I added an Indian almond leaf into my 29g yesterday after a water change. My pH was 7.6 and it has dropped to about 7.4 now. I tested the water parameters this morning and everything else is 0 but nitrite has risen to 0.25ppm. Could the Indian almond leaf be the cause of that, and if so, will it continue to rise if I leave it in there?
Indian almond leaves and nitrite
- Thread starter Lcc86
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Obsessed with fish
Fish Herder
Too many indian almond leaves can increase nitrate, how big is your awuarium and how many leaves did you put in.
It's 29/30gallons and I just put the one leaf in. Nitrate is showing 0 it's only the nitrite that has risen, which previously has always been 0. Fish-wise I have 4 juvenile panda cories and 5 julii cories (3 adults 2 juveniles). I just wanted to reduce the pH slightly as it was on the higher side for the cories.
Have added a pic of the tank for reference.
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Obsessed with fish
Fish Herder
Nice tank, I do not think the reason for high nitrite is the almond leaves. The reason could be that maybye your fish did not eat all of there food, so the food broke down. You could try a 50% water change which should half the nitrites.
Yeah was thinking I'll give it a water change later. I vacuumed the sand yesterday so not sure if that also stirred a few uneaten bits up that I then missed. Will vacuum it again when I do the water change. I'll leave the leaf in there
I have kept Indian almond leaves in two of my tanks for a long time. Nitrite levels checked weekly are always zero.
Same here.
IALs should not affect ammonia, nitrIte, or nitrAte levels at all...ph, yes, but only slightly, in most cases
In 29G of water, I doubt a single leaf would affect ph at all
What kind of test kit are you using?
I add a lot more Indian almond leaves to a tank that same size and never see any nitrites.
I usually keep 3 large ones in my 29G
I'm using the API 6 in 1, the tank has only been set up for a month or so, which is why I'm testing so regularly, but this was the only thing I could think of that had changed so wasn't sure if having detritus in the tank could affect it. I've never used IAL's before so started with 1 as wasn't sure if/how much it would reduce pH by.
Going to do a water change shortly.
I think itmust be leftover food and perhaps whatever I'd stirred up from vacuuming the gravel, just wasn't sure as I'd not used IAL's before.
The Freshwater Master Test Kit, with liquid reagents??...that's the one many of us use
Yes, uneaten food would certainly be a factor, but usually, ammonia would lead to the nitrItes, so it's odd that you aren't reading at least a bit of ammonia...unless it's being converted quickly
Overfeeding can cause other issues, as well, many of us don't feed daily...fish don't need to eat every day...I'll sometimes go 3 days between feedings
How is the tank stocked?
Yes, uneaten food would certainly be a factor, but usually, ammonia would lead to the nitrItes, so it's odd that you aren't reading at least a bit of ammonia...unless it's being converted quickly
Overfeeding can cause other issues, as well, many of us don't feed daily...fish don't need to eat every day...I'll sometimes go 3 days between feedings
How is the tank stocked?
I also cannot see any connection between the single IA leaf and nitrite.
On the pH, this too is not likley the leaf. You must know the GH and KH as well as the pH of your source water, as these three are very closely connected. A shift of 1, 2, 3 or even 4 decimal points in pH is more likely due to the diurnal fluctuation than the leaf. But you/we need to know the GH and KH to go further.
When testing tap water for pH, you must ensure any dissolved CO2 is outgassed, as this can give a false reading. Not needed for tank water, just fresh tap. Let a glass of water sit 24 hours, then test. Brisk agitation will also dissipate most of the CO2.
It is normal for an aquarium to slowly become more acidic. The extent this occurs depends as I said on the initial GH and KH and pH. And other factors like plants. Everything in an aquarium is interconnected, which is why it is so dangerous to mess with any one parameter, not that you intend to, but don't.
On the pH, this too is not likley the leaf. You must know the GH and KH as well as the pH of your source water, as these three are very closely connected. A shift of 1, 2, 3 or even 4 decimal points in pH is more likely due to the diurnal fluctuation than the leaf. But you/we need to know the GH and KH to go further.
When testing tap water for pH, you must ensure any dissolved CO2 is outgassed, as this can give a false reading. Not needed for tank water, just fresh tap. Let a glass of water sit 24 hours, then test. Brisk agitation will also dissipate most of the CO2.
It is normal for an aquarium to slowly become more acidic. The extent this occurs depends as I said on the initial GH and KH and pH. And other factors like plants. Everything in an aquarium is interconnected, which is why it is so dangerous to mess with any one parameter, not that you intend to, but don't.
Yep that's the one. I feed 3 days on 1 day off at the moment. And the tank just has 9 cories (3 adults 6 juveniles).
Thank you, I don't have a GH or PH test kit, do need to get one, but have looked up my supply online (see attached).
Have just done my water change and hoovered up any little bits I could see. Will test again in 24 hours and see whether I still have an issue.
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