Hey everyone, I have a 55 gallons fish tank that has been up and running for about a little over a month now. I originally had 8 tetras, 2 angelfish, 1 beta, 1 red-finned shark and 2 plecos. Everyone is around 1.5-2.5 inches right now. Last week one of the tetras died so I am down to 7 and one of the plecos died yesterday. I went a bought a master test kit for the water, the ph is fine the nitrates are on the lower side but it says I have high nitrite and high ammonia. What should I do to lower the levels?! Please help I don’t want anymore dead fish ):
High Ammonia and Nitrite levels
- Thread starter Dsudnick
- Start date
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Lets start off with you telling us what your water parameters are.
If you are seeing ammonia and/ or nitrite you arent cycled.
What do you understand about the nitrogen cycle?
Did you cycle the tank? If so, how? Or is this the first you are hearing about cycling a tank?
If you are seeing ammonia and/ or nitrite you arent cycled.
What do you understand about the nitrogen cycle?
Did you cycle the tank? If so, how? Or is this the first you are hearing about cycling a tank?
I understand nothing about the nitrogen cycle, I was told to set everything up and let everything run for a couple weeks before adding fish, do I bet that’s the problem. Can I cycle a tank with the fish inside? Or are they all doomed.. I hope not
No. Your fish arent doomed. You can cycle the tank with fish in it.
Let us know what your water parameters are so we can see how much of an issue you have.
Ill post some information about the nitrogen cycle, once we know where your water parameters are we can take some immediate measures and then i will post a process on cycling your tank going forward.
Let us know what your water parameters are so we can see how much of an issue you have.
Ill post some information about the nitrogen cycle, once we know where your water parameters are we can take some immediate measures and then i will post a process on cycling your tank going forward.
The nitrogen cycle is the natural processes that go on in your tank that convert ammonia into less harmful substances.
Ammonia gets into your tank through various pathways. Fish waste, decaying uneaten food, and dead, decaying plants are common ammonia sources in an aquarium. Its also possible your tap water is an ammonia source. Chloramine is a common water treatment and when treated with most water conditioners the bond in the chloramine breaks and releases ammonia into the water.
Ammonia can be toxic to fish, depending on how much there is, and what the pH and temperature of your tank water is.
The first stage of the nitrogen cycle is the removal of ammonia. If you have real plants in your tank some of this ammonia will be absorbed as part of their natural growth. Generally though ammonia is consumed by denitrifying bacteria that lives mostly on your filter media. These bacteria consume the ammonia and produce nitrite. Unfortunately nitrite is pretty much as toxic to fish as ammonia.
The second stage of the nitrogen cycle is the removal of nitrite. A different denitrifying bacteria will consume the nitrite and produce nitrate. Nitrate is much less harmful than ammonia and nitrite, and for most aquariums the nitrogen cycle ends there. Excess nitrate is removed through your regular water changes.
A further stage of the nitrogen cycle can also happen, but its difficult to remove all the nitrate from a typical freshwater aquarium. Plants will absorb some nitrate in a similar manner to how it absorbs ammonia to grow. There are also nitrifying bacteria that consumes nitrate and gives off nitrogen gas which will simply offgas from your aquarium. This nitrifying bacteria is difficult to grow in freshwater aquarium.
“Cycling” a tank is the process you go through to grow denitrifying bacteria in your aquarium to consume ammonia and nitrite. You are said to be “cycled” when you have enough bacteria to consume all the ammonia and nitrite that your tank produces and turns all of it into nitrate. If you test the water of a cycled tank you should see 0 ammonia and nitrite and some nitrate.
Ammonia gets into your tank through various pathways. Fish waste, decaying uneaten food, and dead, decaying plants are common ammonia sources in an aquarium. Its also possible your tap water is an ammonia source. Chloramine is a common water treatment and when treated with most water conditioners the bond in the chloramine breaks and releases ammonia into the water.
Ammonia can be toxic to fish, depending on how much there is, and what the pH and temperature of your tank water is.
The first stage of the nitrogen cycle is the removal of ammonia. If you have real plants in your tank some of this ammonia will be absorbed as part of their natural growth. Generally though ammonia is consumed by denitrifying bacteria that lives mostly on your filter media. These bacteria consume the ammonia and produce nitrite. Unfortunately nitrite is pretty much as toxic to fish as ammonia.
The second stage of the nitrogen cycle is the removal of nitrite. A different denitrifying bacteria will consume the nitrite and produce nitrate. Nitrate is much less harmful than ammonia and nitrite, and for most aquariums the nitrogen cycle ends there. Excess nitrate is removed through your regular water changes.
