ACK! Nitrite spike caused by feeding Pleco Mango!

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shaggbark

shaggbark

The rare and Elusive....Ninja Cod
Feb 12, 2007
651
0
0
50
Hopewell Jct. NY
I just did a routine PWC this AM. My params were ...

Amm = 0
Nitrite = 0
Ph = 7.2
Nitrate = 0 (yes 0)

I noticed my common "begging" at the front glass. I sliced him a small amount of mango and clipped it in the tank and he was very happy. An hour later I noticed a few fish gasping at the surface and my clown loaches were "panting". I did a water check, everything was as above but the nitrites were .50! The only thing that changed was adding the mango. Last time I had a nitrite spike I had mango in there as well. I am no chemist but placed a tiny amount of mango in a the water test tube and added the nitrate test, it went to hot pink right away.

I had read that plecos love mangos in the wild and that it was aquarium safe. I figure that I had better mention this since a few weeks back several AC members said that they would try mango as well.

What do you think guys?
 
shaggbark

shaggbark

The rare and Elusive....Ninja Cod
Feb 12, 2007
651
0
0
50
Hopewell Jct. NY
DOH!

I am no chemist but placed a tiny amount of mango in a the water test tube and added the nitrate test, it went to hot pink right away.
Click to expand...
I meant to say when I added the Nitrite test the mango and water turned to hot pink right away. :duh:
 
kj5kb

kj5kb

KEEPER OF CATS, FISH AND CATFISHES
Mar 1, 2007
1,513
1
38
58
Spring Hill Kansas SW of Kansas City
Real Name
Don
I have a 75 with GF and a common pleco...I feed a slice of squash/cuke/zukes, 2-3x per week and a ~1x6" slice of watermelon rind ~ 1x per week...no probs so far...both get DESTROYED by both pleco and GF quite quickly.

Not sure what would be THAT different with mango? sugar content?
 
shaggbark

shaggbark

The rare and Elusive....Ninja Cod
Feb 12, 2007
651
0
0
50
Hopewell Jct. NY
Maybe, because I feed him all kinds of good stuff without any problems, onlythe mango seems to cause a problem and of course, it's his favorite!
 
wataugachicken

wataugachicken

The Dancing Banana
Jul 14, 2005
5,451
1
0
Charlotte, NC
mango trees are sprayed with potassium nitrate to increase flowering (and therefore the yield). once the fruits appear and start to grow a lot, they are wrapped in bags to protect them from bugs. maybe the nitrates soak into the fruit during that time.
 
J

Johnnyr

AC Members
Nov 15, 2006
181
0
0
Lets narrow it down...put in mango skin only, or just mango with no skin and do a test to see what you get. (not in your tank, but in a test water bowl or something)
 
C

cichlidcichlid

AC Members
Jun 15, 2006
893
0
0
I have had this problem too so i feed them less of it and only on the day i do a water change so that way it can do hatever it wants to the water and i will change it.

every thing else seems to be ok though!
 
12 Volt Man

12 Volt Man

AC Members
Feb 11, 2007
2,651
1
36
Ontario Canada
take tap water in the test tube check the nitrite. It should read zero.

then take tap water + mango peice and check nitrite.

its the only way to tell.

I would be very surprised if the mango caused the spike though.

It would be almost impossible from a chemical standpoint for a little slice of mango in a tank to cause a concentration spike from zero to 0.5 mg/L that quickly.

Are you sure the "zero' reading the first time was correct?

what size tank is this?
 
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