Surprise High Nitrite Reading - Water Change Needed?

[FlyingFish78]

I'm presently doing a fish-in cycle with hardy fish (yes I know that's now the way you're supposed to do it) and for weeks I've been religiously taking water quality readings every two days. A few days ago the ammonia finally reached zero. I took a reading tonight and again ammonia was zero but nitrite has spiked to 1.5ppm. I wasn't expecting a high reading like that; I thought the cycle was done.

Is it time to do a water change? If so, what percentage. For future reference, what's the maximum ppm of nitrite before doing a water change?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

I would do as much of a water change as you can. That is WAYYYYYYY too high. Just make sure you fish can swim upright, and then add more treated water, aabout the same temp as the tank. Make sure you turn your filter and heater off.

 

[FlyingFish78]

I would do as much of a water change as you can. That is WAYYYYYYY too high. Just make sure you fish can swim upright, and then add more treated water, aabout the same temp as the tank. Make sure you turn your filter and heater off.

Immediate 75% water change? 90%?

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

As much as you can while the fish still swim upright. Which should be ALOT of water.

 

[FlyingFish78]

OK thanks. I'll get to it.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Adding a small amount of salt to the water would have solved the problem. How much would depend on how much water. It is the chloride in the salt that does the trick.

 

[westonsupermanc]

One of my established tanks has a very high nitrate reading would salt solve that too please?

 

[l_l_l]

Nitrate will be solved by water change, or more plants, or less fish.

 

[westonsupermanc]

thanks

 

[TwoTankAmin]

In a healthy established tank you can't detect ammonia or nitrite, only nitrate may be there.

 

[FlyingFish78]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Last night I conducted a 90% water change and thereafter took an immediate reading. Nitrate was undetectable.

24hrs has passed and Nitrate has risen to around 0.125ppm. Im going to carry out an immediate 25% water change and take a reading tomorrow. Also, tomorrow I'll buy some more Tetra Safe Start and add some bottled live bacteria to the tank.

Comments are welcome as to whether the Safe Start is worth it.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

You are spending. or i should say, wasting a lot of time and water. No hobby nitrate kit test that low and if it did nitrate can be between 80 and 100 ppm and still not be a big issue in most tanks.
 
Do not change more water, there is no need and the stress it causes the fish will do more harm than that level of nitrate.
 
In the aquaculture industry where we are talking about ponds with 1.000s of fish and 100,000s of Gallons of water and no way to change water, what do you think they do for a nitrite spike? Or tanks might have a $100 or $200, they have millions of dollars worth. They have solutions. If you could not change water in your tank when you got a nitrite reading, what would you do? Or when you see .25 or .5 or even 2 ppm of total ammonia during a cycle, how do you know it this is or is not harming fish? If one doesn't know the answers to these questions, they should not be doing a fish in cycle.
 
So if you want to know what to do about nitrite readings during cycling, Google "nitrite + chloride". 

 

[l_l_l]

Is it nitrites, or nitrates that you are seeing?

 

[FlyingFish78]

Is it nitrites, or nitrates that you are seeing?

 
Nitrites. I've been testing for it.
 
Update: Good news! I was performing daily 25% water changes due to high nitrite readings of around 0.125-0.5 and then I went and purchased some API Quick Start (Good bacteria). The very next day the reading was zero. I tested again today and both ammonia and nitrite are zero.

 

[l_l_l]

Make sure you continue regular tests!
I'm happy you are at low nitrites, but it might be due to the daily water changes you have been doing!
 
Keep updating us!