High Nitrites

[wetwetwet]

How long has the biowheel been running and was it in conjunction with the old filter?

You could have 'seeded' the biowheel with some existing filter material...

As this is an established tank I don't think gravel from one of your other set-ups would make much difference

I would also cut right down on feeding untill you can get these nitrite levels down to lessen the load on the biological filtration....

 

[eskieluvr]

The biowheel has been running for about 3 weeks. I did not run it in conjunction with another filter. I am doing so on my 100 gallon now. It has 2 filters on it. I replaced one of filters, and let the other one run. I will eventually hook up the other filter. How long does a new filter/w new cartridges typically need to run in an established tank?

I wanted to start medicated food tonight, to fight the HITH. I am leaving for Alabama for 4 days tomorrow night. Dad just got back from the middle east from a tour of duty. My best friend is to be taking care of my tanks while I am gone. Maybe if I went to an every other day feeding, and medicate the tank with metranidozole. Boyfriend just completed 50% water change. I'll do another as soon as we get back on Monday.

Still looking for doses on smaller amounts of food for the metronidazole dosage. All the scripts I have found read 1 tbs per 1 lb of food. I'm assuming this is for ponds and large aquariums. I don't think I've ever seen 1 lb of fish food at one time.

I've been adding bloodworms to his diet, and he seems to eat all of it. Would this in anyway affect the nitrite levels. Maybe he isn't eating all of it.

amanda

PS, thank so much for all of your help. I've never been in a forum where the willingness to help was so apparent. I have gained a wealth of information. I've never fought so hard to keep a fish from dying before. Everything just seems to go wrong no matter how hard I try.

 

[eskieluvr]

Just for verification, should I take out the blue cartridges in the filter? I'm pretty sure they contain carbon. Advice from another board suggested that it probably wasn't all carbon, and that I should leave it in in addition to the melafix. I have no other filtration in the tank. Would this be harmful to run a tank without any media in place?

Amanda

 

[eskieluvr]

I found the following information on lowering nitrite levels:

Nitrite
is the next component in the filter nitrification process. Nitrite is toxic as well, and can cause the fish to be lethargic, have flared gill plates, and dark blood. If fish die of nitrite toxicity, they die with their mouth open. Methods of lowering nitrite include:
1. water changes
2. decreasing fish load
3. adding conditioned filter media to increase nitrobacter bacteria
4. raise salt to 0.3% to decrease uptake of nitrite by fish gills

What conditioned filter media? How does one know what salt is set at?

amanda

 

[impur]

Yes take a panty hose sock and put some gravel in it. Set this in your filter. I did this with my 55 gal and didn't cycle at all. Worked great for me. Also if you have a large rock or plastic plant you should add that to this tank. All the more bacteria to help jump start the colony again. You can move it back after alls well.

No carbon while meds are in the tank. I read the same thing about carbon and HITH, but its not proven and i have used carbon for 6 years with no occurances of HITH, including with oscars.

Conditioned media meaning filter floss or such from an existing tank that would have the bacteria already present.

If you want to add salt, make sure it is uniodized salt. your lfs probably carries aquarium rock salt, that works also. I would use 1 teaspoon for eath 10 gallons.