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does anybody know how to get the nitrites down in the water. we have done water changes and everything. should we used totally purified water? i thought the conditioners took that stuff out of the water. can anybody help me. i dont want another fish to die.

thanks erock

erock,
Are you cycling the tank or is it in mini cycle from medications ?
NitrItes need time to go away on their own, what are your ammonia nitrIte and nitrAte numbers?

Small partial water changes will keep the numbers down, but it will also mean it takes longer for the proper bacteria to develop which will consume the nitrIte. If you can add a dose of Cycle that should help.

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i am not sure what you mean by cycling the tank? sorry. i am new to all of this.

we just got fish last week. well my husband tested the water and noticed that the nitrites were rather high. but everything else was pretty good. no amonia, nitrates were fine. all that other stuff was fine.

so he did a partial water change last night. tested the water this morning and the nitrites were down. but then later today one of my fish died. so i tested the water again. and the nitrites were up again. but everything else is still good.

it totally confuses me.

Okay, every tank goes thru what's called the cycle, the high nitrItes are a part of it. What you need to do is let it run its course. In order for the fish to survive you need to get some fish that are cycle hardy, or use a fishless method.

FAQ about cycling.

Can you provide us with information about what fish and what size tank and what type of filtration you're running.

I can understand it being confusing, I didnt' fully understand it till I'd done it...so let me see if I can give you a real simple version.

Poo =ammonia
ammonia =bad for fish good for bacteria
ammonia will rise until there is enough bacteria to consume it
once ammonia starts to fall nitrItes will start to rise
nitrItes will rise until there is enough bacteria to consume it
once nitrItes start to fall nitrAtes will start to rise
once all the nitrItes and ammonia are at zero and you have nitrAtes in the tank you're done and the fish will be happy .

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Last edited by Babelfish at 28-Dec-2004 11:18

ok. when we first bought the tank we set it up and let it sit for about 2 week (cuz we didnt have the money for fish after a week).

our tank is a 75 gallon tank with an emporer power filter. dont know if thats any help to you. if you need more info on that just let me know i might be able to tell you.

the fish i have in the tank is a plecostomas, a jewel cichlid, and a red zebra (which is the one that died). thats all we started out with. we were told not to start with but 3 or so fish. so thats what we did. hope this helps.

thank you so much for that whole thing too with the whole ammonia, nitrite, nitrate stuff. it really did make sense.

erock

The 2 weeks sitting empty did nothing except make you want to get fish ASAP.

The fish you listed are not exactly what we describe as cycle hardy which is why you lost one. The pleco will create alot of waste in the tank.

Your best course of action right now is whatever else you do, do not add fish until you've compleated the cycle. Ammonia and NitrIte @zero, nitrAtes present (10-20ppm is a good range). I'd suggest purchasing some Cycle from your LFS and dosing according to the directions for starting a new tank (I believe its 2 caps per 10 gallons once a week).

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thank you so much. i really appreciate all this help. you have been great. i will definitely do this.

erock

Glad to have helped erock, good luck with it, and rememember don't hesitate to ask questions .

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Anytime nitrites are in the tank, dose freshwater aquarium salt, predissolved. It reduces nitrite uptake into the bloodstream. You want a rock type salt, like Doc Wellfish Freshwater Aquarium salt - most petstores sell this type.

Since you have sensitive fish, take a disposable Glad container and put a half dose of salt into the container. Poke holes in the lid (sharp ends of openings inward) and sink it where the current will take the dissolving salt and disperse it. This will create a real slow dissolve over several days. It can be a life saver in when nitrites are in the tank. As for the half-dose amount, check the package. Usually it's like one rounded tablespoon per 5 gallons, so you would use 2.5.

If you cannot find Doc Wellfish and can only find a tiny granulated, fast dissolving type of aquarium salt (such as that made by Jungle), then predissolve the half dose quantity in a large, empty water gallon jug, half filled with warm, conditioned water. Shake vigorously, then dribble a little in every 3 hours. Spread it out over 2 days, adding a little water to the jug if necessary.

When you said you added purified water, do you know if it is reverse osmosis water? If so, critical buffering elements that keep the pH stable, could be missing. I would encourage you to take a bag of water to the fish store and get a complete battery of tests, including ammonia, nitrite, pH, gH and kH. Also request nitrate as it will tell us if you are in the end stage of cycling. As nitrites come down, the nitrates will climb and this is a good sign.

Bring us back numbers. Don't accept descriptions like "ok". We need numbers on all values, not terms.

Ask the local lfs if they use local tap water. If so, that is what you should be using, without using any pH adjusters.

Do you use a python or similar for your water changes?



Last edited by Cory_Di at 28-Dec-2004 12:04

no i didnt add purified water. i was just wondering if i should. thats all.

we actually have all the stuff to test the water. we bought a complete test kit. and we have tested everything. i cant remember all the numbers tho.

I would not add purified water at this time. You can always test your tap source for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to make sure you aren't adding to it. But your tank seems to be cycling.

I'd add the salt as described above. As I stated, it can save the lives of your fish when nitrite is present in the tank. Nitrite is very deadly.

thank you so much. i think we will try that. i really appreciate all the help.

Let us know how they do. I think you'll see some relief once the salt hits the water too.