nitrIte & nitrAte spike

[trace1]

hiya guys, my nitrItes n nitrAtes have risen suddenly in my tank & not sure why, i have already lost some of my rummy nose tetras.
stats are:
ammonia 0
nitrItes 0.25
nitrAtes around 80
ph 6.6.
now the only thing i have done different to my tank is change from gravel to sand 2 weeks ago NO new fish added. washed the sand before adding to tank. did noticed the other day that nitrAtes were to high so have done 2 water changes & now about to do another can anyone help with this pls.
oh yeah also noticed the water smells. i know it sounds silly cos it is fish water but it smell like very strong fish water
thanks trace

 

[ncjharris]

sounds to me like a mini cycle.

By changing your substrate you have probably removed a load of the benifical bacteria. Although there would be some on the filter media, ornaments etc probably not enough to support the fish you had.

Suggested course of action - regular, small water changes and continual monitoring your water stats.
If you can rehome the fish in the meantime, that may help them.

HTH

 

[trace1]

can't rehome fish, my other tank is still cycling. thought everything was ok as well being as my corys spawned the other day. mind you it was after that i noticed the corys went quiet & they are usually very active. will just have to do regular water changes till i get this sorted thanks for answering so fast

 

[trace1]

just done water change, but now all 6 of my rummy nose tetras have died stats are now:
ammonia o
nitrItes 0
nitrAtes around 40 say this cos colours on card are so close.
ph7.2
don't understand the ph its never been this high, infact last time i checked it didn't come out of the tap this high .
i'm so mad this tank was running perfectly

 

[Gourami Girl]

I'M NOT SURE ABOUT YOUR TANK VOLUME, OTHER INHABITANTS ETC BUT AS SOMEONE HAS ALREADY SAID, IT'S LIKELY YOU WIPED OUT A LOT OF YOUR FRIENDLY BACTERIA WHEN YOU CHANGED THE SUBSTRATE, THIS HAS NOW CAUSED A BACTERIA BLOOM. IS THE WATER A WHITEY COLOUR?

THE BEST THING TO DO IS KEEP DOING WATER CHANGES, BUT AS YOU HAVE SAID, THIS WILL HIGHER THE pH, INCIDENTALLY TAP WATER DIFFERS FROM TIME TO TIME SO IT MAY BE COMING OUT FAIRLY HIGH AT THE MOMENT ANYWAY. THE BEST THING FOR THAT IS TO PUT SOME AQUATIC PEAT IN YOUR FILTER AND SOME BOG WOOD, THESE WILL BRING THE pH DOWN. BUT QUITE HONESTLY IT WILL DEPEND ON THE INHABITANTS AS TO WHETHER THIS IS HARMING THEM. CERTAINLY THE RUMMY NOSES WOULDN'T HAVE LIKED IT MUCH, NEITHER WOULD OTHER ANY OTHER TETRAS, BUT IF YOU HAVE GUPPIES, PLATIES ETC, THEY WILL ENJOY THE HARD WATER ANYWAY.

JUST KEEP WITH THE WATER CHANGES AND KEEP AN EYE ON EVERYONE ELSE, DON'T TOUCH THE FILTER MEDIA WHATEVER YOU DO!

MELAFIX IS A GOOD ONE, JUST FOR DESTRESSING AND TREATING ANY BUMPS AND SCRAPES, ALSO MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING PLENTY OF DECHLORINATOR AS THIS OFTEN CONTAINS ALOE VERA AND OTHER SOOTHING INGREDIENTS.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[trace1]

no my water is clear, when i changed to sand made a point of keeping filter wet & even left graval in a stocking in tank for 2 days after the change i've got 2 filters running as well. my tank is 126 litres i think maybe bit less. all i've got left in there now is 6 neon tetras 3 albino cory 3 black mollies & think about 7 baby mollies this big ----. every 1 looks a bit happier now after water change so hopefully they will be ok now will try to get some melafix as well just to make sure.

 

[rdd1952]

Changing the gravel shouldn't have a big effect on your bacteria colony. While it is true that bacteria are present in the substrate, most of the bacteria colony is present in/on the filter and filter media. The nitrite level of .25 isn't enough to kill your fish and you didn't have any ammonia. Nitrate at 80 is high but not deadly either. I would think that it was maybe something in the sand. What ever caused the smell in the tank is most likely what killed your fish.

Edited for spelling.

 

[trace1]

just thought the only other thing i have done is put some frozen daphina, (think thats how ya spell it ) in last night. defrosted it in the tank water first thou. but didn't rinse it before putting in tank could this be the reason the sand has been in fro over 2 weeks now i think it is & this problem only started last nite. more suprised that my neon tetras are still ok

 

[rdd1952]

It's possible that there was a problem with the daphnia but it would be hard to tell. Unfortunately, some thing just can't be explained. A few months ago I lost all 5 of my red-eye tetras at one time and never figured out what killed them. I did a routine water change and moved a few things in the tank, nothing major. At the time I had 5 each of red-eyes, serpaes and pristella tetras, 3 corys and 2 ghost shrimp. I got up the next morning to find all 5 red-eyes dead or dying at the top of the tank. All other fish were (and still are) fine. Still have not figured that one out.

 

[ncjharris]

The nitrite level of .25 isn't enough to kill your fish and you didn't have any ammonia.

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True, but it could be an indication of a mini cycle - i.e the ammonia has returned to 0, but was previously higher when the water wasn't tested??

Incidently trace, what did you wash the new sand in before you added it?
And I assume you do condition/de-chlorinate your water before each change?

 

[trace1]

i got a new bucket for washing sand in it hadn't been used & i washed that before washing the sand in it. but the sand was done weeks ago & there was no problem.
test the water regular & never have ammonia or nitrIte. the only thing i gota watch is the nitrAtes going up hence regular water changes & tests. i also always use dechlorinator as well. i drive my hubby mad with my tanks as i'm always looking at them checking fish counting fish to make sure every1 is ok etc ). lol
atm everything seens settled so will test it again tomorrow & hopefully whatever was the matter has been sorted now

 

[trace1]

just thought i would give an update :
ammonia 0
nitrItes 0
nitrAtes 40
i am so pleased i got this sorted. every 1 seems happier now even the baby mollies. even my albino corys have started playing again .
thanks every 1 who helped with advice i was really grateful
thanks again

 

[TF Keeper UK]

The problem you had sounds like what i've got ie "a mini cycle"
I changed from gravel to sand last weekend. This could be the cause of my mini cycle. Luckily i've had no deaths!

I noticed a sharp spike across the board when i tested my water yesterday. Did an immediate 50% water change and hoped for the best.

At the momoent i'm Bmth visiting my daughter. My partner has been left with test instructions and will let me know if they are still high.

When I get back 2mrw i'll do 25% water change. Just hope Homer (Julii Corydoras) and Blind Bob (Bronze Corydoras) survive! They were looking under the weather when I left.

Good luck with tank!

Del

 

[TF Keeper UK]

Well done on ur tank recovery Trace1

Del

 

[jolaf]

Question? How lnog does a mini cycle take?

Changing the gravel shouldn't have a big effect on your bacteria colony. While it is true that bacteria are present in the substrate, most of the bacteria colony is present in/on the filter and filter media. The nitrite level of .25 isn't enough to kill your fish and you didn't have any ammonia. Nitrate at 80 is high but not deadly either. I would think that it was maybe something in the sand. What ever caused the smell in the tank is most likely what killed your fish.

Edited for spelling.

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