How do I lower my nitrites

[Mollyforever]

Are they coming back after you finished the fishless cycle and added the fish? I had the same issue but when I put ceramic rings in the filter it went away in a couple of days!

 

[Sgooosh]

I keep having to do large water changes cause of my nitrites always coming back!!! Can someone help tell me why this is happening!!

is the tank cycled and for how long?
other params?

how big is the tank
how many fish and what size
how many plants and what size?
what type and size filter?
how much do you feed?, what type of food ?

 

[Tacocat]

I'm assuming it is the same tank as in this post

 

[Bettaguy08]

Are they coming back after you finished the fishless cycle and added the fish? I had the same issue but when I put ceramic rings in the filter it went away in a couple of days!

They just started coming after a recent big water change I did a week ago I think it was?

 

[Bettaguy08]

I'm assuming it is the same tank as in this post

is the tank cycled and for how long?
other params?

how big is the tank
how many fish and what size
how many plants and what size?
what type and size filter?
how much do you feed?, what type of food ?

Nitrite 2.0
Nitrates 10
Hardness 150
Chlorine 0
KH 150
7.5 pH if I had to guess.
0 ammonia

Other fish
1 otocinclus
1 baby female betta
4 male guppies
1 neritre snail.

Oxygenation
I no longer have a bubble pump just the filter

Cycled?

Yes I am pretty sure it’s cycled I’ve had it running for about 7-8+ weeks

Plants?

1 live Java fern and the rest are fake

Filter?
Top fin filter that came with the tank

Food I feed?
Freeze dried daphnia, bloodworms, mysis and flakes for my betta.

 

[Fishmanic]

did you do a fishless cycle with using 3ppm ammonia

 

[Bettaguy08]

did you do a fishless cycle with using 3ppm ammonia

I did not do a fishless cycle, the cycle was with a fish cause I wasn’t aware at the time that you can’t just use quick start and you don’t have to wait 2 montthere used to just be a gourami in my tank, and I don’t think I did the cycle with 3ppm ammonia, I’m not sure.

 

[Fishmanic]

you dont use ammonia if you did a fish-in cycle which it seems it what you did. Unfortunately, your tank is not fully cycled...The ammonia converting bacteria seems to be established but your nitrite converting bacteria do not seem established . You are in mid cycle. You will need to do a large water changes to bring the nitrites close to 0 and repeat anytime nitrites are above 0. You might need to do WC everyday till the cylcle completes. At the end , if nitrates are above 25, you need to do another large water change. You could add more bottle bacteria to try to speed up the cycle a bit.
We recommend fishless cycling to avoid having problems like you presently have.

 

[itiwhetu]

This can be one of the problems with large water changes. You end up with the tank becoming unstable. How heavily planted is your tank.

 

[itiwhetu]

Photo please.

 

[Bettaguy08]

Photo please.

Just 1 Java fern. Here is photo

 

[itiwhetu]

Just 1 Java fern. Here is photo

So, they are plastic plants the others. There lies your problem, you need to have your tank planted with live plants 30-50% of its volume.

 

[Bettaguy08]

you dont use ammonia if you did a fish-in cycle which it seems it what you did. Unfortunately, your tank is not fully cycled...The ammonia converting bacteria seems to be established but your nitrite converting bacteria do not seem established . You are in mid cycle. You will need to do a large water changes to bring the nitrites close to 0 and repeat anytime nitrites are above 0. You might need to do WC everyday till the cylcle completes. At the end , if nitrates are above 25, you need to do another large water change. You could add more bottle bacteria to try to speed up the cycle a bit.
We recommend fishless cycling to avoid having problems like you presently have.

Ok, but How can I tell when the cycle is complete? And how often should I test my water?

 

[Fishmanic]

When ammonia and nitrites stay at 0 for a week then I would say you are cycled. If nitrates are high at the end of the cycle do another large water change.

 

[Bettaguy08]

When ammonia and nitrites stay at 0 for a week then I would say you are cycled. If nitrates are high at the end of the cycle do another large water change.

Ohhh ok, thanks I will do this from now on.