After testing the waters I'm finally seeing nitrates and nitrites. So now everything is in the normal range except Nitrites. It's at about 5.0. Is PWC's the answer to fix this? Sorry, new to all this water cycling stuff.
Question about Nitrites
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wenluvsu
Aquarium Advice Newbie
It may just take time. There is a bacteria that breaks down the nitrites into nitrates. You may just need to let the bacteria colony grow and your problem will solve itself. It can often take several months for a tank to fully cycle. Here's a link to the process if you weren't already aware. Hope this helps.
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle
neilanh
Sliced Bread
If you have fish in the tank you definately want to do a PWC to get the level down. If you're fishless cycling, leave it be and let the cycle run it's course.
I'm going to move this to FW - Getting started. You'll get more help from there on this subject since it's not specific to cichlids.
I'm going to move this to FW - Getting started. You'll get more help from there on this subject since it's not specific to cichlids.
Coleallensmom
Planted Tank Enthusiast
Your cycle is progressing if you are seeing NitrItes and NitrAtes. I am assuming the tank in question is your 55 gal with the cichlids? Ideally you should aim at keeping your Ammonia and NitrIte at or below .25ppm when cycling with fish. The only good way to do that is with daily partial water changes. 5ppm Nitrite is a dangerously high number...You need to do a water change immediately to get that number lower. (You might try a 50% water change to start.)
Coleallensmom
Planted Tank Enthusiast
What sort of product are we talking about? I wouldn't recommend adding just anything to your water. Some of those products like AmmoniaClear, etc. can actually stall your cycle. Prime or Amquel (water conditioners) are just fine to use however.
warthog76za
Aquarium Advice Freak
Yeah the PWC are a great help....every now and then my tank shows a nitrite reading and I do an immediate water change. (which keeps everything in check)
Exactly, the ammoniaclear. Yeah researching more I'll be staying away from that stuff as much as I need to. I'm still doing PWC's every couple of days but my nitrites are still high. Any other recommendations or just continue PWC's until It lowers?
Does your aquarium have fish in it? I don't see if you mentioned it or not 
I am guessing no? After you do a water change do you test the nitrites? are they still at 5?
I find sometimes after dosing the ammonia in a fishless cycle, the nitrites can build to massive levels, too much for the nitrite bacteria to easy take care of stalling the cycle and it keeps on building up the nitrites, this is where a water change helps in my opinion, if your doing a water change and the nitrite is still off the chart high, this could be your case, how much of a water change have you been doing?
I am guessing no? After you do a water change do you test the nitrites? are they still at 5?I find sometimes after dosing the ammonia in a fishless cycle, the nitrites can build to massive levels, too much for the nitrite bacteria to easy take care of stalling the cycle and it keeps on building up the nitrites, this is where a water change helps in my opinion, if your doing a water change and the nitrite is still off the chart high, this could be your case, how much of a water change have you been doing?
Coleallensmom
Planted Tank Enthusiast
Do not use the ammonia clear. Products like that can really hurt the progress of your cycle. Keep testing, keep doing daily PWCs. Ideally you should be trying to keep your Ammonia and NitrIte at or below .25ppm when cycling with fish and PWCs are the only good way to do that. If your Nitrites are super high, you may even have to do more than one PWC a day to get them lower. If you're doing the daily PWCs and are still worried, use Prime or Amquel as your water conditioner during your water changes. They both help detoxify ammonia and nitrites so that they aren't as harmful to your fish while still leaving them available for the bacteria you are trying to cultivate.
yeah I have about 6 fish in there. Doing about 20% water changes.Does your aquarium have fish in it? I don't see if you mentioned it or not
I find sometimes after dosing the ammonia in a fishless cycle, the nitrites can build to massive levels, too much for the nitrite bacteria to easy take care of stalling the cycle and it keeps on building up the nitrites, this is where a water change helps in my opinion, if your doing a water change and the nitrite is still off the chart high, this could be your case, how much of a water change have you been doing?
Thanks, i'll give that a shot too
Tough fish! anyways do you test the nitrite after a water change, have you seen it dip below 5? It could be that its so far off the charts your cycle is stalled, although unlikely because 5 should be enough to kill in itself.
That level is high enough to kill?!?!?! Crazy, But yeah, once it spiked it hasn't dropped regardless of PWC's. The fish don't seem bothered or stressed. They seem to be thriving. Swimming around, attacking each other, hungry as ****.
Yeah thats what I find strange, nitrite starts becoming toxic at .1ppm although most would tolerate that level fine, but 5, you should be seeing them dropping in my opinion, they should at the very least be showing signs of discomfort, they are not gulping for air? or exibiting strange behavoir at all? Is it possible your test results are flawed, what test kit are you using? What type of fish are they? some are hardier than others, but I just cannot see how the results are accurate by the way your describe the fish behavoir.
I can't remember the first brand of strips i was using. i just finished those and bought a API brand with same results. I have 2 assorted africans, a jewel and a blue johanni with the female yellow one.
is the API brand you purchased still in strip form? strips are known for being inacurate, but not that inacurate I would think, very strange. Is it possible to perhaps get a liquid test to be sure? They are much more reliable, or perhaps take a water sample to a nearby pet store?
You could also try a 50% water change to see if you get the nitrite level to drop.
You could also try a 50% water change to see if you get the nitrite level to drop.
Yeah, I think i'll try a 50% water change. Will report on any changes. Hopefully good changes
Coleallensmom
Planted Tank Enthusiast
High enough to kill or at the very least, shorten the lives of your fish. Poor water quality can cause things like fin rot as well, so it's really something you need to get under control. As I mentioned before, with levels that high make sure you're doing daily PWCs. I too would recommend that you do 50% changes instead of the 20%.
If your tank is at 5.0ppm nitrite, and you do a 50% water change, the nitrite will drop to 2.5. If the test isn't showing that, the test is defective (unless the water you are adding is 5ppm nitrite, which is pretty unlikely). I agree that the solution is to change 50% or more day to keep the nitrite down. It won't hurt the cycle, and it won't hurt the fish (so long as you use a dechlorinator and the water you add is a similar temp to the water in the tank).
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