Nitrite and Nitrate are High, Stress zyme or Frequent WCs

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nicosia31

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 12, 2012
Messages
99
Location
Birmingham, Alabama
I just bought my own API master test kit. So far i have only been testing for ammonia... I know now that was incredibly stupid on my part. I have had 5 mbunas that have been in there for 2 weeks (all 2") and my tank cycled for 2 weeks before that with the use of stress-zyme. :hide:

Its a 29 gallon. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what model filter I have but it's made by Aqueon and it came with one of those "deluxe kits" from Petco. It only has one cartridge. I realize this is small even for juveniles, i purchased it in ignorance. I bought a 56gal setup and I want some water chemistry experience before i build it.

These are my levels:
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: maxed out the test range at 5.0 ppm
Nitrate: 20 ppm

I last did a water change 3 days ago (30%)

Anyhow my nitrite and nitrate levels are high so I'm about to do a wc now. I'd like to hear some opinions about which is preferred: Frequent water changes or adding Stress-zyme. or both? And what you all would recommend.
 
water changes
water changes
water changes


i dont know what stress zyme is but water changes are your best friend here, if ammonia or nitrites are above .25ppm do as many changes as it takes to get them sown below that
 
BHead707 said:
water changes
water changes
water changes

i dont know what stress zyme is but water changes are your best friend here, if ammonia or nitrites are above .25ppm do as many changes as it takes to get them sown below that

+1
There's no way around it. Fresh water and lots of it is needed ASAP.
 
I'm amazed those fish are still alive if the nitrites are off the chart. 30% needs to be increased and stress Zyme only slightly helps in cycling. It says it contains the live bacteria to help but it's all dead due to sitting on store shelves. After many years of being a loyal API customer for chemicals I recently switched to all seachem and couldn't be happier. Look into seachem stability, not only is it a little better than stress Zyme but it treats so much more water.

For now just do a water change every other day and when tests indicate the need.
 
+1
There's no way around it. Fresh water and lots of it is needed ASAP.

sorry i didnt mean instead of water changes, I was a little too wordy there. Im wondering if i should add some in addition to a water change. Ive been changing 30% every three days since i added fish.

I just did a 30% water change and nitrites are still 5.0

Im doing another, now. i'll be monitoring the ph levels as well. I read that too large or too many water changes can cause ph to change quickly. Is that the case? my tap water ph is 7.6.
 
I'm amazed those fish are still alive if the nitrites are off the chart. 30% needs to be increased and stress Zyme only slightly helps in cycling. It says it contains the live bacteria to help but it's all dead due to sitting on store shelves. After many years of being a loyal API customer for chemicals I recently switched to all seachem and couldn't be happier. Look into seachem stability, not only is it a little better than stress Zyme but it treats so much more water.

For now just do a water change every other day and when tests indicate the need.

Ditto:agree:

I was using Tetra products (Ugh I know), and them I switched to Seachem Prime.

I also use Seachem Stability and it definitely aided in speeding up the cycle for me and kept it safe for the Fish.
Most of the SeaChem products are great I use Matrix and Purgen.

And no I don't work there or own interest in the company. Just some great products.
 
I have a 29 gallon. From the same brand. After a few month I bought me a aqua clear filter. I had bad water quality. Because of the filter. That came with the kit. I advice get a better filter.
 
Crawdaddy said:
Have you tested your tap water to see if there are any nitrites or ammonia there?

My limited experience has proven that the filters that come with those "deluxe" setups are lacking. I lost half of my little buddies due to the included filter. My 37gal that I'm building now won't get filled until I have the proper filter. I'll probably go with another Fluval 306, since it seemed to help wit a lot of the issues I had with my 55gal.
 
I have a 29 gallon. From the same brand. After a few month I bought me a aqua clear filter. I had bad water quality. Because of the filter. That came with the kit. I advice get a better filter.

thats a fantastic idea, actually i bought the stand and tank seperately and the woman threw in a 30-60 whisper that had two cartridges. But when i turned it on it made a terrible noise and wouldnt pull up any water.
 
I'm amazed those fish are still alive if the nitrites are off the chart. 30% needs to be increased and stress Zyme only slightly helps in cycling. It says it contains the live bacteria to help but it's all dead due to sitting on store shelves. After many years of being a loyal API customer for chemicals I recently switched to all seachem and couldn't be happier. Look into seachem stability, not only is it a little better than stress Zyme but it treats so much more water.

For now just do a water change every other day and when tests indicate the need.

thats a good to know. i will look into seachem. Im doing another water change now.

Nitrites are 2.0ppm
Nitrate 10ppm

PH has dropped to 7.4 so i bought some API Proper pH 8.2. the directions say its best to mix in a separate container then add. Also i heard adjusting the ph too rapidly can shock the fish. should i be worried about that?

thanks all for all the help
 
A ph swing like that can cause some issues. A very safe way to slowly adjust ph is by using a buffer like crushed coral mixed in with your substrate or even in your filter. Another way is by adding some rocks that are higher than neutral (basic). You may need to test your alkalinity to see whether or not the tap water is capable of maintaining a higher ph. If not then you will need to get a buffer like Malawi buffer or like I prefer h2oaquatics cichlid salt.
 
Malawi Freak said:
A ph swing like that can cause some issues. A very safe way to slowly adjust ph is by using a buffer like crushed coral mixed in with your substrate or even in your filter. Another way is by adding some rocks that are higher than neutral (basic). You may need to test your alkalinity to see whether or not the tap water is capable of maintaining a higher ph. If not then you will need to get a buffer like Malawi buffer or like I prefer h2oaquatics cichlid salt.

I'm working till 10 and we don't sell cruched coral. I think I can find it at a locally owned store tomorrow. Do you know of any rocks that raise ph off hand? I hear limestone. I'm going to drop by home depot on my break and see what they have.

Also, how can I test if the tap wayter is capable? I was thinking to let some sit in a bucket with salt or coral but that's just a guess.
 
I called a local store that carries crushed coral. They're out until Tuesday though. They didn't sell limestone but he suggested paradise rock. He said its white and will help raise ph. I tried to look it up but couldn't find any info at all. anyone ever heard of it? He says its cheap, like $3 per lb. Ill try testing them with vinegar to be sure they will help.
 
$3/lb can get a little pricey since rocks aren't that light.

To test your tap water put some in a clean glass bowl for a couple hours then test it. In order to find out the alkalinity you will need a kh/gh test kit. It's a pain to do but is really good to know what you're working with. The test requires to go a drop at a time and shake after each time and when the solution changes color that's the parameter. Sucks when you're dealing with hard water to begin with like me and are putting like 10-15 drops in.
 
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