Advice When Nitrites Won't Go Down

[DBArndt]

I bought my first tank this spring. I have a 16g tank I started in early April. I cycled it with two platies for about a month and watched the tank go through the nitrogen cycle while I did daily water changes to keep the numbers down. Things stabilized with 0 readings for ammonia and nitrite with weekly changes for 3 weeks. I added 3 sterabi corycats and a bottle of tetra safe start as I was trying to avoid another full cycle. Tank parameters stayed constant with nitrite and ammonia at 0 for 3 weeks with weekly water changes of ~30%. Then last week of June my nitrite spiked. I have been doing daily 25% to 50% water changes to get the numbers down. I am waiting to see the nitrite tail off but it is still at least 2.0 and maybe as high as 5ppm. This will 2 1/2 weeks of this as of today.

I use big Al's brand water conditioner and let my water sit for at least 24 hours before use to make sure chloramine is gone. I am careful to not over feed and don't vacuum the gravel during water changes.

Am I downing something wrong or is this just the cycle. Should I add something to keep my fish safe. I realize that is a bit late. THANKS for your help.

[geleen]

Looks like a cycle, smells like a cycle, must be a cycle

Chloramines do not evaporate and must be removed with a product like prime. Check if Al's product removes chloramine. If not, there is your problem.

You can buy the right bacteria from either seachem or a hagen product, it is a liquid you add for 7 day's The store will know what it is called, as I do not remember.

I would also start to vacuum the gravel a bit just incase to much stuff has accumulated

Water changes of 70% will not hurt your fish and not feeding for 4-6 day's wont either.

Hope that helps.

[jvision]

The problem with the cheap store brand conditioners is what they don't do after they 'treat for chloramines'. Chloramine is chlorine bonded to ammonia, the cheap conditioners will break that bind and deal with the chlorine, but leave the ammonia free in your tank; so, every time you do a water change with the cheap conditioner, you're adding ammonia - and too much of that will cause your tank to cycle. Ironically, the thing you're doing to try to alleviate the affects of the cycle (WCs), is actually the very cause!

Many of us in AA are big on Prime - it also deals with the ammonia (and even nitrite to an extent) from the chloramine. My advice: throw out the cheap stuff now and go get a small bottle of Prime.

[DBArndt]

Thanks Jason. This makes sense as I have been upping the dose slightly as I thought it might have been a chloramine problem. I had read elsewhere something along the lines of "you need to make sure you add enough to remove the chloramine and you really can't overdose". Seems I may have been counter productive.

Will pick some up tomorrow. As an follow up if was to add another couple platies I would expect another small cycle right? Do you recommend using something like the tetra safe start to try and avoid this cycle?

Thanks for the help. Glad to have finally found this site.

[Ted]

You can also add a product called Stability (I think that is the one that John is thinking of) or get a big filter squeeeze from an active tank to get a boost in the beneficial bacteria in your tank. PM me if you want some from my tank.

Theresa

[SuperGuppyGirl]

Once you start using Prime, having a cycle every time you add fish, shouldn't happen. As long as your not adding a huge amount or adding new fish to a fish less tank once your parameters have stabilized that is.

[laurensdad]

Put a few live plants in the tank it will also help

[cullymoto]

A problem I see is your not vaccing the gravel.... An incomprehensible amount of organic waste accumulates in there in a very short time... Yes gravel is a home to beneficial bacteria so cleaning it too well is a problem but, you will never clean it well enough to kill your bb without exposing it to chlorine or other chemicals. Vac that crap! And vac it good... Better yet, eliminate it altogether .... With discus it is impossible to keep the tank clean enough with gravel in it....bare bottom or no discus as an example. Just saying.

[DBArndt]

Thanks for all the great advice. I picked up some prime today. Nitrites level were below 2.0 ppm today and then did a 70% water change with water treated with prime. Hope to see some positive results in the coming days.

A question: is there a need and/or benefit to letting the water sit for a length of time (24 h +?) or can you fill the bucket, add prime and put it right in the tank?

Thanks again!!

[SuperGuppyGirl]

I have never let water sit, with my WC's I add prime straight to the tank, then start adding water. I have a water change hose (python).

[cullymoto]

Letting the water age causes it to release much of its dissolved co2. This happens over a short period of time whether it ages in your bucket or your tank. As the co2 is released the ph changes, sometimes by a lot. The way to check to see if you need to age water is this;

Fill a glass of water and test its ph right away. Right it down.

Let it sit 24 hours then test that same glass of water again.

If the ph change is small then you don't need to age water. If its around a change of 1 point that's a big change for your fish to endure (twice) with each water change you do.

[DBArndt]

Thanks cully! This makes sense. What is the general consensus for those using Edmonton city water?