# Nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia levels



## sharkbait (Feb 14, 2010)

I have an established 30g tank that has been running for around 3 months. One week ago i tested the water and the ammonia was at 0, nitrite less than .25 and nitrate about 2.5. I had 2 balloon mollys die  so i checked the levels again. Ammonia still 0 but nitrites around 5.0 and nitrates abhout 7.5. I havent added any fish and dont have live plants in this tank. No water changes have been done since last checking. What would casue this spike considering the tank has already cycled and how do i get the nitrite levels down. Dont want to loose any more fish.
Thanks,


----------



## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

What kind of filter do you have?
What is your maintenence schedule? (How and How often do you clean your filter/tank)

Your tank is not cycled. and if you've had nitrIte readings for 2 weeks now, something is still off. 

Beneficial bacteria multiplies quickly under proper conditions. So the problem should have cleared up on its own by now.


----------



## sharkbait (Feb 14, 2010)

I do 1/4 water changes every week and test the water before each water change. When I do the water changes i use Nutrafin Aqua Plus tap water conditioner. I use an aqueon HOB filter that is rated for up to 50g and its on a 30. Would you reccomend a larger one? Would this help with the levels? Since this spike 2 days ago i did a 50% water change and today I did a 10% water change. Should I keep doing water changes or just let the tank "cycle again"?


----------



## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

first, i would suggest getting a completely different filter. 
cartridge style HOB filters are just not manufactured with biological filtration in mind. your best bet is to get a non-cartridge HOB or a smaller canister. this alone will greatly improve your current situation. so if its in your budget, id definitely look into that.

currently, you are well into a "fish in" cycle. this means you will have to keep an eye on your water parameters daily and WC as necessary. if you have any ammonia or nitrIte readings, do a WC. assuming there is still *some* bacteria in your system, this will help promote healthy growth.


----------



## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Shark, have you ever tested this tank and found both ammonia and nitrite=0? If this tank has not cycled completely in 3 months something is wrong and we need to figure it out. The other possibility is that it has "lost" cycle for some reason. Either way, you are going to have to suffer through another cycle or mini cycle, as aspects said. I disagree about the new filter. While another filter is not a bad thing, I don't think it will speed up your cycle unless your aquarium is way overcrowded.


----------



## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

I never said a second filter would speed up the cycle. I'm not sure where you even for that ridiculous idea. 

a proper biological filter will help ensure your tank holds its cycle during cleaning and maintenence. 
not only are cartridge style HOB filters expensive to maintain because you constantly have to buy replacement filter cartridges (which add up *quick*), but because you're constantly replacing these cartridges, you are removing a good portion of the beneficial bacteria from your system each time, stalling of stunting the cycle.

a simple solution would be to add an air powered (or powerhead) sponge filter. Sponge filters offer good biological filtration but the downside is the aesthetics (and lack of mechanical filtration). If you don't mind the look of a big sponge filter in your display, it can be a cheap and easy solution. 

However, I would suggest just upgrading your current filter to something that offers both mechanical and biological filtration, and doesn't require expensive replacement cartridges. 
Big Al's (I believe) is having a sale on AquaClear70 power filters. They usually cost around $50-60, but they're in sale for $19.99. I don't know how long the sale is, so I would suggest jumping on it quick. 
These filters use a coarse filter sponge for mechanical media (which can simply be squeezed out and put back into the filter), and uses professional bio-media (bio-max) to hold your bacteria. During WC/cleaning/maintenence you don't have to worry about throwing out your bacteria. 


Another good option would be a canister filter. But these tend to be a little more expensive. Canisters offer great biological filtration and quiet operation. If you shop around you can probably get. Good price in an eheim calssic, fluval (2 or 4 series), or a smaller Rena filstar. 

It really depends on how much you're willing/ able to spend, and what you want out of your filter. 

the only thing that will speed up your cycle at this point is to get some matured media from another tank. If you, or a friend have another tank to borrow media from, that would be great. If not, maybe your LFS would be willing to donate some. This will add more bacteria to the system and help speed up the process.
However... The next time you replace your filter cartridge, you're going to potentially end up right back in this same position. This is why I suggested changing the filter before I went on to mention how to go about your "fish in" cycle. 

Do you have a liquid master test kit? Or are you using paper test strips to test your water parameters.


----------



## sharkbait (Feb 14, 2010)

I use the drops not the strips and at one time both readings were 0. I will probably go out and get a canister filter today but wont that just make my cycle longer? In the tank right now i have 4 cherry barbs, 4 glofish, 5 tiger barbs, and i had 2 small rainbow sharks. I moved the rainbow sharks to a tank i set up a week ago becasue the water is a lot better. It is showing .25 nitrite, and 0 ammonia with a small amount of nitrate already. I know these reading arent perfect but they are a lot better than the other tank. My tank is still showing over 5.0ppm on nitrite. How long will this "cycle" take before i can re-add the rainbows. Hopefully it is before the other tank starts to cycle.


----------



## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

adding the canister will not increase the time it takes to cycle if you run them both.
The other option would be to cut the filter floss away from the cartridge in your current filter and add it to the canister. This will transfer whatever bacteria is in the HOB over to the canister. 

As far as how long it takes, there is no way to know for sure. It depends on how much bacteria is already colonized in your system. A new cycle will take 4-6 weeks, but yours should take less than that if there is already bacteria in your filter. 
You will need to test and possibly PWC your tank daily until its ready.


----------



## sharkbait (Feb 14, 2010)

Was it a good or bad idea to move the sharks? I believe the other fish are supposed to be hardy and should withstand the cycle i think. I put a penguin 150 in it and was able to remove the filter pouch thing from the old filter and put it with the new system. The new filter is supposed to do 150gph so it will cycle the water 5 times per hour. It has spots for 2 filters so if i only change 1 at a time will that be enough media so my tank wont re-"cycle"?


----------



## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

You moved the sharks from one uncycled tank to another, so it really doesn't make any difference. If they're by themselves, it might make for a slightly lighter bio-load in the tank, but you will still need to do daily PWC. All you really did was create more work for yourself because now you have to do daily PWC on 2 tanks instead of one. 

Keep up with testing/ WC, and get that canister and. You will be fine. The problem will sort itself out with time.


----------



## sharkbait (Feb 14, 2010)

Tested again and nitrite is 5 ammonia is 0 and nitrate is about 40. I did a 25% pwc again and added prime and the levels didnt change at all. On average how long have your guyses nitrite spikes lasted? Mine has been going on for about a week now.


----------