A further stage of the nitrogen cycle can also happen, but its difficult to remove all the nitrate from a typical freshwater aquarium. Plants will absorb some nitrate in a similar manner to how it absorbs ammonia to grow. There are also nitrifying bacteria that consumes nitrate and gives off nitrogen gas which will simply offgas from your aquarium. This nitrifying bacteria is difficult to grow in freshwater aquarium.
“Cycling” a tank is the process you go through to grow denitrifying bacteria in your aquarium to consume ammonia and nitrite. You are said to be “cycled” when you have enough bacteria to consume all the ammonia and nitrite that your tank produces and turns all of it into nitrate. If you test the water of a cycled tank you should see 0 ammonia and nitrite and some nitrate.
It would be easier for you read and post the results, but from a photo it looks like
pH 7ish
Ammonia 2ppm ish
Nitrite 0.5ppm ish
Nitrate 5ppm ish
Your target should be to get ammonia + nitrite combined to around 0.5ppm. You need to do some water changes as soon as you are able.
Based on 2.5ppm combined this will take 2 x 50% water changes. Do 1 x 50% water change as soon as you are able, then another 50% water change an hour or so later. Retest, see where you are, further water changes if needed to bring water parameters to a safe level.
If you havent done so previously, might be an idea to test your tapwater to see if there is ammonia in your water going in.
Once you have got your water to safe levels, follow a fish in cycle process - next post.
pH 7ish
Ammonia 2ppm ish
Nitrite 0.5ppm ish
Nitrate 5ppm ish
Your target should be to get ammonia + nitrite combined to around 0.5ppm. You need to do some water changes as soon as you are able.
Based on 2.5ppm combined this will take 2 x 50% water changes. Do 1 x 50% water change as soon as you are able, then another 50% water change an hour or so later. Retest, see where you are, further water changes if needed to bring water parameters to a safe level.
If you havent done so previously, might be an idea to test your tapwater to see if there is ammonia in your water going in.
Once you have got your water to safe levels, follow a fish in cycle process - next post.
Last edited:
To cycle a tank you need to grow denitrifying bacteria to consume ammonia and nitrite that your tank produces. The bacteria needs an ammonia source to grow colonies sufficient in size to consume all the ammonia and resultant nitrite and turn it into nitrate which typically you remove through your regular water changes.
A fish in cycle uses fish waste as an ammonia source and regular water changes are undertaken to ensure that water parameters are maintained at relatively non toxic levels.
Set up your tank. Make sure everything is running smoothly. Make sure you have used a water conditioner product with any tap water you have put in your tank. Seachem Prime is a water conditioner that will also detoxify some ammonia for a day or two, so is a good choice for a water conditioner while cycling a tank with fish.
You should have a test kit. Preferably a liquid test kit. It should test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.
In ideal circumstances you should be starting a fishless cycle with a low bioload (number of fish). 1 small fish per 10 gallons/40 litres is a good number of fish, but this can be tweaked a little for fish that are social and don’t do well on their own. Ideally a hardy type of fish. You may have fully stocked (or overstocked) your tank before you knew about cycling. In these circumstances, if its not possible to return fish, you will have to make the best of it.
If you haven’t already done so, add your fish. Acclimate them to the water in your tank before doing so.
Feed lightly to start with. Daily as much as is eaten in 2 minutes, or as much as is eaten in 3 minutes every 2 days. You can increase to full feedings if you are confident your parameters aren’t getting too elevated too quickly and water changes don’t become a daily thing.
Start to regularly test the water for ammonia and nitrite. At least daily. Depending on your bioload you could start to see ammonia quite quickly. Nitrite will likely take a little longer to appear.
Your target should be to keep ammonia + nitrite combined no higher than 0.5ppm by changing water whenever your water parameters exceed this target. 0.5ppm combined is a level of waste that is sufficient for your cycle to establish but relatively safe for your fish.
If you see 0.5ppm ammonia and 0.0ppm nitrite (0.5ppm combined) then leave things be. If you see 0.5ppm ammonia and 0.25ppm nitrite (0.75ppm combined) then change 1/3 of the water. If you see 0.25ppm ammonia and 0.75ppm nitrite (1.0ppm combined) then change 1/2 the water. If water parameters get worse than these levels it may require multiple daily 50% water changes to maintain safe water conditions. This is more likely to happen with a fully stocked tank.
Remember to add water conditioner whenever you put tap water in the tank.
