Reducing High Nitrites

[rhl2490]

Greetings All, I'm cycling a 12 gal Eclipse tank w/six red bellied tetras. It ran for four days w/used water from another tank before fish were added. Ammonia spiked, predictably, but dissipated in less than a week. My nitrites have been very high since then. Even with daily 25% water changes I can't seem to get nitrites down. How long does this spike normally last when cycling? Is there a reliable product to use to reduce nitrites during the cycling process. Fish seem to be doing fine but algea is begining to form as a result of the nitrites. Any ideas? Thanx, rhl2490

[OrionGirl]

Lots of water changes--as much as is needed to bring nitrites down to less than 1 ppm. Adding some gravel or filter media from an established tank will help.

You may be interested in fishless cycling in the future--no need to expose the fish to nitrogen toxins.

[Gulp]

I too was stuck in a high nitrite stage not too long ago in the new aquarium. I bought a $5 bottle of "Biozyme" from the LFS and it worked overnight, the levels had dropped dramatically. 3 days after putting the stuff in I have the big 0 for ammonia and nitrite levels. Now maybe.....just maybe....it was a coincidence.....but if it was, it was a perfect one. It's worth a shot for only $5 (probably cheaper somewhere else, this LFS is expensive...).

[JSchmidt]

I agree with Oriongirl. Water changes are the order of the day. The nitrite spike part of the cycle can seem to take forever... be patient, change enough water to keep nitrites at less than 1 ppm and you'll be fine.

Jim

[Anne L.]

I'm wondering about high nitrites as well. I'm doing a fishless cycle, and my ammonia has been coming down to 0 for over a week now.

Nitrites have dropped to 1.6 on my test but do not seem to be coming down any further. I am adding 1 ml of ammonia per day to keep the bacteria fed, but what else can I do to get the nitrites to drop? Are water changes a good idea for a fishless cycle, or will that not matter because the bacteria are not established yet.

I'll be a month into the cycle as of January 11th, so any help is appreciated. See my stuck fishless cycling thread as well. My kids (and I) are getting frustrated at not being able to add fish.

Thanks a whole bunch.

[Gulp]

Have you tried Biozyme? I am just wondering why no one around here recommends additives like that (it worked for me). You can wait several weeks, or speed up the process by adding "bacteria in a bottle", it was $5 for a 500 gallon treatment. :D Is there something I don't know about the stuff that keeps people from using it? Just wondering.

[OrionGirl]

Gulp--the reason most of us do not recommend the bottle bacteria is there is very little scientific fact supporting the claims made by these products. Your experience could be interpreted several ways--one is that the bacteria colonies were on the threshold, and would have been at an appropriate size given 12 more hours to grow, so the addition of BioZyme did not actually do anything. Worse, some of the bottle bacteria products, such as Cycle, contain significant amounts of ammonia.

Hope this helps.

[Anne L.]

Gulp, where I live in Canada, the only thing available is cycle, which I got as a very small bottle with my aquarium starter kit.

It would be great to get biospira up here, but we can't import it either due to some silly regulation.

What kind of fish is that in your avatar picture? It looks really cool.

OrionGirl, do you have any suggestions for me to get the nitrites down in my tank?

[OrionGirl]

Patience. Sorry--but as long as the temp is normal (74-84), and there is food available, waiting for the bacteria colonies to develop is all you can do. A handful of gravel or media from a healthy tank may help, but at this point, you know the bacteria are there, the colony just isn't large enough yet. As anona indicated in your other thread, they will grow, and most likely you'll go from your current readings to 0 overnight--very sudden.

[Anne L.]

Thanks, OrionGirl, I'll just have to be more patient. I have no experience with aquariums at all, so this fishless cycling is a little daunting. However, with everyone's help on here, it's been an interesting experience.

I love chemistry, so it's been fun doing this, and it's good to know what types of things to test for in the tank and how everything works together.

I'll keep testing the water everyday and see how things go.

Thanks again.

Oh, sorry, forgot to tell you that water temp is a steady 79 degrees.

[Gulp]

Originally posted by Anne L.


What kind of fish is that in your avatar picture? It looks really cool.



That's my tiger oscar, Gulp. :D


Originally posted by OrionGirl
Gulp--the reason most of us do not recommend the bottle bacteria is there is very little scientific fact supporting the claims made by these products. Your experience could be interpreted several ways--one is that the bacteria colonies were on the threshold, and would have been at an appropriate size given 12 more hours to grow, so the addition of BioZyme did not actually do anything. Worse, some of the bottle bacteria products, such as Cycle, contain significant amounts of ammonia.

Hope this helps.

That's what I figured. FYI, Biozyme is a dry powder vs. the liquid Cycle. I too was wondering if the big drop in nitrites I had was a coiencidence. My ammonia had already dropped to 0 when I added it so I knew it was just a matter of time before the nitrites followed......but it was a big drop over 1 night. Oh well, for $5 it was worth a shot. :D

One day I am going to set up one of the 10 gallons I have sitting in a closet and do a few tests to see if it really works. I will set up one aquarium with the Biozyme, and one without. Both with the same filter setups, both new. When I do this, I will of course share the info. :D

[Anne L.]

Gulp, he's a beautiful fish. Is he really all of those purply colors? I saw some oscars at the fish store and they were more brown/yellow in color.

[Gulp]

Originally posted by Anne L.
Is he really all of those purply colors?


Unfortunately......no. That's the work of a crappy $50 digital camera. :D His color changes depending on his mood, but most of the time he is a dark black with bright orange markings. When his gets upset or nervous, he flushes out to a light brownish color.

Thanks for the compliments. I will be sure to let Gulp know he had an admirerer when I get home from work. :D

[rhl2490]

UNBELIEVABLE!!! No sooner do I post this thread for help than the nitrites dropped off to ZERO overnight!!! Ph is 7.2 and the six red bellied tetras area smiling. Time for tankmates I think. Perhaps a couple dwarf gouramies and a couple otto cats. Thanks to all who responded.

I'm not a fish, I just drink like one.

rhl2490

[OrionGirl]

Add slowly--the bacteria beds are sufficient for the waste produced by the tetras, but any more fish represents an increase, and they will have to catch up. I woukd add the gouramies, wait a week, and if all is well, add the otos. Otos tend to be sensitive to nitrogen wastes, so adding them last should help.

[rhl2490]

Thanx Oniongirl. I Dig the chains.:laugh: