Nitrite Test - Warning Unsafe - Advice Please

[clown_loach]

Hi there

Can someone give me advice on how I bring down the Nitrite level please?

I set up my Juwel Rekord 600 tank in September filling it with tap water and then adding Aquasafe and plants before adding my first 6 little fish (Xray Tetras) on 20 October after I got the all clear from my local fish shop to start adding fish.

On 24 October I took a water sample in for testing which showed a high nitrite level and was advised to change 25% of the water.

I did this adding tap water/Aquasafe and still the nitrite level remains above 1.00ppm by the look of the colour

Do I keep changing the water daily for my 6 little fish?

 

[Mowbz]

It sounds like your tank is uncycled. Did you cycle it first before adding fish?

If not, do a 100% water change ASAP (as in right now if possible) and then read up on the Fish IN cycle in the Beginners Resource Centre (Link in my signature)

Your going to be doing lots of water changes, possibly two big ones a day, possible for the next few weeks.

HTH

Ben

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, keep changing water, and they need to be bigger changes.

You want the level of nitrite to stay below 0.25ppm; that means, if it's up at 1ppm now, you need to look at doing 80 or 90% changes; leave just enough water in the tank for the fish to swim upright. Make sure the new water is temperature matched and dechlorinated.

 

[clown_loach]

Thanks Ben and fluttermoth

You probably can tell that I'm a newbie and have been following advice from my local fish shop.

I'll get cracking with a big water change. Will this harm my little tetras replacing 100% of the water?

I did read the beginner's guide and confess to finding it a little technical and am struggling to understand some things but am learning as I go.

So with a 90-100% water change I can use tap water with measured amount of Aquasafe and then put my tetras back in?

Aquasafe with dechlorinated won't it?

 

[Mowbz]

Im not going to lie to you, you may lose fish. Tetra's apparently dont do too well in new aquariums (not tried it myself), and prefer going into an established aquarium. That said, we see theories like this proved wrong every day.

Your aquasafe is a dechlorinator, so this will be fine.

If you can read and take in everything about keeping fish in a day, i would call you a liar Dont worry, it all takes time to go in and stay in! We all started off in your shoes, and this forum is full of VERY helpful people.

Fluttermoth is one of the more experienced, and always gives top notch advice.

Hope this helps

 

[clown_loach]

Thanks for your words of encouragement Mowbz. I chose these tetras because the shop said they're quite hardy. Will be devastated if I lose them.

Right... on with the task in hand and think positive.

 

[the_lock_man]

As with the above, the problem you have is that your filter is not yet cycled - ie it hasn't grown sufficient bacteria to cope with the ammonia produced by your fish, and the consequent nitrite.

To get the level down, you need to change water again - but not by 25%, you need to do a much bigger change, I would suggest 90%.

Any ammonia or nitrite in your tank water is harmful to the fish. However, the accepted "semi-safe" target maximum is 0.25ppm. So if you have 1ppm, and you change 90% of the water, you'll end up with 0.1ppm, which is below the target, and buys you a little time, to go do things like eat, sleep, work, breathe, until you are able to test and change water again.

The bad news is that it will be weeks and weeks before your filter has grown its bacteria. You will need to be testing and changing water daily, in order to keep those toxins below the target at all times. As time goes on, you'll notice the levels rising more slowly, as your bacteria colonies grow. When you get to a stage where your tests show 0ppm for ammonia and nitrite, you don't need to change. But you'll test again next day, and will need to change.

As time goes on, you'll go three days without changing, then 4 and so on. When you get to a point where you've gone a week without chaning water, you're filter is cycled. From thereon, a weekly change of 25-30% is fine.

You may think this is an awful lot of work, and you'd be right - so why am I recommending this? Both ammonia and nitrite are poisonous to fish. Ammonia burns the fish's bodily tissues - it damages gills, brain, internal organs and central nervous system, to the extent that they start to haemorrage and die. Nitrite inhibits the blood's ability to absorb oxygen, causing oxygen deprivation to brain and organs - in other words, they suffocate.

So keeping those toxins as low as possible is for the benefit of your fish, and saves you from having to spend more money on new fish.

If you've got any more questions, and you probably will, fire away, there's loads of people on here happy to answer any question, no matter how silly you may think it is - the only silly question is the one that isn't asked.

 

[fluttermoth]

Thanks Ben and fluttermoth

You probably can tell that I'm a newbie and have been following advice from my local fish shop.

I'll get cracking with a big water change. Will this harm my little tetras replacing 100% of the water?

I did read the beginner's guide and confess to finding it a little technical and am struggling to understand some things but am learning as I go.

So with a 90-100% water change I can use tap water with measured amount of Aquasafe and then put my tetras back in?

Aquasafe with dechlorinated won't it?

I'd leave the fish in the tank; catching them out is stressful for them, which won't help right now.

Drain the water down to leave the fish just enough so they can swim upright. Big water changes can be stressful, but not as dangerous as leaving them in such bad water, and as long as the new water is (roughly) the same temp and dechlorinated it's not too bad.

Do try and do it slowly so you're not swirling the fish around, if you know what I mean! Syphoning back in as well as out would be good, if you have somewhere you can rest the bucket.

 

[clown_loach]

Thanks the_lock_man

Amonia is 0.25ppm so a little bit of good news I guess. Despite have a bad bout of flu, I'm getting the strength from goodness knows where to try and help my little fish.

 

[Mowbz]

Thanks the_lock_man

Amonia is 0.25ppm so a little bit of good news I guess. Despite have a bad bout of flu, I'm getting the strength from goodness knows where to try and help my little fish.

Ammonia at any level is potentially lethal unfortunately.

Do a 90ish% water change now and test. If its still showing ammonia wait an hour and do another 50%. This should see you right for the next 12-18 hours at least, but i would be testing again at that point.

Well done on getting through this with the flu. I know its an #14### carrying water buckets about (think of me, it takes 34 buckets full to fill my tank, against roughly 6-7 for yours!!) buy like you said, your saving your fishes lives...

Ben

 

[the_lock_man]

Thanks the_lock_man

Amonia is 0.25ppm so a little bit of good news I guess. Despite have a bad bout of flu, I'm getting the strength from goodness knows where to try and help my little fish.

As MowbyDick there says, you could really do with another change, to give you that leeway I talked about. You may be at 0.25ppm now, but in an hour or so, it'll be a different story.

Oh and Ben, you got yourself into that 34 bucket thing! No sympathy from me!

 

[clown_loach]

Great advice, thanks. The water's going in gently to try and minimise as much stress as possible for my fish.

Should I leave the tank when full for 24 hours and retest?

 

[the_lock_man]

Great advice, thanks. The water's going in gently to try and minimise as much stress as possible for my fish.

Should I leave the tank when full for 24 hours and retest?

If you've got the time, retest after about 15 mins (to give the new water a chance to mix with the old).

 

[clown_loach]

This answers my question Ben as to how long I wait to retest. Will test the amonia level and see what the results are.

My goodness what a big tank you've got

 

[clown_loach]

Great advice, thanks. The water's going in gently to try and minimise as much stress as possible for my fish.

Should I leave the tank when full for 24 hours and retest?

If you've got the time, retest after about 15 mins (to give the new water a chance to mix with the old).

Yes I have but looks like I'll have to go out and buy some more Aquasafe at some point.