Advice needed

[lixx]

Hi all. I set up my first tank and due to my over exhuberance I may have gotten a little ahead of myself. It's a 21g tank. I had it run for a week before any plants or fish were added. I added plants 2 days before the fish. The fish have now been in there since Saturday (21st). I am concerned about the nitrite levels. They are rising and are up to 1.6 tonight. I do not have a nitrate test kit, which I have been recently been advised to pick up, so I will do so tomorrow after work. I was wondering, other then small water changes (which have been suggested to me) is there any way to get the nitrite back under control? I know this is my fault as I went in with alot of fish in a new tank, but I don't want them to suffer for my mistake. (I have 5 Leopard Danios, 3 Clown Loaches, 2 Pearl Danios & 1 Common Pleca). Any suggestions welcome. I realise this will take time to settle, but I don't want it to get too high that the fish start to become toxified.

Thanks in advance!!

[QuietDusk]

I've heard that adding salt to the water helps keep the fish from being poisoned by the nitrite, but I'm not sure what amount to add. Maybe someone else can post that??

[LittlePuff]

I don't think the clown loaches would appreciate the salt. Your tank is way too small for clown loaches and a pleco. They will get huge! Other than that, I would add some Prime by Seachem and keep up the water changes. You should be able to determine where you are in your cycle with the nitrite test. When the numbers will start falling. When they get down to zero, you're done! Hope this all helps!

Kim

[kmlong]

Do you have ammonia readings? Its strange that you have nitrite reading so high after only a week of setup. You didn't mean nitrates instead did you? Are the plants real? I would say test your ammonia. If you have ammonia readings I would question the nitrite test kit because with nitrite readings at 1.6 your ammonia would not be present or there would be very little of it. With that many fish in the tank in a week after setup im pretty sure you should have ammonia till the tank cycles and you cant get nitrite till bacteria grows to eat the ammonia which is where the nitrite comes from. I don't know if anything else can make nitrite, someone else will have to help out on that one. Was all the stuff you put in brand new and not from another tank? Maybe there is some kind of toxin from the plants that is giving you nitrite readings. Other than that i just don't think its possible for an unestablished tank to cycle that fast to get those nitrite readings other than some kind of toxin in your tank from either your water or decor. I have heard as well to add salt to keep your nitrite down but don't know how much. I guess just follow the amounts for the total gallons you have. Water changes as often as needed to get that nitrite down would be the best. If you don't have ammonia readings or they are very low like .50 or below then maybe your tank really is cycling that fast in which case this is normal to have those nitrite readings and after time they will go down. No one can really say how long it takes because every tank is different in terms of cycling. When the nitrite goes down you will see a spike in your nitrate and then when that phase is done you will have just normal nitrate readings like 40 or below. For future plans in case you ever get more than one aquarium put everything you want in your tank all at once. This is where a good portion of your beneficial bacteria will grow on to. Also, I would not add anymore fish till your tank cycles, you don't want to make the situation any worse. I hope this helps and did not confuse you more.

[QuietDusk]

Actually, kmlong. I had the same thing with the nitrites in the tank that I'm cycling now. I had a couple pieces of driftwood in there for 3 days b4 adding 6 neon tetras, 6 rosy barbs, and 6 zebra danios. The first and second days, I only tested for ammonia (0). The third day I tested for nitrites and they were already at .5ppm. Now, s week and a half into my cycle I'm already well into my nitrite spike.
I thought it was odd, too

[aquahungerforce]

dont put salt in your tank while its cycling, it will halt the nitrifying bacteria and put you in a never ending mid-cycle. just do chronic water changes for your fish. I found amquel to help my fish during my tanks cycle if your nitrites are sky high, mine were as high as 5ppm. It will bring it down about 20-30%, and it didn;t halt my cycle.
Also high water agitation will help speed your cycle through and help with toxicity.

[lixx]

Thank you all for your replies!! My amonia test does show zero (reads clear).

Your tank is way too small for clown loaches and a pleco. They will get huge!

Don't worry, I know that, and do not expect them to live their enitre life in this tank. I was told they would be okay in there for atleast a year, maybe 2. I plan on moving them to a much larger tank once they grow.

Was all the stuff you put in brand new and not from another tank?

Yes, it was all new. I bought the plants at the same place I got the fish. The salesperson said they might affect the amonia levels, but did not mention anything about the nitrite.

For future plans in case you ever get more than one aquarium put everything you want in your tank all at once. This is where a good portion of your beneficial bacteria will grow on to. Also, I would not add anymore fish till your tank cycles, you don't want to make the situation any worse. I hope this helps and did not confuse you more.

Makes sense. And no, you did not confuse me more!. I won't be adding any more fish to this tank. I am happy with the level and activity of fish that are in it. I may get other tanks later though, once I make sure I know what I'm doing with this one!!

I will also keep up on the water changes.

Thanks again everyone!!

[kmlong]

can anyone tell me, does water type (soft or hard) affect how fast your tank cycles. Does some water already have beneficial bacteria in it that would boost the cycle start so fast?