Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, "Acceptable" Levels? Help quick please.

DarkSoul

DarkSoul

Mad Scientist
Mar 12, 2007
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London, Ontario
So I'm faced with a nitrite spike, and I have a betta in the tank.

I'm currently doing water changes (done one 25% so far)

what should the target "acceptable" level of nitrites be?
what are the MAX values the other stuff (ammo, rates?)

I'm just wondering so I know where I should be keeping the water chemistry.
 
A fully cycled tank shoould be NO2=0,NO3=<20,AMM=0. If you are showing Nitrite or Ammonia with fish you need to do water changes (larger is better) to keep them below .25.
 
sorry i should have mentioned the tank is still silent cycling (silent my arse) so I need some nitrite readings.... what would be the max levels for a cycling tank (silent cycle, plants with a betta)
 
DarkSoul said:
sorry i should have mentioned the tank is still silent cycling (silent my arse) so I need some nitrite readings.... what would be the max levels for a cycling tank (silent cycle, plants with a betta)
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lol, no worries. For the Betta's sake the readings should be kept under .25. I'm not sure if the plants are negatively affected at all by Nitrite, but I wouldn't think they would be.
 
What is your nitrite reading? If you are adding ferts for your plants, I would highly reccomend stopping while you are cycling. The plants will use the waste produced by the fish as fertilizer, therefore allowing you to have a "silent cycle". If you supply through adding additional ferts what the plants need, they will have no need for the use of waste produced by the fish..

Blue
 
Blueiz said:
What is your nitrite reading? If you are adding ferts for your plants, I would highly reccomend stopping while you are cycling. The plants will use the waste produced by the fish as fertilizer, therefore allowing you to have a "silent cycle". If you supply through adding additional ferts what the plants need, they will have no need for the use of waste produced by the fish..

Blue
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oh, I wasnt actually adding ferts on a regular basis, just lastnight before bed, and just before i did the water test.

the readings are now 0.25 for nitrites, no ammo, and no nitrates yet.

I have done 3 PWCs today to bring the level down, and give the tank a good vacc'ing. it was 25%, 10%, 50%. dosing each time with prime.

the fish seems happy, but how do you see red gills on a red fish :)
Ive been keeping a close eye on him, and so far nothing seems out of the ordinary, except that he wont flare at his reflection.
 
In order to have nitrite, you have to have ammonia first.. The bacteria that consume the ammonia in turn produce nitrite..

As far as the "red gills on a red fish" kinda impossible to see there..lol. However you can atch the fish for labored berathing and being depressed or lethargic.

Blue
 
Blueiz said:
In order to have nitrite, you have to have ammonia first.. The bacteria that consume the ammonia in turn produce nitrite..

As far as the "red gills on a red fish" kinda impossible to see there..lol. However you can atch the fish for labored berathing and being depressed or lethargic.

Blue
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yes im aware, i did previously have ammonia, prior to adding the plants, but it was only a minimal amount, and only for about a week... it was around 0.25 never more... thats why i dont understand how nitrites all of a sudden just showed up and spiked at 2.0.

now that there is a fish in the water, there would be a steady source of ammonia, however minimal, but I have nitrites.... i will check later and see if they've spiked again, or gone up in anyway since doing the water changes, which should give me an idea of they are true nitrite readsings, and not just something added with the fertilizers.
 
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