I am doing a nitrite test and seem to be getting high readings. I am in the cycle but expected them to have lowered by now. My test kit says it tests total nitrites as opposed to "nitrite-nitrogen" which is 3.3times less. What are ideal levels for total nitrogen?? While were at it what about Nitrates also?
Ideal levels are 0 for ammonia, o for nitrite and as low as possible for the much less toxic nitrate.
Ammonia is much more toxic in alkaline water, nitrite much more toxic in acid. But the presence of either is bad news for fish.
Patience with your cycle. Be aware too that some nitrite tests give false positives if there is high enough nitrate. At least had the decency to tell you what it's testing - all too many ignore that.
Check out this link... http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=116
This is the only review of nitrite tests I've seen. Guess what most of them are hopelessly inaccurate. Ditto ammonia and nitrate. So look for a level of zero, and distrust anything or anyone who claims to be able to be accurate better than +-1
how are you cycling the tank? I know I, among other people, had a problem with the nitrite spike after adding pure ammonia to do a fishless cycle. The only way I was able to lower the nitrite levels was to do several water changes and then start with adding just a few drops of ammonia back to the tank and retest. I theorized that I had added too much initial ammonia at the beginning of the cycle and the bacteria were just having a hard time keeping up eith all the nitrite in the tank all of a sudden. Once the levels were brought down, they stayed down. Kyle
