I Have Ammonia, Nitrites And Nitrate In Tank

[askopp1]

Hello,
I chose to ask you guys this question because I've been browsing online and you seem to give the quickest answers and have more knowledge than other sites! I'm at work right now, so I'm unable to give you exact specs on the nitrite and nitrate in my 10 gallon (freshwater with 7, 2 snails and 3 plants) but I'm concerned because the ammonia (about 1.5 ppm) is high and the nitrite and nitrate is really high, (again, not sure exactly where, but when I tested it the range was noted as 'high'). I was told I was going through the 'nitrogen cycle', this is not a new tank and I didn't even know what the 'nitrogen cycle was', until I did research! So I used Nutrafin Cycle for about a week, that did NOTHING. I then did about 50 percent water change and 1 day later added 300ML Tetra SafeStart. That seems to be getting things moving (before I didn't have Nitrate), but yeah. When I look up 'nitrogen cycle charts' or read anything about the nitrogen cycle, it basically says that the ammonia will go down, then nitrites up, then nitrites down, nitrate up, then you manage it from there. So why do I have all 3?

 

[FishTankCrazy]

What filter are you running?

 

[askopp1]

What filter are you running?

It's a Marina Slim S10 filter with the 'zeolite' filter pads inside, (suggested to help control ammonia)

 

[askopp1]

I forgot to say that I have another fish tank (20gal freshwater) and I decided to use filter media, rocks and an ornament from that tank in the 10 gallon to hopefully speed up the Nitrogen Cycle. Please help me...My poor guppies! Some are not eating, and I feel terrible. Some have died already, but these seem to be holding strong. I just need to know if I should do a water change or not, the bottle of Tetra Safestart says not to for 2 weeks, but I don't want all my fish to be miserable and die.

 

[blesser13]

Hello askopp1

If your tank was already cycled and you are still doing your water changes, i suspect your filtration, i will probably never use a Marina Slim S10 i really had bad experience with this filter. Actually is a really cheap filtration around 15$ . Maybe you should think investing in a better one. For example AquaClear 50 My link are really good and they include the new biomax which is really good. If you do don't forget to purchase the protection sponge so your little babies or small fishes won't get suck in. An example my tank is a 55 gallons and i am using a 160 gallons filtration. My ammonia and the nitrite and nitrate are always very low. Of course my plants help a lot

 

[Caprichoso]

You can modify your marina slim filter. I did that with all 3 of mine. I bought some thin fluval sponges and the smallest bio-rings I could find and trimmed to fit and added the bio-rings in a small mesh bag. It works great and I didn't have to buy a new filter. Now my nano tanks have great biological filtration and I don't have to replace cartridges and waste my money

 

[This Old Spouse]

I forgot to say that I have another fish tank (20gal freshwater) and I decided to use filter media, rocks and an ornament from that tank in the 10 gallon to hopefully speed up the Nitrogen Cycle. Please help me...My poor guppies! Some are not eating, and I feel terrible. Some have died already, but these seem to be holding strong. I just need to know if I should do a water change or not, the bottle of Tetra Safestart says not to for 2 weeks, but I don't want all my fish to be miserable and die.

Do a huge water change as soon as you can. If you used filter media from your 20g, you shouldn't need any Tetra Safestart, which is basically a gimmick and doubtful it works. It claims to have "live bacteria" when in fact the only way the bacteria could be live is if it was in a running filter! It might have been alive when they put it in the bottle, but it would be dead after a day or two, and assuredly by the time it hit the LFS shelf.

I don't know anything about your filter, but putting the media from your other tank will work fine. But you still need to do water changes. I'd do a huge one right now and a couple of 50% changes over the next few days.

Good luck ..

 

[Aqua Tom]

<>

But you still need to do water changes. I'd do a huge one right now and a couple of 50% changes over the next few days.

Good luck ..

+1

 

[Miles_hot]

Agree with the water changes - remove water till the fish can only just swim upright and then refill with temperature matched water which has either been dechlorinated or add enough dechlorinator for the whole tank before adding the new water.
I would almost be tempted to run the filter for 30 mins and do another one if your values are that high. - anyone see any reason not to?
Miles

 

[fluttermoth]

...I would almost be tempted to run the filter for 30 mins and do another one if your values are that high. - anyone see any reason not to?

Absolutely no reason; if there is still ammonia and nitrite in the tank after a water change, it's perfectly alright to do another if needs be.

Just make sure the new water is warmed and dechlorinated, as the other posters have said, and there won't be problem.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Agree with the water changes - remove water till the fish can only just swim upright and then refill with temperature matched water which has either been dechlorinated or add enough dechlorinator for the whole tank before adding the new water.
I would almost be tempted to run the filter for 30 mins and do another one if your values are that high. - anyone see any reason not to?
Miles

I'd do the big water change, then test. Then yes, if you have ANY ammonia above 0, then do another big water change. Any ammonia at all is poisonous to fish!

And don't add any other "cycle accelerators" as this doesn't help matters.

I also was reading here somewhere about removing the zeolite? Doesn't it act like carbon in the HOB filters?

 

[Harlequins]

Zeolite absorbs ammonia,(which messes up the true running of the nitrogen cycle)
,i would remove this and add some filter floss or mature media from your other filter to see if that helps...

 

[Miles_hot]

Agree about the zoolite - read up on the fish in cycle, pack the filter with bio and mechanical filtration media and go for it. Your current fish may have a shorter life die to the stress that they've already been exposes to however at least you cam make the rest of it as good as you can
If you can get dome mature media into the filter all the better.
As for your original question as to how all the chemicals are present at the same time - that's normal as the processes happen in parallel .
Good luck
Miles

 

[librarygirl]

If you have fish in there then I agree with the others: you need to do a lot of water changes.

Do you have your own test kit? If not, get one ASAP. A liquid test kit is best, like API Mater. The strips or stickies aren't accurate.

Test your water every day. Any time ammonia or nitrite is 0.25 or more, or/and nitrate is 20 or more, do a large water change to get them down. The tests will dictate how much of a change to do. For example, if your nitrite is 0.5, you'll want to do at least a 60% water change to get it down under 0.25. You may have to do this multiple times per day until the tank cycles.

Is your other tank cycled? What are its parameters? If you can move the fish to the cycled 20 gallon and finish the 10 with a fishless cycle that might be an option too. But only if the 20 is really cycled, otherwise you just have two tanks that are in the cycling process. Also stop adding the fake bacteria. The most effective way to help your fish through a cycle is frequent water changes.