppm
PH:7.6ppm
nirtrate:5ppm

hope this makes sense that i done 2.
what you think?

adam

Nitrate, nitrite and ammonia seems fine, so your ammonia and nitrite are coming from something in your tank.
Hold out and another forum member will walk this through with you.

 

[riggs111]

ok then ill hold out and wait, ill also do a water test in the morn ing to see whats happening after my water change. thanks alot for your help!

adam