Noob with a nitrite problem - 55 gallon planted tank

[forOG]

Hey all,

I started a 55g planted FW tank about a month ago. I fully admit I was impatient so decided to do a fish-in planted cycle vs a fishless. I have four small (1") fancy goldfish and a small rubber lip pleco in there, along with a good amount of plants (2 java fern, 2 moneywort, 2 anacharis and an anubias). I started with just one fish for the first ten days then stocked the rest about 2 weeks ago. I naively was thinking that perhaps due to all the plants I was going to have a silent cycle. I was wrong.

I never got an ammonia spike (or it came and went in between biweekely testings) but yesterday tested and have a huge nitrite spike. It's hard to say with the test kit exactly where it is, definitely above 1.6mg/L, could even be 3+. I have been reading on here that everyone swears by the API Master Test Kit, I have a Tetra Laborett (not strips) but am thinking I will go get the API today just to check the readings on that too.

Yesterday I did a 25% PWC in the morning, and then retested at night, no change, and did another 50% PWC. This morning again, no change. This is what makes me think I am in the excess of 3 range as if it was 6 and now 3 it would still look the same on my test kit. I use Amquel Plus with the water changes and added a little extra in the hopes that it would detoxify the water a bit.

The fish are happy as pigs in sh*t which I am surprised by. I have held off on feeding them since this is all started as I was wondering if I have been overfeeding since the stocking. I had it straight with the one fish but I have a greedy oranda that steals what he can while my telescopes are trying to find their share. I feed them 3/4 of an algae wafter broken up between them all twice a day and a couple flakes as treats once a day (I got the ones that are supposed to create less waste).

In terms of filtration I have two HOB filters, an AquaClear 70 that has only been on there for two weeks, and a second not-so-great one (Tetra Whisper 60 I think) that has been on it since the get go.

My current parameters are: pH: 7.5, Ammonia - 0, Nitrites - in excess of 1.6, perhaps even higher. My test kit doesn't have Nitrates (another reason to go get the API).

What should I do? I was planning another couple large PWC's today and thinking about adding some aquarium salt. I am totally happy to keep doing this but am very very pregnant and will be in the hospital for a few days having my baby this week and I'm not sure my hubby will be as comfortable doing all this. Also I am concerned that my actions seem to have no impact. I want to make sure I am making a difference!

Any advice gratefully received, apologies for the perhaps obvious mistakes I have already made, but I am willing to learn!

 

[jlk]

Welcome to AA!!! Congrats on the baby!! You have two options here- either return the fish & do a fishless cycle or start schooling your husband ASAP on how to handle daily testing & water changes. You should be checking your parameters daily & doing water changes as needed to keep toxins in check. This may mean daily (or even multiple times a day) water changes. Ill post a link for you to read about fish-in cycling (your husband can read it, too!): I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

Unfortunately, I will advise you to return the pleco- plecos & fancies are not compatible & your going to have problems that are easily prevented. Second, you need to get these guys on a decent diet. Toss the flakes. Algae wafers are ok occasionally but they need to be getting daily, plain cooked veggies in addition to a quality sinking goldfish pellet (Hikari, Pro-Gold, NLS are some good ones). Adding some fresh protiens is a good idea too (bloodworms, brine shrimp, bits earthworm/soft bugs, human shrimp/salmon/tuna, etc). Please ask if you have any questions!!

 

[forOG]

Thanks for the quick response! I have been "training" hubby and I think he's up to the job. Luckily our tank is right by the front door and the hose is just outside so its actually fairly easy to do water changes. And the testing is simple enough. Tonight he gets to do one with me supervising so he should be a pro soon enough!

I did another 50% WC this morning and also threw in some aquarium salt for good measure. Will test again tonight and probably do another PWC.

Re: the pleco I am really surprised you advise against a rubber lip with fancies...I know that most plecos are not good with them but I did a lot of research and this seemed to be a good fit. I hate to come ask for advice and ignore it but I think I am going to see how they do for a little longer before I get rid of him, so far there have been no issues whatsoever...

