NITRITES have shown up now

[BHBowhunter]

amonia was high i got it down to zero, i got a new pleco so i only have 2 fish in my 55 ga. nitrites are at 0.25 pm is that ok ? should i wait it out or do something abot it??

 

[TankGirl]

Sounds like you are in the middle of a cycle. When you grow the bacteria that consumes ammonia, giving you zero ammonia readings, their waste product is nitrites. This is probably where you are now, based on what you posted. You need to control these levels with small frequent water changes until you start reading nitrates, which are the by-product of the bacteria that consumes nitrites, giving you a zero nitrite reading. You just need to grow one more batch of bacteria and you are done! As long as you have fish in there supplying the ammonia that feeds the bacteria, you should get there.

 

[BHBowhunter]

how do i measure nitrates?

i have a kit with all the tests in it from american pharma i think, there is no nirate test bottle. should i buy one or just wait it out?

 

[TankGirl]

I personally find nitrAte testing to be my most-used test on a cycled tank. You need to be monitoring this level in order to determine a beneficial water change schedule. You want to keep them under 40ppm for most fish, some more sensitive ones prefer less. This is the waste product that you do your water changes to remove, because the ammonia and nitrItes are consumed by the biofilter. In a cycled tank there should be no ammonia or nitrites, so you basically do those tests infrequently or if there is any problem with your water or your fish. I do the nitrAte testing several times a week. I guess I just took 100 words to tell you yes, get a test!