Bringing Down The Nitrites...

[sly2kusa]

I have had my freshwater tank going for a little over 2 months. It has it's Ammonia spike - mad fish death, but was using feeder Gold Fish and Guppies during this period. Then it had a mad brown algae bloom (so I scrubbed it off).

Now I am having to endure the Nitrites, and it has been hanging around 0.50 to as low as 0.25 for about a month now.

Here's my setup:

90g all glass aquarium
2 - Emperer 400's (Biowheels)
Approximately 75 pounds of gravel at bottom
Temp is constantly at 66 to 68 degrees (cold by my apartments AC)

The fish I have are 4 Tiger Muskies (sports/game fish), and one black plecos (Algae Eater). The water has been getting clearer and clearer since the 4th of July, but Nitrites are still high (I test the water every Monday and Friday at my local pet store).

I bought some of the Algone pillows, but decided not to go with them as it may only hault the current spike, and not truly neutralize it. The Muskies go through anywhere between 2 to 5 dozen feeder guppies a day, and there are also about 12 cray fish in there right now, and one last remaining Chinese Algae Eater (they ate the others - these guys eat everything).

Any thoughts? I realize with the bio-load these guys put out it may just be a matter of time, but how long is going to be too long for them to be in Nitrite rich water?

Much thanks in advance

 

[watermelon]

Bio Spira, if you can get that, it will bring your nitrites down...When you put it in, dont change the water or nothing and watch as the nitrites go down..It might take a couple of days or a week but it will bring it down..I had good results with bio spira in terms of cycling a tank..

 

[echoofformless]

Not to be a a flame dragon; but doing a fish-in cycle is cruel in itself, not to mention the fact that you seem to be treating these fish, however feeders they may be, as though they're not even living creatures. Hardly the sort of behavior I like to see in someone who wants to keep aquariums.

Now while it's a good thing that you're not using them to cycle your tank anymore, it's even worse that you have your mainstay fish living in a tank that isn't fully cycled.

And by the combination of the creatures and the looks of your wording, I question whether you even have a good idea of what you're doing.

You want my advice? Do some serious water changing. That will help keep the nitrites down while the tank gets its cycle going. You should also keep in mind that if you are going to keep the tank at a relatively low temperature, the cycle takes longer as the bacteria are responsive to heat. Bio-Spira is certainly a good idea as well.

 

[khombre]

Hmm, normally I would do a water change everytime there's a nitrite reading is greater than 0. Bio-spira will do a great deal in helping with your on-going cycling. But at your current rate, please do some water changes. Good luck to you

 

[joylynn]

First, you should probably get your own test kit and test daily, then change water any time your nitrites register over .25. You need a little nitrite in there in order for the bacteria to establish. When I was setting up my tank I had nitrites that were ridiculously out of control even after 50% daily water changes. I finaly started doing back to back 50% changes (remove 50%, re-fill, then remove 50% again) with effectively reduces the nitrites by 75%. I had to do those two or three days in a row to finally get the problem under control.

 

[LunchBox]

:OT: so not to sound like a jerk, but do you know tiger muskies get to be 40+ inches long? a 90 is going to be outgrown by 1 of those let alone 4. do what you will, though

back on topic though, adding live plants can help control your nitrites a little in addition to the good water change advice already given

 

[DeRo316]

I would raise the water temp to 75 and keep doing water changes.

 

[jm1212]

i agree you should probably get your own test kit and do water changes, its the best for the tank.

 

[sly2kusa]

Not to be a a flame dragon; but doing a fish-in cycle is cruel in itself, not to mention the fact that you seem to be treating these fish, however feeders they may be, as though they're not even living creatures. Hardly the sort of behavior I like to see in someone who wants to keep aquariums.

Now while it's a good thing that you're not using them to cycle your tank anymore, it's even worse that you have your mainstay fish living in a tank that isn't fully cycled.

And by the combination of the creatures and the looks of your wording, I question whether you even have a good idea of what you're doing.

You want my advice? Do some serious water changing. That will help keep the nitrites down while the tank gets its cycle going. You should also keep in mind that if you are going to keep the tank at a relatively low temperature, the cycle takes longer as the bacteria are responsive to heat. Bio-Spira is certainly a good idea as well.

Sorry my grammar doesn't meet your standards for a posting, but I was in a rush when I posted.

I'm double sorry to know that you find it "cruel" to use Guppies as a feeder fish. What else should I do? Let the Muskies eat their own fecal matter? They are an Apex Predator Sports/Game fish that I am raising for a buddies ranch pond that has a small fish problem right now. I got them towards what I thought was the end of my tanks cycle only to find that the Nitrites did not come down in time upon their arrival. Novice? You are right, but please get off your self-righteous rant.

Regardless - thanks for your input, and sorry to know that you don't understand what a food chain is.

 

[sly2kusa]

First, you should probably get your own test kit and test daily, then change water any time your nitrites register over .25. You need a little nitrite in there in order for the bacteria to establish. When I was setting up my tank I had nitrites that were ridiculously out of control even after 50% daily water changes. I finaly started doing back to back 50% changes (remove 50%, re-fill, then remove 50% again) with effectively reduces the nitrites by 75%. I had to do those two or three days in a row to finally get the problem under control.

I've read and heard about frequent water changes doing good for the tank, and have been planning to do so now since the beginning of July. However - my guy down at my local pet store barked at me to "leave the water alone right now - you need that bateria in there until the Nitrites go down by themselves".

I've read all about what Nitrites do to the Kidneys and Liver of fish, but my guy has said that as long as it's not for a greatly prolonged period - they will be ok. Keep in mind - these are Tiger Muskies - not your normal aquarium fish. They are tough as nails, and normally reside in - ummm - our wonderfully clean waterways in the Northern US and Canada.

I plan to do a 5 to 10 percent change in water every week, but again - the advise was to wait until they go down naturally, and then about 2 weeks after that - start doing my weekly water changes.