High nitrites! Part 3 Still problems

T

tooldud

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Jan 8, 2005
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www.dreamshopwoodworks.com
Okay I know you are gettin tired of this.http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43521

Tank temp 78.6, ammonia 0, nitrites 5ppm or more (test only goes to 5), nitrates 20 (same as tap water), water soft, ph 7.8.

I just did a 50% water change and the nitrites did not change. I check the water at the tap and is 0 nitrites. The fish freak out while doing the change and for a while after? They hide and one clings to the surface looking like he wants air? Also My Emperor 400 makes a racket when the water dropes below normal, it sounds like the impeller is running dry, but the pick-up is just below the bottom of the tank?

As always any and all help is great!

TIA
Tom
 
Right now stress to your fish while doing water changes is the least of your worries. You got to get those nitrites down. As long as your dechlor the new water you can do as many partial water changes as you've got time to do. So keep doing the water changes, maybe cut back on your feeding for a few days and keep testing. If you want you can add a half teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon to help deal with nitrite toxicity.
 
tooldud said:
Also My Emperor 400 makes a racket when the water dropes below normal, it sounds like the impeller is running dry, but the pick-up is just below the bottom of the tank?

As always any and all help is great!

TIA
Tom
Click to expand...

Why don't you turn off your filter during the water change?
 
Kasakato said:
What test kit are you using?
Click to expand...

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals liquid test. One 2 bottle kit for ammonia and a 1 bottle kit for nitrites.

I have a question, everybody here says the bacteria grows on the gravel and filter material. If that is the case then why does doing a water change help? Isn't the stuff your tryingto get rid of still there?
 
In this case, the nitrite is what needs to be reduced, which is in the water itself. Fresh water will dilute the NO2 in the water, making it safer for the fish.
The bacteria in the filter/on the gravel are nitrifying bacteria - specialized types that consume ammonia and nitrite as their food source. They arrive one at a time - first come the ammonia-consumers, who change the ammonia into nitrite, providing a food source for the second type. Once those move in, producing nitrate, the tank is said to be 'cycled'.
Chlorinated water and some medications are deadly to these helpful bacteria, which is why it's always suggested to clean biological media only in old tank water.
There's a 'sticky' post at the top of the newbie forum that explains the nitrogen cycle - probably much better than I have :)
 
I have been keeping a close eye on tooldud's threads, since I am going through the exact same thing. a few days ago my amnonia readings magically disapeared overnight which was a total relief to me, but now I am battling with high nitrite readings. I am going on my 6th week of cycling. I have been doing 50% water changes everyday, and I have gotten the nitrite readings down between .25 and .50 (it had spiked to 5.0). My nitrAtes are not quite 0, but not quite at 5. What I am wondering is how long is it going to be before the NitrIte finally goes down? Is their anything else I can do to help my fish through this? I have been adding around 1/4 tsp of salt to the water I put in. Temp. is at 80. Sorry Tooldud for barging in on your thread. Hope your cycling goes better. Keep us posted! Your not alone.

My tank BTW is 29 gallon
holding 3 dwarf goarami's
3 cherry barbs and
5 Giant Danios
 
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