SUPER high nitrItes. Water changes not doing anything...help!!

[RobScoots]

Hello all, this is my first post here, so hello!

So I've started my first freshwater aquarium. 24 gallon cube. I set it up almost a month ago and put a few plants in it - some java fern, anubius, foxtail, and a red plant (can't remember the name).

I ran it for about a week with just the plants, then I started adding Dr Tim's pure ammonia about two weeks ago, following the instructions on the bottle. The whole time I was testing with API Master test kit and I could see the nitrogen cycle playing out as expected. First ammonia spike, then nitrite, and the nitrates started to appear.

By last Saturday (about 5 days ago) my nitrItes were still a little high, but everything seemed to be working so I went to the fish store and picked up 6 Zebra Danios. I asked the lady if she thought this was too many to start, and she said as long as I test and do water changes as needed I'd be all good. (And yes, I know I should have waited longer on the fishless cycle, but I was excited!)

So the Danios are in their new home, and seem well enough. No sickly behavior, just a little irritable - chasing each other a lot.

I've been testing and my nitrItes keep coming up super high. EVERY DAY I've been doing minimum 50% water changes, and still they come up off the chart on the API kit. I've been overdosing on Prime to protect the fish, and again, they seem well enough.

Yesterday I finally decided to try and take this further. I did a 50% water change. Still high. I did ANOTHER 50% water change, and the test after looked IDENTICAL to the first. I held them side by side and they were literally the same color.

As a double check I tested tap water - no nitrites. And I tried a test strip and it also gave a high reading.

It seems that my water changes aren't doing anything at all...which seems scientifically impossible. I'm really frustrated. Any thoughts...?

 

[Laser]

Personally I would do a 90 to 100% water change and see if the nitrite test comes out lower. The danios can handle it, in fact I think they will handle that better than being in high nitrite water. If the nitrite test still comes out high after that then there is something wrong with the test reagent or you're doing it wrong, although the nitrite test is pretty simple so I doubt that you are doing it wrong.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Rob...

The Zebra Danios are very hardy and provided you test the tank water daily and change 25 percent when your test shows a trace of ammonia or nitrite, your fish will be fine. You're simply cycling the tank with fish. Their waste is the ammonia source you need. Actually, the fish in approach works well, because you have a steady source of ammonia.

Just test every day for ammonia and nitrite. Change a quarter of the water when you have a test that shows a trace of either of these forms of nitrogen. Add a bit of standard aquarium salt to the new water. About a teaspoon in every 5 gallons of new water. This will help the fish. Stems of Hornwort or Anacharis dropped into the tank will help maintain a bit more stable water properties.

When several daily tests show no traces of ammonia or nitrite, the tank is cycled. From then on, you have to change half the tank water every week.

B

 

[trennamw]

In the midst of my cycle I got a bottle of distilled water and in my test tube I put .5 ml tank water and 4.5 ml distilled water. This got the test into a readable zone and I'd just multiply the results by 10 to know my true levels.

Those upper ends of the tests are hard to read.

 

[RobScoots]

Thanks guys! I was freaking out that the fish wouldn't make it...but actually they seem way more settled today for some reason.

I did a 50% change today, and I did notice a slight drop, although they're still too high... I'm going to do another 50% tomorrow, and so on until the cycle is able to catch up!

 

[ivan2020]

Do not do a 100 % water changer just change do 50 at the most you could try to add bacteria to ur tank that may help it takes about 6 weeks to cycle you tank honestly zebra danios should be ok in the tank you can try to cut down on the food and you should've waited till your tank was completely cycled before adding plant