Over time the frequency of water changes and amount you need to change to maintain your ammonia + nitrite combined target will reduce. You can also start testing for nitrate and should see this rising. If you are finding the ammonia and nitrite in your tests are consistently low, and you aren’t already fully stocked, you can add a few more fish. It may take a few weeks to get to this point.
Once you add a few more fish, continue to regularly test the water and continue to change water if you exceed the 0.5ppm combined ammonia + nitrite target. With added bioload the frequency of water changes and amount you need to change may increase again until your cycle has caught up. Again once you are consistently seeing low ammonia and nitrite you can add some more fish. Rinse and repeat with testing, water changes, and adding fish when safe to do so until you are fully stocked.
You can then cut back on water changes to control nitrate only. Typically you want to keep nitrate no higher than 40ppm, but I would recommend changing some water every 2 weeks even if your water test says you don’t need to.
A fish in cycle from an empty tank to fully stocked can take several months.
A good way to speed up this process would be to put a small amount of filter media from an established filter into your filter, or get a sponge from an established filter and squeeze it into your tank water. Perhaps you have a friend who keeps fish who could let you have some? This will seed your filter with the bacteria you are trying to grow and speed up the process.
Another option is bottled bacteria like Dr Tims One + Only or Tetra Safestart. These products wont instantly cycle a tank as they claim but in a similar manner to adding established filter media they can seed your filter with the bacteria you are trying to grow to establish your cycle. These products are hit and miss as to whether they work at all, but are an option if established filter media isnt obtainable and may speed up the process from several months to several weeks.
A fish in cycle uses fish waste as an ammonia source and regular water changes are undertaken to ensure that water parameters are maintained at relatively non toxic levels.
Set up your tank. Make sure everything is running smoothly. Make sure you have used a water conditioner product with any tap water you have put in your tank. Seachem Prime is a water conditioner that will also detoxify some ammonia for a day or two, so is a good choice for a water conditioner while cycling a tank with fish.
You should have a test kit. Preferably a liquid test kit. It should test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.
In ideal circumstances you should be starting a fishless cycle with a low bioload (number of fish). 1 small fish per 10 gallons/40 litres is a good number of fish, but this can be tweaked a little for fish that are social and don’t do well on their own. Ideally a hardy type of fish. You may have fully stocked (or overstocked) your tank before you knew about cycling. In these circumstances, if its not possible to return fish, you will have to make the best of it.
If you haven’t already done so, add your fish. Acclimate them to the water in your tank before doing so.
Feed lightly to start with. Daily as much as is eaten in 2 minutes, or as much as is eaten in 3 minutes every 2 days. You can increase to full feedings if you are confident your parameters aren’t getting too elevated too quickly and water changes don’t become a daily thing.
Start to regularly test the water for ammonia and nitrite. At least daily. Depending on your bioload you could start to see ammonia quite quickly. Nitrite will likely take a little longer to appear.
Your target should be to keep ammonia + nitrite combined no higher than 0.5ppm by changing water whenever your water parameters exceed this target. 0.5ppm combined is a level of waste that is sufficient for your cycle to establish but relatively safe for your fish.
If you see 0.5ppm ammonia and 0.0ppm nitrite (0.5ppm combined) then leave things be. If you see 0.5ppm ammonia and 0.25ppm nitrite (0.75ppm combined) then change 1/3 of the water. If you see 0.25ppm ammonia and 0.75ppm nitrite (1.0ppm combined) then change 1/2 the water. If water parameters get worse than these levels it may require multiple daily 50% water changes to maintain safe water conditions. This is more likely to happen with a fully stocked tank.
Remember to add water conditioner whenever you put tap water in the tank.
Over time the frequency of water changes and amount you need to change to maintain your ammonia + nitrite combined target will reduce. You can also start testing for nitrate and should see this rising. If you are finding the ammonia and nitrite in your tests are consistently low, and you aren’t already fully stocked, you can add a few more fish. It may take a few weeks to get to this point.
Once you add a few more fish, continue to regularly test the water and continue to change water if you exceed the 0.5ppm combined ammonia + nitrite target. With added bioload the frequency of water changes and amount you need to change may increase again until your cycle has caught up. Again once you are consistently seeing low ammonia and nitrite you can add some more fish. Rinse and repeat with testing, water changes, and adding fish when safe to do so until you are fully stocked.
You can then cut back on water changes to control nitrate only. Typically you want to keep nitrate no higher than 40ppm, but I would recommend changing some water every 2 weeks even if your water test says you don’t need to.
A fish in cycle from an empty tank to fully stocked can take several months.
