safe nitrite levels?

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AnitaL76

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Aug 5, 2004
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Southern Ontario
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hi all
ok i have seen 2 websites and read the instructions on a new nitrite test kit over for the umteenth time and i am still confused...

for the past few days my nitrite levels in my 35Gal tank have been at 0.3 mg/L. my ammonia levels have stayed at 0ppm. i have done 2 25% water changes and this does not seem to have changed my nitrite levels. is this level safe or should i try to get it down, and if so how do i do this as the water changes are not working. my test kit (and i am sure this is a typo) says over 0.3 is safe, one website said 0.3 is too high, the other said it was on the high end but still safe.

i had added 3 angel fish on the 18th, and the nitrite levels started hitting 0.3 on the 21st and stayed there since.
 
Hi Anita,

Can you tell us how long your tank has been set-up? It almost sounds as if your tank has not completed cycling.

Can you tell us how many fish in the tank, natural plants. The more information the better we can help you.

Drake
 
0.3 ppm is the upper limit of safe with nitrites. Keep doing daily water changes and don't let it climb above that point. If you are having real trouble add 1 tsp of salt (NaCl) per gallon of water. Mix it into a water change. It helps the gills compete for oxygen better. But water changes should take care of things.

Also I might try taking a sample to be tested at your local fish store (they usually test for free) and make sure your test kit is working.
 
tank info...

ok you asked for more info on my tank.... it is 35 gal. and has been set up for almost 6 months now, i currently have 3 small (1 inch) angel fish and a plecto (he is currently about 3 inches long), 2 african dwarf brown frogs and 1 live plant (not sure what kind of plant though..... it is a bushy one that just floats on the surface with leaves that look like pine needles).

i am continuing with the water changes and have decreased the amount of food i am giving them. this is the first time since i set up my tank that i have seen the nitrite level go up without first seeing something happen to the ammonia levels which is why this bugs me so much. hmmmmmm and i thought this would be a relaxing hobby.....

anita
 
It does seem odd to have a nitrite spike in a cycled tank. Did you just change filyter media or something? I would also question whether or not your test kit might have gone bad.
 
live plant

the plant came from a local pet shop which specializes in aquarium products/fish, they are known throughout our city as they have huge tanks they stock and care for in local restaurants and business offices.

also just did another water change and testing.... my nitrite levels are down to 0.1.... still would like to know why it went so high though and how i can avoid that the next time
 
Is there anything that could be decaying in the tank?

When the temp. went up here about a month ago, the temp. in my 33g skyrocketed. A lot of my plants started dieing, including all my java fern. Anyway, long story short, with all the plant mass decaying, I got a nitrite spike (and an algal bloom, but that's another story).

This may not apply to you, but my guess as to your spike in nitrite but not ammonia:

Ammonia nitrifiers can increase their population relatively quickly, assuming that space (i.e. surface area on filter media) is not a constraint. Nitrite nitrifiers are a little slower to respond, since they rely entirely on ammonia nitrifiers for 'food'. Also, your live plant can be consuming the ammonia, but it won't touch the nitrite.

You've probably got a mini-cycle happening, possibly from the new additions. Keep up the water changes, daily or twice daily, it should work itself out in a week or two.
 
thanks for the info

as for something in the tank decaying.... hmmmm ok boreing tank, the one live plant and a small plastic toy from the fish shop which acts as a cave for my pleco are the only things in my tank. considering that my frogs and pleco were the only things in the tank for a while the added fish may be it. as i said the nitrite levels are dropping again so i am getting more comfortable though i would love to see that hit 0 as well :)

my 4 year old spotted betta fish the other day when out with grampa.... correct me if i am wrong but they wouldnt go well with the angels right? if i got a pair of them (ie m/f) are there other types of fish i could put with them in a tank of their own?

anita
 
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