which is more toxic?

[DepotFish]

Ammonia or Nitrites?
My 55 gallon is cycling with some of my pond fish and not a single one died during the ammonia phase. Now the nitrites have spiked and half the golds are dead. Over the winter all 8 golds lived in a 20 gallon tub and all survived. The temp was 40F and they only got a half water change every 2-3 weeks and no food. I figured a 55 gallon cycle wouldn't kill them, especially since I'm using a small filter from a trop tank to seed the new filter- nope, didn't happen how I planned.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

From what I understand Ammonia causes a burning of the gills which eventually leads to death. Nitrites is a straight up poison. The Ammonia burns did not help the Nitrite poisoning and probably contributed to their death.

 

[severum mama]

So sorry about the loss of your goldies.

I've always been told that nitrite is more toxic than ammonia. I totally agree with FF about that being the probable cause of their deaths.

 

[Algenco]

I alway heard fish suffer and die from the "effects"of ammonia.

Nitrite just kills them

 

[DepotFish]

Ok, that's what I figured, amonia was just slower. They didn't have any ammonia burns though, not even the slightest hint of black on their fins when they went from the hibernation tank to the new water. I did a 100% change today and added salt. The nitrite stage is always the longest with our water. I've yet to test positive for nitrates. The tanks get past the ammonia stage and go to 0, then past the nitrite stage and go to 0 nitrites, but I've never had any testable level of nitrates and my oldest tank is over 10 years.

 

[jsoong]

Nitrites can be more deadly.

At low pH, ammonia is in NH4 form, which is not too toxic. (At pH of 7 or less, you can have a safe ammonia level of 7 ppm+, the level drops quickely as the pH rises.) NO2, however, causes problems at 0.5 ppm.

NO2 inhibits O2 uptake, and since goldies need higher O2 level than tropicals, they might be more sensitive to NO2 effects as well.

 

[tropicfishman]

IMO opinion both is about equal, either way your fish suffer and die, but if I ahd to choose which is deadliest, hands down its the ammonia, I've seen firsthand the devistation the rapid growing amounts of ammoia can cuase...

 

[DepotFish]

Nitrites are down to .25 today.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

That's good. I think Algenco had it straight to the point.

I alway heard fish suffer and die from the "effects"of ammonia.

Nitrite just kills them