I will get one of those diets you suggested, my LFS were the ones that sold me the diets I have, I trusted their judgement (another noob thing to do no doubt!). I was going to add the fresh proteins but I wanted to wait until the cycling was over just in case that would contribute to any ammonia/nitrite issues, do I not need to wait?

Sorry for more questions

I'll just keep plugging away with the testing and water changes and keep this post updated Thanks again!

 

[jlk]

Good job with the hubby! I fear mine would kill my fancies if I left them in his care.... lol Obviously, keeping the pleco is your decision. If you would like further opinions on this, I can direct you to some fancy sites for more advice. Rehoming him will also reduce your bioload which is pretty much at capacity with four fancies. It may not seem like it now, but these guys have the potential to grow QUITE large (larger than what most people believe). Just something to think about!

Your fine changing their diet now. Just feed them what they can eat in a few minutes & clean up any leftovers. Cooked, plain veggies can stay in the tank for 24hrs then remove & replace. Fancies do better with a few small meals spread out over the course of the day rather than one or two big meals- they are grazers & lack a 'true' stomach so multiple, small meals works better for their digestion. You may want to advise your husband to limit meals until your sure he can handle the water changes- they will be fine on a limited diet for a couple of days or even a week. Good luck & dont hesitate to ask questions!

 

[forOG]

Hubs did his testing and water change under strict supervision! He is a good student, no worries for him to keep this up while I am out of the house.

Frustratingly there is still no change in the parameters, I can't even imagine how high it must have been that the 6 50% PWC have made no impact whatsoever.

Tried to get the API test kit today, PetsMart only had the saltwater and reef ones. Might need to order from Amazon and just stick with the one I have for right now. For nothing other than curiosity I did a dipstick and it tells me I have no nitrites. Good thing I knew not to trust those at least!

jlk - can you send me a link to those diets? I had a look for them and saw there were a bunch and I wasn't sure if there was a particular one that was preferable...TIA!

 

[jlk]

They are brands of food- Hikari makes Saki & Lionhead sinking pellets (available online at amazon & few others), Pro-Gold is available strictly through The Goldfish Connection (check their site & store) and NLS goldfish pellets (New Life Spectrum- available online). A few lfs (not chain) may carry the Hikari or NLS brands of sinking goldfish pellets.

For plain, cooked veggies, pretty much anything is game as long as you avoid canned (too much salt), starches (corn, potatoes) & spicy (onions, hot peppers). Some veggies include broccoli florets, deshelled peas, spinach, kale, turnip greens, aspargus heads, carrots, peppers, zuchini, etcetc. Fruits are fine too as long as they are not fed daily (too much sugar) tangerine segments, oranges, berries, soft apple/pear, banana, etc. A garlic press is a handy tool to smoosh stuff into bite-sized bits. Bits of human food (shrimp, tuna, salmon, etc) are good too as well as bloodworms, brine shrimp, other soft bugs. Obviously, these items are not meant to be fed all at once- just suggestions for feeding to keep everyone healthy & happy. If you check out The GAB (goldfish & aquarium board) they have additional meal ideas as well as recipes for homemade gel food.

 

[forOG]

Good news this morning! Nitrites are down to 0.8mg/L so at last I feel like all the PWC's are making a difference!

Planning to keep up with them till we get down to zero. Ammonia is still 0, Nitrates are at 20, pH and temp stable despite all the changes.

Now for another question - once we are down to zero, how often do we keep up the daily testing for? I am aware that this doesn't mean we are fully cycled as clearly there have been interventions to get things to where they need to be...

 

[jlk]

Once your ammonia & nitrites are staying steadily at zero & your seeing increasing nitrates, your cycled. New tanks will have fluctuations, so its wise to keep testing daily for atleast 2wks after to make sure your numbers are staying steady. This will also give you an idea of how fast your nitrates are rising over the course of a week. You will then still need to do a big water change atleast once or twice a week to keep nitrates in check. You will then be able to scale back on testing to the day of water changes (or anytime something seems amiss with your fish). Eventually, you will be able to scale this back even further (or to what your comfortable with). I actually rarely test my tanks unless someone is in qt or im adding new fish but i also follow a hefty water change schedule.