Nitrite rising?

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Musket

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Feb 18, 2006
Messages
572
okay, this tank is over 2 yrs old. I moved it, cleaned the undergravel filter out, didn't touch the rocks, added a bunch of new plants, used the old filter, added bio-spira yesterday After a water change.... today I have a nitrite rise. It's been set up a few weeks (4-5) this way, has had a male betta for 3 weeks and 5 small cherry barbs for a week and snails, lots of baby brig snails. Everyone is fine. I added my cherry shrimp yesterday and 4 days ago changed to a sponge filter as the other kept floating....
What could have happened? Am I mini cycling? Why? Because I changed the filter? That is why I added bio-spira just in case.
I did another water change 50% today... I just did one yesterday.
I do not know what the reading was, I had it done at the pet store so I could return a dead fish... All he said was everything was fine but my nitrites.
What where when how???
 
sounds liek your mini cycling, prolly since you tore the tank down, alot of the bacteria has died if the filter wasn't kept wet in tank water, keep up on your water changed daily until it drops, do a huge 50% water changes and do 25% changes daily after that and monitor your levels till they fall
 
Thanks tropicfishman
I did keep the filter wet, as I tore it down and reset it up within an hour. But I did take it out a week ago because it wouldn't stay on the bottom. Every few days it would be floating. Since I knew I was getting shrimp, I changed it to a sponge filter. Figured since it was set up with all the old gravel and decor it would be alright to swap the filter... Guess I should have tried to seed it first.

Think it would help the mini-cycle if I took an existing hob filter and plopped it on there? I have a new filter on another tank and was using the old one with it to help the fiter cycle. I think I can take that old filter off now. If I can find a plug maybe I can hook it up ion this tank for a little while..... Or is that going to cause my other tank to mini-cyle ecause the extra filtration is gone?
 
how long has the filter been on the other tank? I only ran mine togehter for about aweek to let it get seeded, if its been longer than that, you should be fine to use it
 
Oh yeah, this filter has been running for months. I put the new bigger filter to seed on the 46g tank for a week, now both are running on the 10g for a little over a week. But it is sooo clear.... I hate to take the little original filter away.
So anyway, I did a 50% water change as stated above earlier last night, after that water change my cherry barbs are swimming in twisting circles. 2 died, 2 are missing - like they evaporated or something and 1 is still alive.
I did another 50% water change this evening and found one cherry barb alive 1 cherry shrimp alive and very red (only had them for 2 days now and they were clear when I got them). So I do not know WHAT is going on with this tank.

The sponge filter I substitued with the floating filter was not seeded at all. I thought it would be okay since all the rock and gravel and plants. I guess I was wrong.. Or perhaps the 2 days ago adding the cherry shrimp had something. or because the store was out of start right and I got something else... Tetra Aqua's Aquasafe. recommended by the fish clerk as what she uses and that it has aloe in it and is good for the fish.. I wonder if using too much is harmful.. I know that using too much start right is not harmful since I have been doing it for years.

how could I be having a nitrite problem and all my baby brig snails and a baby cherry shrimp still be alive? Are these 50% water changes too stressful the the remaining cherry barb and male betta? Should I pick up some bio-spira again or just let it run and change the water every 3 days for a week? It only takes about 7mins but still a pain to do daily. Oh, and my plants are suddenly looking not so happy.... You know... I did add ferts.. is it possible that a touch too much flourish plant food would do this????

The new things that happened. 1 week ago added new non-seeded sponge filter inplace of old floating corner filter. *still have UGF running)*

3 days ago added new plants, water lily and java fern
2 days ago 50 % water change with old conditioner, added 6 baby cherry shrimp and riccia.
12 hours later added flourish plant ferts.
1 day ago was told nitrites high, did 50% water change with new conditioner, hours later cherry barbs started swirling. 2 died, 3 disappeared, 1 lives. baby brigs and ramshorn snails seem fine, betta seems fine, the 1 shrimp I saw seemed fine.
 
I'm sure you know this,but you really need you own master test kit.

Pet stores use test strips to test water so there in no telling how accurate that test was itself (did they say how high?).

Were the barbs quarantined?If not you may be having a problem with sick new fish and not a problem with your tank.
The new water can't hurt though.

IMO just changing the filter out should not have caused a cycle at all.I've done it my self on my 29,from old to brand new,with out the slightest hiccup in water quality.

Just a thought or two I had while pondering your situation..not sure at all if it will help...figured I post it anyway.
 
Thanks SCFatz. I didn't think the new filter would bother the tank either, or I would have tried to run both for awhile.... The cherry barbs went right into this tank and were all fine until I did that one water change with teh new conditioner. Obviously I ran right out and picked up some more start right.
The remaining cherry barbs now hides under the filter sponge along with one shrimp I noticed not too long ago. She has not come out to swim around like she used to, or even sit out in the open which she did when the others were sick. I'll add some melafix and pimafix since I did a water change last night. I think maybe she is hiding because she is a schooling fish and has noone to hangout with?? Or she is afraid of the alien fish snatchers.
 
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