A good way to speed up this process would be to put a small amount of filter media from an established filter into your filter, or get a sponge from an established filter and squeeze it into your tank water. Perhaps you have a friend who keeps fish who could let you have some? This will seed your filter with the bacteria you are trying to grow and speed up the process.
Another option is bottled bacteria like Dr Tims One + Only or Tetra Safestart. These products wont instantly cycle a tank as they claim but in a similar manner to adding established filter media they can seed your filter with the bacteria you are trying to grow to establish your cycle. These products are hit and miss as to whether they work at all, but are an option if established filter media isnt obtainable and may speed up the process from several months to several weeks.
Caveat here that your fish have been living in their own waste for a month. This will cause health issues. Getting them in clean water and getting the tank cycled is essential but no guarantees that it will reverse any health issues.
Okay I will start with the water changes now then! A couple questions because that was a lot. I’m going to be taking the water out in 5 gallon buckets, so 5 gallons at a time until I removed half. When I put the new water (from the hose) back in. I’ll add water conditioner.
How long after I put in water conditioner, can I put the new water back in?
Also you’re talking about filter sponges, not to sure what that is but the filter that I have the little pouch is black and dirty , are you saying this is good or should I change it?
How long after I put in water conditioner, can I put the new water back in?
Also you’re talking about filter sponges, not to sure what that is but the filter that I have the little pouch is black and dirty , are you saying this is good or should I change it?
When you do a water change add enough water conditioner to treat the whole volume of the tank into the aquarium (in your case enough to treat 55g of water) and you can start refilling straight away.
Make sure the water from your tap is roughly temperature matched to the water in the tank. I assume you have a mixer tap?
Filters usually have some sponge in there to remove particles from the water that goes through the filter. The gunk in these sponges is full of the bacteria you need to grow in your filtration system. So getting a sponge from an established filter and squeezing the gunk out into your water is a good way of adding this bacteria into your filtration.
Can you post a photo of your filter and this pouch? Im not sure what you have. Different filters have different components to them. Do you know the make/ model of your filter? It could be a cartridge you are referring to, in which case give it a rinse in water taken from your tank.
Make sure the water from your tap is roughly temperature matched to the water in the tank. I assume you have a mixer tap?
Filters usually have some sponge in there to remove particles from the water that goes through the filter. The gunk in these sponges is full of the bacteria you need to grow in your filtration system. So getting a sponge from an established filter and squeezing the gunk out into your water is a good way of adding this bacteria into your filtration.
Can you post a photo of your filter and this pouch? Im not sure what you have. Different filters have different components to them. Do you know the make/ model of your filter? It could be a cartridge you are referring to, in which case give it a rinse in water taken from your tank.
I do not know the make or model of the filter, it was a starter kit that my fiancé bought. Here is a picture of the filters. How often should I replace those? And are these the sponges you are referring to?
If it were me i would just get rid of the cartridges altogether.
Everytime you replace a cartridge you throw away the bacteria responsible for your cycle.
If you stick with the cartridges then just periodically rinse them down, and only replace them when they are falling apart, and then dont replace more than 1 a month. Replacing too many cartridges at the same time will cause your cycle to fail and you will be back where you are now.
If it where my filter i would ditch the cartridges and get some sponge and filter media in there. This wont need replacing for years and years. Just a periodic rinse down.
It looks like you have a hang on back filter? Watch this video and it will give you an idea about what im talking about. As you arent cycled, now is a good time to do this.
https://youtu.be/2uX-VBxRkQA
Everytime you replace a cartridge you throw away the bacteria responsible for your cycle.
If you stick with the cartridges then just periodically rinse them down, and only replace them when they are falling apart, and then dont replace more than 1 a month. Replacing too many cartridges at the same time will cause your cycle to fail and you will be back where you are now.
If it where my filter i would ditch the cartridges and get some sponge and filter media in there. This wont need replacing for years and years. Just a periodic rinse down.
It looks like you have a hang on back filter? Watch this video and it will give you an idea about what im talking about. As you arent cycled, now is a good time to do this.
https://youtu.be/2uX-VBxRkQA
I would do another 50% water change. Then see where you are tomorrow.
Okay awesome! Thank you so much for all your help. I understand it a little better now. Also I’m gonna look into doing my filter the way that guy has! Thank you thank you thank you!!
After two 50% water changes my water parameters now read as follows:
PH - 7.2
Ammonia - .25ish (not dark enough for .5)
Nitrite - 0 =)
Nitrate - .5
Now.. how do I keep it like this? Just daily monitor and change water accordingly?
See post #8
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