High nitrites

[Vinnykh]

I have been cycling for 2 weeks now with zebra danios.
The fish seen fine, my test with API master kit are Ammonia 0 (same for 4days) nitrates 20ppm (dramatically dropped from 80) but nitrites are 2.0ppm. I really want them zero so I can get fish. How can I get the nitrites to zero?


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[BBradbury]

Cycling a Tank w/ Fish

I have been cycling for 2 weeks now with zebra danios.
The fish seen fine, my test with API master kit are Ammonia 0 (same for 4days) nitrates 20ppm (dramatically dropped from 80) but nitrites are 2.0ppm. I really want them zero so I can get fish. How can I get the nitrites to zero?


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Hello Vinn...

You should be testing the tank water daily for ammonia and nitrite. When you have a positive test for either, you should be changing out 25 percent of the tank water and replace that with pure, treated tap water.

Your Danios will be fine as long you test the water every day and remove one-quarter of the water when you have a positive test. It's that simple.

When several daily tests show no traces of the above forms of nitrogen, the tank is cycled. You can add a few more small fish and resume the testing procedure. Do this until the tank is fully stocked.

B

 

[Vinnykh]

So daily WC and that's it.


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[PB_Smith]

are you sure you aren't confusing nitrite with nitrate?

The progression of numbers suggests it was nitrite that was 80 and dropped to 20, as nitrate is not broken down that fast at all.
If anything you should see ammonia peak and drop first, than nitrite and nitrate will steadily rise and is handled through plants and pwc's

If that is the case, then it sounds like your tank is almost finished cycling, if not than .

To alleviate stress on the fish you should do the PWC's as suggested above, but that does not mean that you are free to add more fish just by doing pwc's at this point until the test are consistently good as Bb mentioned.

 

[Vinnykh]

Nope defo nitrates dropped 80-20 and nitrites 2.0


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[PB_Smith]

Nope defo nitrates dropped 80-20 and nitrites 2.0


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that's odd...

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Tank Cycling

So daily WC and that's it.


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Hello again Vinn...

You test the water daily. If your test shows a trace of either ammonia or nitrite, then remove and replace 25 percent of the water in the tank and replace it with pure, treated tap water. If a day's test shows no traces of either forms of nitrogen, there's no need for a water change.

B

 

[Vinnykh]

Cheers. I did a 25% earlier and just tested. The nitrites now down from 2.0 to 0.5 in 24 hours.
Everything else on zero.
I was going to get aquarium salt to reduce the nitrites to zero


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[Jmunroe]

Nitrates won't drop unless you have a lot of plants in the tank or water changes. It just can't possibly happen. Are you shaking the heck out of bottle #2 of the nitrate test before doing it? This bottle is notorious for the particles settling out and it giving a false low reading. Shake it for 2 mins and bang it on the table for a bit or your leg or something.

 

[Vinnykh]

I have 6 plants. I did a 30% WC yesterday and tested today with the API master kit. It has dropped from 0.5 although not sure if zero. The colour chart is blue for zero and light purple for 0.25. It was kind of a slightly darker blue but not purple. I will do a WC today and test again tommorow


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[Jmunroe]

I have 6 plants. I did a 30% WC yesterday and tested today with the API master kit. It has dropped from 0.5 although not sure if zero. The colour chart is blue for zero and light purple for 0.25. It was kind of a slightly darker blue but not purple. I will do a WC today and test again tommorow


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I was referring to your nitrates dropping from 80 to 20 not your nitrites.

 

[Vinnykh]

Nitrates have been zero 3 times in a row


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