Nitrites out of control

[xsryman]

So i have been cycling my 10 gal tank with fish in. 4 peppered coys and 1 ghost shrimp. My ammonia has been less than .25 ppm for a while now and my nitrates spiked and went down to less than 5.0 ppm. I cant however seem to get these nitrites under control. My test kit shows that the are like 5.0 ppm or more. The color on my color chart doesnt even have one that matches my tube. Should i go buy somthing to put in my tank.??

 

[BBradbury]

So i have been cycling my 10 gal tank with fish in. 4 peppered coys and 1 ghost shrimp. My ammonia has been less than .25 ppm for a while now and my nitrates spiked and went down to less than 5.0 ppm. I cant however seem to get these nitrites under control. My test kit shows that the are like 5.0 ppm or more. The color on my color chart doesnt even have one that matches my tube. Should i go buy somthing to put in my tank.??

Hello x...

I'd remove and replace three gallons of the tank water and start testing every day. Even a trace of ammonia or nitrites in the water is enough to hurt your fish.

Test daily and when the test shows a trace of the above pollutants, you need to change 25 to 30 percent of the tank water. When several daily tests read "0" ammonia and nitrites, you can add a few small fish and resume daily testing and change the water when needed.

Follow this procedure until the tank is fully stocked.

B

 

[Koikid88]

During a fish in cycle, don't use the first replies advice, you need to have ammonia and nitrites to complete the cycle.
I went through 10 weeks of fish in cycling on a 90g, ammonia stayed around .50, and nitrites around 2ppm. No losses. Nitrites being at 5, you will want to do a pwc though, get them a little lower. I changed 10 gallons a day, unless there was a spike, then I'd do the appropriate size change to bring it down.

How long have you been cycling the tank? Being only 10 gallons of water, things can change in a heartbeat unlike my 90g. So you may have to do larger PWC daily to keep parameters at low levels (but not 0). My nitrites sometimes did spike off the chart too, but just change some water to bring it down, it will be a little more toxic in a small tank so quicker action is needed.
Be sure to have your aeration on it's highest setting during a fish in cycle. I almost lost everything the day the bubbler was off during the cycle.

 

[jlk]

Water changes and Prime- you dont need to add anything else. You may need to do multiple water changes to get your nitrite levels down to a safe level (less than .25ppm). Just make sure you use temperature-matched, properly conditioned water for your changes.

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

 

[xsryman]

I dont have a bubbler for this tank. I just let my power filter make bubbles. It leaves little bubbles on my plants. I have have been trying to get this cycle for about 4 weeks now. But i started out with a black moor and it got ich and died. I raised the temp and used salt like my lfs told me to, but i changed my filter a couple of weeks after doing a water change. Big mistake i know. I just did a 2 gal wated change and added 1/2 capful of Prime. I will test my water here in a bit.

 

[HeatherW]

I had a big spike on my 5 gallon while I was cycling with fish. ended up doing a bunch of 50% WC to get my numbers back in line. i was at 2 for a couple of days and did 50%PWCs then the next day it went up to 5!!! I had to do 3 sets of back to back 50% PWCs to get things back down. the next day it was back down to the 2 and after a couple of days I was at 0. So I would say set out today to be the lots o water change day. do two back to back 50% wait until like 3-4 hours do another set, wait 3-4 hours do another set and see how things are in the morning. just make sure you are matching the temps of your waters and treating with the prime. I bet you will be almost done if you can get your fish through this.

good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[VioletEmber]

I am having a similar struggle with my tank... Can someone explain what it is about the higher aeration that helps? And does the temp of the water have any effect on it at all? I'm getting prune hands from all the water changes and want to find all the even tiny things that might help!

 

[jetajockey]

During a fish in cycle, don't use the first replies advice, you need to have ammonia and nitrites to complete the cycle.

I would suggest not to use the advice in this quoted post either.

I don't agree with BBradbury 100% on his methods but they will definitely get the job done.

Ammonia and nitrite toxicity have several variables so there isn't a hard number to apply to every situation.

Ammonia and nitrite are constantly being produced as long as there is something living in the tank (or decomposing), there isn't a minimal threshold PPM required for the tank to cycle.

Because of that and the safety of the fish in the tank, the best plan of action involves doing whatever it takes (including PWC's) to keep the toxin levels minimal while the cycling process is going on. In theory it might slow the process down some, but what's more important, a fast cycle or healthy fish?

 

[xsryman]

Whoooo hooooo!!! My 10gallon tank is finally cycled. This is the first day in 2 weeks my nitrites are finally zero. Nitrates are between 40 and 80. I cant really tell because the colors look the same. Either way that is good right?

 

[jlk]

Sounds good! You will need to do a water change or two to drop your nitrates down to 20ppm (or lower) for your fish. I would continue to monitor everything for another wk or so to make sure everything stays stable.

 

[HeatherW]

Whoooo hooooo!!! My 10gallon tank is finally cycled. This is the first day in 2 weeks my nitrites are finally zero. Nitrates are between 40 and 80. I cant really tell because the colors look the same. Either way that is good right?

congrats on the cycle!! I know how you feel - just got my 20 gallon cycled with fish in too! so, yes... this is good, but you need to do a water change to get your nitrates down. think below 40 and 20 is preferred. I would say a 50% PWC should get you there and then recheck. after that it is just maintenance!! I changed mine when it was at 30ppm for nitrates - just trying to be careful

 

[xsryman]

On a 10 gallon tank is it okay to remove 50% of the water with the fish still in the tank or should i be moving them out every time i change water?

 

[jlk]

On a 10 gallon tank is it okay to remove 50% of the water with the fish still in the tank or should i be moving them out every time i change water?

Removing them is more stressful than a wc- as long as they have some room to swim, you should be fine! If they dont have sufficent water, just do a couple of smaller changes.

 

[BBradbury]

Your 10 G

Whoooo hooooo!!! My 10gallon tank is finally cycled. This is the first day in 2 weeks my nitrites are finally zero. Nitrates are between 40 and 80. I cant really tell because the colors look the same. Either way that is good right?

Hello x...

Water changes are a must to keep the the conditions stable. A weekly change of half the tank volume isn't too much. You have a very small tank, so you'll need to continue to check the chemistry.

Nitrates can be slightly elevated and in larger tanks 75 ppm isn't extreme. In a smaller tank, they shouldn't be above 40 before you do a water change. If you remove and replace 50 percent of the water weekly, your fish and plants will be fine.

B