Nitrites Aggravating

[DjBootleg]

My nitrites are 1-2 ppm... My Cichlids are doing the itching" stuff on the sand and decor etc. to be honest I really don't thing I'm over feeding them. I have 11 Africans, 2 Rainbow sharks and 30 Tiger Barbs give or take.. I put a lot of food in when I feed Em (once daily) but it all gets devoured lol.

Been doing PWC but still no luck. Is it safe to not feed Em for a day or two? Or will that get Em angry and harm each other....

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Is this a 55g tank? It sounds awfully over stocked. That would be a cause for the high nitrites. To bring them down do multiple large water changes. 1-2ppm of nitrite is toxic.
Fish don't need to eat every day. Many can go weeks without food (not that it's advisable). I only feed my fish 3-4 times a week.

How old is the tank? Have you changes anything like filter media? Added any new fish?

 

[DjBootleg]

Over stocked? The barbs are only an inch each. The biggest cichlid is only 3 inches?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Yes. Just the 11 Africans (depending what they are exactly) and one rainbow shark could completely stock a 55. 30 tiger barbs on their own are stocked or even over stocked in a 55g IMHO. Multiple rainbow sharks shouldn't be kept in the same tank due to aggression/territorial disputes.

The large amounts of fish is contributing to the excess in nitrite. How long has the tank been set up like this? Any changes like media, substrate, etc?

 

[DjBootleg]

Yes. Just the 11 Africans (depending what they are exactly) and one rainbow shark could completely stock a 55. 30 tiger barbs on their own are stocked or even over stocked in a 55g IMHO. Multiple rainbow sharks shouldn't be kept in the same tank due to aggression/territorial disputes.

The large amounts of fish is contributing to the excess in nitrite. How long has the tank been set up like this? Any changes like media, substrate, etc?

All together about 6 months. Recently swapped out the substrate.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Swapping out the substrate could have thrown the tank into a cycle. You will need to wait it out and change as much water as it takes to keep ammonia and nitrite down to .25ppm. This will take a lot of work with as many fish as you have.

I'd suggest you take a look at your stock and decide what fish you would like to keep. I'm guessing you bought young fish (most LFS sell these) and that's why they have gotten along thus far. Once they reach maturity there will be aggression, injuries and deaths. If you start an ID thread in the cichlid section then you will know exactly what Africans you are dealing with and what suits your tank size.

 

[phin]

dose with Prime to detoxify nitrite in an emergency.

 

[DjBootleg]

Nitrites are gone now. Or t least to a very low level. Just did water changes. Also I believe replacing the substrate damaged the BB.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Glad to hear you have it under control.

 

[Crawdaddy]

Nitrites are gone now. Or t least to a very low level. Just did water changes. Also I believe replacing the substrate damaged the BB.

It shouldn't have. Yes there is some BB in the substrate, but the majority is in your filter. There might be a mini cycle, but nothing to worry about.