Nitrites up in QT

[Patrick Bateman]

The ammonia in my QT has been 0 since I started it last Saturday, using half tank water and half RO/DI water from my LFS. The Nitrate has also been zero up until today when it was .25. Isn't it strange for there to be no ammonia and then have nitrite go up all of the sudden?

I've got two small clowns quarantining in there right now with a sponge filter that spent a month in my main tank as well as a mesh back of substrate from the main tank as my biological filter. Anybody know what could have caused this little spike? .25 isn't really anything to worry about, but I don't want it to get much higher than that. Fish still appear healthy, breathing fine and eating.

Is it possible that the QT is just going through a "mini-cycle" and I missed the mini ammonia spike? Any advice would be appreciated, as I've never heard of anything like this happening before.

 

[Innovator]

It sounds more like the ammonia from the fish and feedings was quickly converted to nitrite and eventually resulted in a higher nitrate reading. I wouldn't worry about nitrite readings since it takes a hefty dose before acute toxicity sets in (estimation over 100ppm).

 

[Patrick Bateman]

For nitrite? Do you mean nitrate? I thought nitrite was toxic is smaller amounts.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Oh, I miss-typed. It was in fact the nitrite reading that was .25. Sorry about the confusion.