High Nitrites...NEED HELP!!!

[Scottie42585]

Hello everyone!! I have a problem with my 55 gallon planted tank. It has been set up and running for about 3 months and cycled for about a month. There are angelfish and cory cats in the tank now and have been great since I added them. I recently did a 50% water change to reduce the level of nitrates. After the water change, the fish did not seem well. I lost one angel shortly after the water change and will lose another one in the next few hours. The numbers are not completely off the wall but ammonia is < 0.25 and nitrite around .5 to 1, but prior to the water change, my numbers were all 0. I have been doing water changes daily since, but it doesn't seem to be working. The nitrites are not getting better. I am using a tap water conditioner as well as Prime to try to help my fish get through this. I am fearful I will lose all the angels. Did I change too much of my water and screw up the bio filter? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am at a loss here. Is there anything I can do in the meantime to help my fish? Thanks in advance.

 

[shellieca]

First sorry you are having trouble & have lost fish. Have you recently tested your tap water? Changing 50% of your water should not have had an effect on your BB unless you forgot to add the water conditioner. Do you use buckets or something like a Python for your water changes? Do you leave the filter off while changing water, turning back on a few minutes or so after the tank has been refilled? Have you done anything to your filter recently; changed it, rinsed it in tap water? Have you had all of your fish for a while or did you add several at once recently? How many of each fish do you have in your tank? When you say all your numbers were 0 were you also talking about nitrAtes? Sorry for all the questions just trying to pin point the potential problem.

 

[adadkins1]

Is there any chance that you forgot to dechlorinate the water you added it? This could have killed some your beneficial bacteria, thrown off the cycle and started the mini-cycle you are experincing. Keep up the good work with the daily PWC's until the tank stabilizes again.

 

[Scottie42585]

No problem with the questions. Thank you both for responding.

I don't think I forgot any tap water conditioner/dechlorinator, but it may have happened. I have not done anything with the filter such as cleaning it or rinsing it. I use a siphon to remove the water and a 5 gallon bucket to add it back. Both of these are dedicated to the aquarium and are not used for anything else so no chemicals were used in them. I usually do leave the filter on while doing the change but this time the water level fell below the point the filter could get it so I turned it off. When I turned it back on, it spit quite a bit of stuff out with it. That may have contributed to my elevated levels. My nitrAtes were not 0 and still aren't. They were really high (off the charts) which is why I did that 50% pwc (now about 10-20 ppm). I originally added 3 guoramis and 3 buenos aires tetras and subsequently 3 chinese algae eaters after my tank started growing algae. A few weeks later I added 3 angels. These were all doing well so I decided to get a few veil angels (4). When I added these, I moved the guoramis, tetras, and CAEs for fear of compatibility issues with the angels (specifically the veils). With the veils it was also suggested by the LFS I get some bottom feeders (cory cats) with a rule of thumb being 1 cory cat per 5 gallons of water. I added 7 of those within a few days of adding the veil angels. Might I have added too many fish at once contributing too much of a bio load my filter could handle at this point? This was a little over a week ago. Again I didn't think ammonia ~.25 and nitrite ~.5 would have this much of an effect on my tank this quickly, but I guess I was wrong. I have lost four of my angels in the past few days and I strongly believe it is because of nitrite poisoning but don't know for sure. If there is something I am missing please inform me. I have had aquariums before but have never been technical about them. I want to learn the right way. Sorry for typing so much, but I think I answered most of the questions. Thanks again for all your time. I really appreciate it.

 

[rupp3322]

Yes that is too many fish to add too fast. Nitrates are pretty straight forward to combat. You need to do water changes like you are, but also be sure to siphon the substrate and rinse out your filter media in the aquarium water that you remove. This will keep everything under control. Im afraid you did start a mini cycle by adding that many so soon together. Also be cautious of your feedings. This is the most important thing in keeping nitrates under control. Your fish do not need to eat everyday, but if you do feed everydy, keep it minimal. Food should not be falling to the bottom of the tank or floating on top uneaten. Less is always better. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[shellieca]

No problem with the questions. Thank you both for responding.

I don't think I forgot any tap water conditioner/dechlorinator, but it may have happened. I have not done anything with the filter such as cleaning it or rinsing it. I use a siphon to remove the water and a 5 gallon bucket to add it back. Both of these are dedicated to the aquarium and are not used for anything else so no chemicals were used in them. I usually do leave the filter on while doing the change but this time the water level fell below the point the filter could get it so I turned it off. When I turned it back on, it spit quite a bit of stuff out with it. That may have contributed to my elevated levels. My nitrAtes were not 0 and still aren't. They were really high (off the charts) which is why I did that 50% pwc (now about 10-20 ppm). I originally added 3 guoramis and 3 buenos aires tetras and subsequently 3 chinese algae eaters after my tank started growing algae. A few weeks later I added 3 angels. These were all doing well so I decided to get a few veil angels (4). When I added these, I moved the guoramis, tetras, and CAEs for fear of compatibility issues with the angels (specifically the veils). With the veils it was also suggested by the LFS I get some bottom feeders (cory cats) with a rule of thumb being 1 cory cat per 5 gallons of water. I added 7 of those within a few days of adding the veil angels. Might I have added too many fish at once contributing too much of a bio load my filter could handle at this point? This was a little over a week ago. Again I didn't think ammonia ~.25 and nitrite ~.5 would have this much of an effect on my tank this quickly, but I guess I was wrong. I have lost four of my angels in the past few days and I strongly believe it is because of nitrite poisoning but don't know for sure. If there is something I am missing please inform me. I have had aquariums before but have never been technical about them. I want to learn the right way. Sorry for typing so much, but I think I answered most of the questions. Thanks again for all your time. I really appreciate it.

Sounds like a lot in a short amount of time, so I think it probably overloaded your BB. The good news . . . it shouldn't last very long. It is also possible that you may have gotten some sick fish because it appears you stay on top of your tank so I would think you caught the nitrite spike in time, but there's no telling for sure. Keep doing what you're doing.

 

[Scottie42585]

Well I am happy to report my numbers were back to 0 when I checked after work today. I knew as soon as I walked into the room the numbers were better...the fish seemed much happier. Unfortunately the few days of the nitrite spike resulted in the death of 4 of my angels. Thanks to all for the information provided.

 

[shellieca]

Well I am happy to report my numbers were back to 0 when I checked after work today. I knew as soon as I walked into the room the numbers were better...the fish seemed much happier. Unfortunately the few days of the nitrite spike resulted in the death of 4 of my angels. Thanks to all for the information provided.

Good to hear!