Nitrite problems.......help please!!

S

stukatz

Stukatz
Mar 17, 2005
8
0
0
45
toronto
Im still kinda new at this Aquarist thing, im trying to learn as much as possible but im going on to a month now and im putting in alot of effort, i just dont want anything to go bad..

i have a 39g freshwater tank i started off my tank with a 1 week cycle,
i tested the water and brought it in to the pet store to get the water checked and they said i was ready to populate my tank,
i started off with 2 red spotted copella tetras and 2 golden white cloud minnows.
2 weeks after that i added 4 angel fish and 2 days later ive been haveing water fluctuations like crazy and yesterday i had water hardness at 250 so i did a 25% water change and everything was ok but then a day later my nitrite is up at 1.0 what do i do??? im worried about my fish....
please help!!!!!!!!!!
 
What you really ought to do is return the fish and actually cycle the tank before obtaining the residents.

I don't know what you're referring to with a "1 week cycle", but that certainly wasn't enough time to cycle a new tank. When you tested your water, what readings did you get for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate (and what are the same readings from your tap)?

In the meantime, add 2 tsp of salt to your water. It'll help prevent methemoglobinemia in your fish in the interum.
 
Your tank isnt cycled, the period of the first week isnt a cycle, its just to get the bacterial blooming going. YOu have added too many fish at once (4 angels) and those will outgrow your tank askwell.

Do daily water changes no less than 25%, try 40 or 50% every day untill the nitrites have gone.

Got test kits? Yes? cool post your results. No, Get them.
 
misprint sorry i meant 2 weeks

after 2 full weeks i tested my water at
nitrate - 0
nitrite - 0
hardness - 120
alkalinity - 120
ph - 7.6

and i forgot to mention i have 2 plants
 
You should probably do about a 50% water change right away to get the nitrites down. Here is a great article describing what cycling means and how the nitrogen cycle works. Your tank was not cycled in a week unless you used bio spira, and the addition of new fish to a tank in the cycling process is headed for disaster unless you know what to do. Understanding this process will help you in the future. For now, I would suggest the water change, and to condition your new water with amquel plus, which will neutralize any ammonia or nitrites present in your tank, so your fish will not be stressed during this process, but it will allow your tank to continue to cycle. You will probably be doing a lot of water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrites down to safer levels for your fish. Make sure you also have a good test kit which contains the 2 part ammonia test, and nitrates. I would recommend the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals master test kit. Big Al's has it for $11.99.

Master Test Kit
 
stukatz said:
just got the amquel plus ill let u know how it goes
Click to expand...

Do you have an air stone, after using Amquel plus youll probably see that they will gasp for air at the top, as it takes oxygen out of the water i beleive.
 
i dont have an airstone but....

i dont have an air stone but i have a biofilter (penguin 170) i believe that provides more than enough oxygen.

doesnt it??

I was told about a product called CYCLE by nutrafin, is it a good product as apposed to amquel plus
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom