TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
I am not going yo argee my points any longer in terms of the difference in needs when one is cycling a tank of if one is dealing with and established cycled tank. However, what I will suggest to to the OP who wrote this in his recent posting
And I will tell Pygmy he has not real clue about all of this yet. Specifically i would be he/she di not read the things i suggested.
So here is the last thing I will post in this thread in one final attempt to be helpful.
SOME FACTS ABOUT NITRITE
This too is a problem and it is important to understand how it affects fish in order to know how you can deal with it.
“Nitrite enters the bloodstream through the gills and turns the blood to a chocolate-brown color. Hemoglobin, which transports oxygen in the blood, combines with nitrite to form methemoglobin, which is incapable of oxygen transport. Brown blood cannot carry sufficient amounts of oxygen, and affected fish can suffocate despite adequate oxygen concentration in the water. This accounts for the gasping behavior often observed in fish with brown blood disease, even when oxygen levels are relatively high.”2
SIGNS OF NITRITE POISONING
Fish will not behave as they normally do. Because their blood is not carrying oxygen, fish will behave as if they are suffocating. They may hang just below the water surface or near filter outflows trying to get air. What you will not see is any outward sign of bodily damage nor damage to the gills of the fish.
HOW TO MANAGE NITRITE POISONING
Fortunately, there is an effective way to blunt the harmful effects of elevated nitrite that doesn’t involve changing lots of water- you add salt (sodium chloride) to the water. The chloride in the salt acts to” block” the ability of nitrite to enter though the gills of the fish and thus to cause the harm inside the fish it might. So it is possible to manage elevated nitrite over the short term using salt in relatively small amounts.
“Sodium chloride (common salt, NaCl) is used to “treat” brown blood disease. Calcium chloride can also be used but is typically more expensive. The chloride portion of salt competes with nitrite for absorption through the gills. Maintaining at least a 10 to 1 ratio of chloride to nitrite in a pond effectively prevents nitrite from entering catfish.” 1
It should be noted that the Merck Veterinary manual suggests a lower ratio of chloride:
“In freshwater production ponds for channel catfish, a ratio of 6 parts Cl to 1 part NO2 has effectively prevented or treated methemoglobinemia caused by nitrite exposure.” 2
Since the amount of salt needed to produce either 6 or 10 times the chloride as nitrite is minimal, this author prefers to use the higher ratio of 10 to 1 in order to be more certain of obtaining the needed relief. One should also be aware that studies indicate that, whether one changes water or uses chloride to counter the effects of nitrite toxicity, it will still take between 24-72 hours for nitrite already inside fish to be completely eliminated. Preventing further nitrite from entering usually solves the problem.
WHAT SALT TO USE
Plain old table salt is just fine for use here. Do not worry if it says Iodized or if it says it contains Anti-caking agents. The amount of either of these in the salt is so minimal one would pickle their fish long before these ingredients would be doing any harm. Read here for facts about table salt and fish: http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/The_Salt_of_the_Earth
The article continues with step by step instructions for how to calculate exactly how much salt is needed to counteract any given level of nitrite. So, it is important to have a fairly accurate reading for nitrite levels to get the amount of salt right. If one want to use test strips I would not use cheaper ones. I would want something like these, which are not cheap. Hach makes laboratory quality testing supplies and equipment.
https://www.hach.com/p-nitrate-and-nitrite-test-strips/2745425
And I will tell Pygmy he has not real clue about all of this yet. Specifically i would be he/she di not read the things i suggested.
So here is the last thing I will post in this thread in one final attempt to be helpful.
SOME FACTS ABOUT NITRITE
This too is a problem and it is important to understand how it affects fish in order to know how you can deal with it.
“Nitrite enters the bloodstream through the gills and turns the blood to a chocolate-brown color. Hemoglobin, which transports oxygen in the blood, combines with nitrite to form methemoglobin, which is incapable of oxygen transport. Brown blood cannot carry sufficient amounts of oxygen, and affected fish can suffocate despite adequate oxygen concentration in the water. This accounts for the gasping behavior often observed in fish with brown blood disease, even when oxygen levels are relatively high.”2
SIGNS OF NITRITE POISONING
Fish will not behave as they normally do. Because their blood is not carrying oxygen, fish will behave as if they are suffocating. They may hang just below the water surface or near filter outflows trying to get air. What you will not see is any outward sign of bodily damage nor damage to the gills of the fish.
HOW TO MANAGE NITRITE POISONING
Fortunately, there is an effective way to blunt the harmful effects of elevated nitrite that doesn’t involve changing lots of water- you add salt (sodium chloride) to the water. The chloride in the salt acts to” block” the ability of nitrite to enter though the gills of the fish and thus to cause the harm inside the fish it might. So it is possible to manage elevated nitrite over the short term using salt in relatively small amounts.
“Sodium chloride (common salt, NaCl) is used to “treat” brown blood disease. Calcium chloride can also be used but is typically more expensive. The chloride portion of salt competes with nitrite for absorption through the gills. Maintaining at least a 10 to 1 ratio of chloride to nitrite in a pond effectively prevents nitrite from entering catfish.” 1
It should be noted that the Merck Veterinary manual suggests a lower ratio of chloride:
“In freshwater production ponds for channel catfish, a ratio of 6 parts Cl to 1 part NO2 has effectively prevented or treated methemoglobinemia caused by nitrite exposure.” 2
Since the amount of salt needed to produce either 6 or 10 times the chloride as nitrite is minimal, this author prefers to use the higher ratio of 10 to 1 in order to be more certain of obtaining the needed relief. One should also be aware that studies indicate that, whether one changes water or uses chloride to counter the effects of nitrite toxicity, it will still take between 24-72 hours for nitrite already inside fish to be completely eliminated. Preventing further nitrite from entering usually solves the problem.
WHAT SALT TO USE
Plain old table salt is just fine for use here. Do not worry if it says Iodized or if it says it contains Anti-caking agents. The amount of either of these in the salt is so minimal one would pickle their fish long before these ingredients would be doing any harm. Read here for facts about table salt and fish: http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/The_Salt_of_the_Earth
The article continues with step by step instructions for how to calculate exactly how much salt is needed to counteract any given level of nitrite. So, it is important to have a fairly accurate reading for nitrite levels to get the amount of salt right. If one want to use test strips I would not use cheaper ones. I would want something like these, which are not cheap. Hach makes laboratory quality testing supplies and equipment.
https://www.hach.com/p-nitrate-and-nitrite-test-strips/2745425
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