How to get nitrite 2 and 3 down

[Oscar4life]

I have Oscar and they are really dirty fish my nitrites are high do I clean the gravel and all the decor in the tank and replace filters

 

[Gubernaculum86]

Do u mean nitrites no2 or nitrates no3? Did you cycle ur tank? If you have nitrites it means ur tank either didnt cycle or ur going through a mini cycle and u have to keep doing PWCs to keep ur nitrite down to a level that's not toxic to ur fish.
What kind of test kit do u have? Keep doing the PWCs until the ammonia and nitrites read 0 and u have some nitrates probably around 10-20. It could take some time, couple of weeks.
Don't throw ur filters away keep them in bc ull just throw away all ur good bacteria.

 

[Oscar4life]

I have the 5 in 1 testing strips. Both of them are high do I clean the gravel or wait for a week or two

 

[krap101]

Don't replace the filter, as this is the main area where bacteria grow. "cycling" is referring to the nitrogen cycle, where bacteria consume nitrItes and and ammonia and and end product is nitrAtes, where then it (ideally) would be consumed by plants, or would be removed with a water change.

First you should try getting a liquid kit, as strips are notorious for being inaccurate (and more expensive for that matter).

Walmart used to have this for around $15, but now it's 25$, but just to give you an idea
Walmart.com: Freshwater Master Test Kit: Fish

Thirdly, you want to keep ammonia and nitrItes under .5ppm, and nitrAtes under 40ppm. You'll have to do up to a few water changes a day to keep these levels, but your oscar will be better off.

Cleaning will involve removing up to 40% of the water, and vacuuming the uneaten food off the bottom.

Finally, if you live in the city (don't have a well) make sure you dechlorinate your water (either by outgassing or a dechlorinator), because this will kill off your beneficial bacteria.

 

[Oscar4life]

Ok thank you so I will get a better test kit how much water do I take out and do I change water every day tell its down

 

[krap101]

There are emergency changes, and maintenance changes. Once your tank cycles you can change 25-40% of the water once every week/couple of weeks, depending on load and whether your tank is planted. Test your water every couple hours, and ammonia/nitrItes are high (like 2) you need to change the water immediately. If it's at .75, you can wait it out, but it's all about striking a balance: saving your fish and speeding up the growth of the beneficial bacteria.

 

[Oscar4life]

It is a 72 gallon tank so do I take all the decor out and clean the gravel

 

[krap101]

How long has the tank been set up? If the oscar is the only one in the tank, it's possible that the strip test was just off. We need an "accurate" test before knowing how far you have to go.

 

[Oscar4life]

Ok I will get a better test I will go to the pet store and get it checked thanks I will get it done in the morning

 

[Oscar4life]

Ok I got the master kit it is really cool and fast so it told me my ph was 7.2 my ammonia is 0.0 my nitrites is really high both of them so I did a complete tank cleaning took every thing out of the tank plants deco so I will check every thing when I get off

 

[krap101]

Clean the decorations off, but they need to stay in the tank. It increases the surface area where your bacteria grows.

 

[Oscar4life]

Thats good then I cleaned them of in the tank I didn't take them out used tank water to rinse them of so did I do it right I hope because I really like my oscars they really cool and I don't want nothing to happen to them so will they be ok