High nitrite levels

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.

naitch1980

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
17
What can I use to bring them down?
My only option at present is a water change, which i don't want to do for obvious reasons.
I can't understand why my nitrite levels are so high with my ammonia levels being practically non existant.
Bear in mind, I'm in the UK so I can only really have a look at getting something available in the UK.
Oh yes and I don't yet have an external filter, still using an internal one!
 
If you have fish you MUST do water changes. There aren't many bacteria in the water (they are mostly in the filter and substrate) so while your cycle will slow down a little it won't slow down that much. Water changes are the only real solution. Keep watching your parameters and if they get to 0.5ppm do another large (50%) water change
 
joannde said:
If you have fish you MUST do water changes. There aren't many bacteria in the water (they are mostly in the filter and substrate) so while your cycle will slow down a little it won't slow down that much. Water changes are the only real solution. Keep watching your parameters and if they get to 0.5ppm do another large (50%) water change

That's what I thought, but I have had so many "experts" telling me that I want to limit the water changes as much as possible.
I really do think I'll have to invest in an external filter though!

Thanks for your help!
 
If you want your fish to live, change the water. You only have so many bacteria grown and they process a given amount, changing water really doesn't matter since they can't process all the nitrite anyway. They will keep multipling and will catch up one day. I would thing you have 2 maybe 3 weeks to go. The end is in sight.
 
Am I supposed to know what is going on? Are you cycling, or this an established tank? Do you have fish in it? Plants? Have you tested the water that comes out of the faucet itself before you put it in the tank?
 
Tank is about 5 weeks on. 4 decent sized plants, along with plastics to pad it out a little. Tap water is tested and is fine.
 
Water changes and perhaps adding something like Stability from Seachem. That and BIO-Spira are the only bacteria starters that I trust.
 
Back
Top Bottom