I had my aquarium set up for about a month with a gobby dragon, 2 sword tails, and some feeder goldfish from cycling the tank. 5 days ago some friends told me that they were going to flush their fish because they had coudln't keep them and had no where to take them so of course I took them. This added 4 clown louches, 4 red tail barbds, and 6 bali sharks to my tank. It is a 65 gallon tank with two penguin 170 bio wheel filters, 1 submerged filter with charcol and filters. Since adding the new fish my nitrite (NO2) has spiked and I have have tried everything I can think of to bring it down. I have changed 25% of the water although the pet shop said I would get rid of good bacteria by doing this I still did it because it is my understanding that the bacteria lives in the filters, gravel, etc. I feed the fish twice a day and they eat everything I put in within 5 mins. anyone have any suggestions? I am not sure if the tank is overcrowded and this is why the lvls jumped or what is going on. Thanks in advance for input
Question about Nitrate and Nitrite
- Thread starter MPaulley
- Start date
since adding the new fish you've increased your bioload significantly and what you're seeign is a mini-cylce. Basically with the additions your bacteria are working to catch up (which is why you're seeing nitrites right now), and if you give it some time you'll see those numbers drop again.
Do plenty of water changes to keep the nitrite number down while the mini-cycle finishes and you should be fine until those fish outgrow your tank and then you're in trouble (those are a lot of fish that need more room than you have right now). fro mwhat I can tell if you aren't overcrowded already you will be before too long.
interesting fact: water changes don't affect your bacteria colonies. they live in gravel and filter media. your LFS guy was BSing you.
Kudos for saving the fish though. I don't like people who will just flush live fish because they can't keep them anymore. it's unhumane and it illustrates how people don't look at fish as pets, but rather as "accessories" if you know what I mean. :thm:
Do plenty of water changes to keep the nitrite number down while the mini-cycle finishes and you should be fine until those fish outgrow your tank and then you're in trouble (those are a lot of fish that need more room than you have right now). fro mwhat I can tell if you aren't overcrowded already you will be before too long.
interesting fact: water changes don't affect your bacteria colonies. they live in gravel and filter media. your LFS guy was BSing you.
Kudos for saving the fish though. I don't like people who will just flush live fish because they can't keep them anymore. it's unhumane and it illustrates how people don't look at fish as pets, but rather as "accessories" if you know what I mean. :thm:
It's good you saved some fish, but you might want to start looking for some new homes for the balas, they get huge. One of them will get to big for your 65g... Perhaps you could sell some of them back to the lfs? Just a thought...
Cathy
Cathy
Reduce your feedings down to once a day until your tank recycles, I only feed my fishes once a day anyway.
Stay on the water changes as everybody notes. You didn't note the exact levels, but hold back on the feedings, daily or every 12 hrs of around 30%, ease back to daily or every other day as you see nitrates rise with ammonia/nitrite staying at 0. Wok hard at lowering the population.
The real corrective problem for the population is a nice new 250 gal tank.
Thanks for the rescue!
The real corrective problem for the population is a nice new 250 gal tank.
Thanks for the rescue!