Nitrite in Tap Water

[Lc9676]

I'm 10 days into a fishless cycle and have the following levels:
0.25 PPM Ammonia
0.25 PPM Nitrites
10 PPM Nitrates

Now, just out of curiosity I did a test on my tap water, which I found has:
0.25 PPM Ammonia
1 PPM Nitrites
10 PPM Nitrates

I was wondering how to do water changes with my water? Any more than a 20% water change will cause the water in my aquarium to be toxic because of high Nitrites. Does anyone else also have Nitrites in their water? If you do, how do you do water changes?

 

[ejaramillo01]

Welcome to AA

Some tap waters are poor quality, but if you use the proper water conditioner the water should bi fine for your tank, I recommend Prime as one of the best water conditioners to use in the water before is added to the tank.

Also if you are doing fishless cycle your level of ammonia should be higher, around 4ppm, to enable the growth of the bacteria in your filter and media.

I suggest you to read the below link, and understand the Nitrogen cycle, read as much as you can please.


Tips and tricks for your fastest fishless cycle!

 

[Lc9676]

Thanks! I've read almost all the articles and some threads. After dosing the tap water with a conditioner, it has: 0.0 PPM Nitrites. Forget about the nitrites then.

I dosed to 4 PPM the first day, and then wait for it to fall below 0.5 and dosed 1 PPM ammonia. I'm a little confused about how much you should dose after the first time. Some people say 4 PPM, others say 1 PPM.

Now I have:
1.0 PPM Ammonia
1.0 PPM Nitrites
15 PPM Nitrates

Did I do anything wrong? Sorry, I'm new to the hobby.

 

[dkpate]

I think the reason people dose 4ppm (that's what I have seen the most on here) is to make a good, strong colony of bacteria to handle your fish when you get them. I could be wrong, but that's my theory.