so after cleaning all that crap at the bottom of the tank now the ammonia level has reached zero. But there was a huge nitrite spike. So i did a large water change. is there anything else to do while the second stage bacteria grow? and how long from now on? my dad wants to add fish but i told him not yet.
nitrite spike, what to do?
- Thread starter tetraboi
- Start date
If there are fish in there already, adding some salt will help the fish deal with the nitrite spike. If you have a healthy tank, introducing a bit more media from it will help the bacteria beds develop--otherwise, it just takes time. And IME, these are the slowest group to establish themselves.
Always use aquarium salt, and before you add it, dissolve it in some tank water. Or be really careful when adding it becuase it will burn your fish if it touches them. I recently had a large nitrite spike in my new aquarium, and the salt really helped. My spike lasted for several days, so be prepared to devote some time each day. Also, do large water changes frequently to keep your fish comfortable, and remember to add the salt when you do that too.
Add about 1 tsp per 5 gallons of water. But keep doing as many water changes as you can to keep that nitrite level below 0.25 ppm. And yes, do not add any new fish until this part of the cycle has leveled off.
And remember that each new fish will lead to more spikes in the cycle so add new fish 1 or 2 at a time and check levels. And more fish only after things have leveled off again.
And remember that each new fish will lead to more spikes in the cycle so add new fish 1 or 2 at a time and check levels. And more fish only after things have leveled off again.