Whats happened?? Nitrite and Nitrate Went Way Up!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

new tank

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
55
Location
essex
My tanks levels where great 4 days ago but checked again last night and nitrite and nitrate had sky rocketed.
I did a 50% water change straight away and have this morning just checked and Nitrite = 0.8
Nitrate =20
What could be causing this?
I was planning on getting more stock today but doubt that now.
6 barbs seem fine in there still though..

Ideas n tips please?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Answer these Qs to ensure we have as much information as possible about your ailing fish and its environment:





1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).


2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.


3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?


4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known. 5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes? 6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time? 7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them? 8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.? 9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
 
Fish fish fish ??

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
3 Green and 3 albino barbs which are an inch in size and have no problems but tank parameters are ammonia 0
nitrites 0.8
Nitrates 20
Ph 8
Temp 27 degrees.
180 litre tank and almost a month with fish in for a week.
Filter is juwel vision 3.0
50% water change yesterday as parameters where much higher. Feeding them fluval veg sinking pellets

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Nitrate at 20 should be ok generally ( not sure about Barbs specifically). So wondering what filter & bio media do you have in your filter , what's the rate (gallons per hr), if it s a planted tank & how much/how often do you feed?
 
Ok thats a relief then. Just using the juwel spounges and cirax media from pet shop which is what the juwel site specified although i dont no its change rate as its all second hand. Its not a planted tank either.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
What is a good way to reduce nitrite fast?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Best way is a 50% water change. So then, more questions ... Do you have well water or city water? If it s city water, do you use Prime? Also , have you tested the water?
 
Mentioned plants because they can use up nitrate.
I suspect you re either feeding too much, your cycle hasn t completed or maybe it s the water from your tap?
 
+1 on the 50% water changes although the amount / type of filter media / type of filter isn't really necessary to know due to the small bio load on the tank.

With there being nitrite readings the tank definitely isn't quite done with the cycle yet. Did you do a fishless cycle before you added fish? Have you changed the filter cartridge since the tank got set up?
 
Thanks for backing me up on the WC, Mebbid. Not sure why you dissed me on the filter?!?!. Wanted to make sure he wasn t just running with the charcoal embedded filter pad only. I m just trying to help. I don t know a lot & usually hope other, more experienced people jump in.
 
Thanks for backing me up on the WC, Mebbid. Not sure why you dissed me on the filter?!?!. Wanted to make sure he wasn t just running with the charcoal embedded filter pad only. I m just trying to help. I don t know a lot & usually hope other, more experienced people jump in.

I'm not dissing at all as it's a good question to ask. However the issue with ammonia and nitrite is rarely a problem with lack of room for BB in a filter. Some people with mature tanks (6 months +) can have no issues with parameters even when they change the filter pads monthly. However the minute those people change out their substrate their entire tank will crash. The BB will grow everywhere.
 
Advice is always appreciated guys no matter what as its all new to me this. I think it could well be to do with over feeding them as the tank did seem to have cycled to the point where parameters where all good but wasnt sure if it can reverse or something..

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Feeding less & water changes & time should straighten it all out. Best of luck:)
 
Back
Top Bottom