Nitrites/Nitrates extremely high in new aquarium

[mushroombrew]

Hello all. I have maintained a few >=20 gallon aquariums in the past, but just got a new 38 gallon for the living room about three weeks ago. All was well with the measurements at first and I neglected to test the water for about a week. At first the nitrates/nitrites measurements didn't even register in the dip stick but last night measured 10ppm+. I know... That's extremely extremely bad. A little embarrassing to admit, but there it is... I immediately did a 70% water change, added a couple of tablespoons aquarium salt to the filter and added "Prime" at 2x the indicated rate in addition to the normal "pH up" and water conditioner. The nitrite rate dropped to 3ppm afterwards and I decided to let it sit overnight. It was unchanged as of this morning at 3ppm so I repeated the above except this time I did a 90% water change. The nitrite/nitrate levels again don't even register on the dip sticks so I suppose I'm in the clear for a bit. Basically what I want to ask is if there is something else I should be doing or am I doing something wrong? The aquarium is a little under capacity and not overstocked given the "one inch of fish per gallon" rule. We have barbs, neons, angelfish, and a few guppies. We feed them twice a day. Flakes in the morning and blood worms in the evening. Never more than they can eat in 2 minutes. It's also somewhat heavily planted with about 2-3 inches of "sand" gravel on the bottom. We have an aqueon quietflow filter that uses one large cartridge and a powerhead on the other side of the tank to provide a little current in there. There's also three largeish pieces of drift wood. I just want my fish to be happy and healthy.

 

[Andrewz00]

first.. i would stay away from anything that will modify your PH.... stable PH is 1000 times better then trying to maintain a specific PH... all you need is a water conditioner to remove chlorine/chloramine and Prime will do that just fine!

next...get away from the dipsticks.. they are highly inaccurate. get a good liquid test kid, API master test kit is great.

are you talking about nitrates or nitrites?

 

[CMOS]

I don't see any glaring errors other than I personally would try to avoid doing a 70-90% WC. IME that could stress the livestock. I'm interested to hear what others have to say however.

One other thing - I noticed that you wrote "dipstick" when testing. These types of test kits are not as accurate as the liquid vial types. I'd suggest getting a better kit in the near future.


CMOS

 

[mushroombrew]

Ok then that's great. Yes. I've been using the multi test dipsticks that test nitrates, nitrites, ph, carbamate hardness and general hardness. I wasn't aware that the vial tests were better. I'll be picking some up. The nitrate level as indicated was also high but not as severely so though I was referring to both that and the nitrite amount. Nitrites were measured via dipstick at greater than 10ppm before the water changes. I gathered that this was more-or-less an emergency situation that required immediate drastic action from another forum last night...hence the big water changes. Believe me, I don't like hauling that much water through the house either and would prefer not to do it if not completely necessary. I guess I'm mainly hoping this will level off. Also, pH before adding pH up is about 6. Is that ok with just water conditioner?

 

[jlk]

Welcome to AA!!! Ill post a link below with more info on fish-in cycling as you are in the middle of a fish-in cycle right now. Do you also have an ammonia test? What does this read? What does your tap ph read?

I would first suggest investing in a good liquid test kit such as the API fw master test kit. Strips are inaccurate at best and way more costly over the long haul. Amazon has them inexpensively compared to most lfs.

Next, why are you using ph chemicals? They have a temporary (if any) effect can result in drastic swings in ph that can sicken or even result in fish demise. There are simple natural and stable options for stabilizing ph such as using crushed coral or aragonite. If your using strips to test your ph though, I would not trust the results.

Right now, if your tank is still reading 3ppm of nitrite, I would suggest another big water change or two (atleast 50%) to drop this well below 1ppm. You will need to continue to test daily and do water changes anytime your ammonia and/or nitrite spike above .25ppm. prime will help in between water changes to keep these detoxed. In an emergency, you can safely dose Prime up to 5x the recommended dose (or up to 5ppm of amm/nitrite) but water changes will be the only way to safely remove toxins. Please ask if you have any questions!

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

 

[mushroombrew]

After the two water changes my nitrite level is minuscule. Definitely less than .25 ppm. (at least according to the dip sticks) I'll definitely get the vial test kit shortly to confirm. I currently don't have any way to test for ammonia. pH at the tap and in the tank after sitting overnight read 6. (according to the dip sticks) I have used chemicals to "correct" that for years but again was unaware that it could potentially do more harm than good. That's why I'm here ) It's good to get advice.

 

[jlk]

Thanks for the info! I would give adding some crushed coral or aragonite to your filter housing a try (place in mesh bag/clean piece of pantyhose). It takes a bit of trial and error to figure out a suitable amount that wont raise your ph drastically but keep it stable in a decent range in respect to your tap water.

 

[mushroombrew]

Thanks for all the advice. I definitely came to the right place. I'll be looking into a few things this evening. I uploaded a pic in case anybody was curious what it looks like. I'd like to get the bottom carpeted in plants like a pond bed or something. I can't remember for the life of me what that lacy green plant is called but it grows like mad and propagates from cuttings nicely. I've been slowly spacing it out since I got it. Anyway, thanks again!

 

[Andrewz00]

Tank looks awesome! Consider putting a solid black or blue background on.. it will really make the color pop!

 

[mushroombrew]

Thanks for the compliment. I just got off from amazon. I ordered the API fresh water master test kit, a python no spill clean and fill aquarium maintenance system (AWESOME!!!) and a background. I had actually previously considered getting a background for the tank but never got around to it. Thanks again for all the advice guys. I really appreciate the help.

 

[CMOS]

Mush,

Just FYI - I am a HUGE fan of a flat black background. Talk about colors popping!


CMOS

 

[Andrewz00]

Thanks for the compliment. I just got off from amazon. I ordered the API fresh water master test kit, a python no spill clean and fill aquarium maintenance system (AWESOME!!!) and a background. I had actually previously considered getting a background for the tank but never got around to it. Thanks again for all the advice guys. I really appreciate the help.

The python was the best thing i ever bought... it makes PWCs on my 90gal easy!!

 

[mushroombrew]

A little update..

I haven't gotten my shipment yet, but I was doing another PWC because the nitrites were starting to work their way back up a little and discovered that one of the supposedly "aquatic" plants that I got from Petco was rotting. It still looked alive, but the smell was nauseating and the woody stem of it was mush. Needless to say I snatched it out post haste. Other than the fish-in cycle, that may have been part of the problem right there... We also got a Marineland Penguin 350 biowheel filter to replace the stock filter that came with the setup. Just got finished installing it. Hoping that'll help out over the long run.

@Andrew
I'm really looking forward to getting that python. My tank is only a 38, but those buckets start to get heavy after a few trips. lol Cleaning up spills is no fun either.