# Nitrites



## UgLy_eLf (Feb 26, 2005)

I got my water tested today, and was told the nitrites are fairly high. NOW, aren't nitrites only supposed to be in the water if the tank isnt finished cycling?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

yes, and no... your tank can experience mini cycles. If something throws the chemistry off, such as a dead fish, or a massive dieoff of algae or the bacteria. Did you add any new fish as of late?


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## UgLy_eLf (Feb 26, 2005)

Whew, thanks for clearing that up for me. There was a dead guppy in the tank for a week, I hadn't noticed it died because it was so small. A few days ago I did a water change and disposed of it, along with a few dead snails.

No new fish have been added.

However after the last water change, yesterday, I had an otto die, he was breathing heavily, and died by the end of the day. The other fish (this is a dwarf puffer tank) the dwarves, other ottos, and feeder guppies seem to be doing fine, I am keeping an eye out for any suspicious behavior.


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## UgLy_eLf (Feb 26, 2005)

However, I need to add this:

This is a new tank. I set it up at the end of Feb, and early beginning of March. 
I cycled it with, 2 gold fish, gravel from my already established tank (5 yrs and running) and poured waste water from the already established tank into the new filter of the new 10g I set up. I added the puffers about two weeks ago.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

yeah sounds like a mini cycle... do some water changes and you should be fine.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

This is incorrect. NitrAtes are present when a tank is cycled. NitrItes are part of the cycling process. They are very toxic to fish. Even more toxic to fish than ammonia.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Nitrite results from either :

Ammonia being converted to it via nitrifying "good-guy" bacteria in the presence of oxygen,
OR
Nitrate being reduced to it by "bad-guy" bacteria in the absence of oxygen. This actually happens all the time, but the amount of nitrite produced is so miniscule that you won't detect it.

A dead guppy in the tank for a week could certainly result in a tiny little spike of nitrite for a very short time, but I think the biggest problem here is finding out what is killing all these fish. Of course, it's probably not cycled yet at this early stage anyway.

They were breathing heavily, you say?

Well, there are numerous things which can cause rapid breathing in fish followed by death, but the two main ones are disease and nitrite.

Nitrite kills by bonding to hemoglobin, very much in the same way carbon monoxide does. Nitrite poisoning results in heavy respiration as the fish suffocates.
The pH of the water makes no difference, unlike the way it affects ammonium/ammonia toxicity.

In saltwater tanks, nitrite isn't a problem. The chloride ions in the water inhibit nitrite's ability to bond with hemoglobin. You might think that this wouldn't matter much in the body of the fish, but it does. The addition of a little salt to a freshwater tank experiencing nitrite problems usually helps the situation quite a bit. In case you ever wondered why catfish farmers dump lots of salt in their ponds a few weeks after dumping in the fish, this is why.

Since I doubt the goldfish and puffer are getting along anyway, remove the goldfish and add a teaspoon of salt for every two gallons. This should get you over the rough spot until your tank is fully cycled, and then in two weeks you can do a big water change to get things back to normal again.


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## UgLy_eLf (Feb 26, 2005)

The goldfish are long gone, I got rid of them as soon as I added the puffers. Is this aquarium salt you're suggesting I add or marine? I'd be hesitant in using marine salt in a dwarf puffer tank they're pretty fragile.

The feeder guppies I would suspect are either getting attacked by the puffers, and dying, or as you mentioned the nitrites are killing them.

I never witnessed a guppy death because I'd wake up and they were at the bottom of the tank.

The otto that died recently however, I did witness because I did a water change that day, and after I was finished I noticed him on the side on the tank by the rocks, I pushed him around he swam a bit, but he always ended up in the same spot after I came back, he died later that day.

I'm going to go get my water tested again tomorrow, and will probably move the last otto out of the tank he is being harrassed by my puffers, I guess the guppies can go too.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Make sure your tapwater doesn't have nitrite in it!

Any salt will do as long as it's non-iodized.

Puffers...fragile... THERE'S two words you rarely see in the same sentence. 1/2 teaspoon per gallon isn't much, but cut it in half again if you want to.

Did you say GET your water tested?
Buy a test kit, silly. Sometimes you can't wait for the petshop to test it.


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

i suggest buying a test kit as well. in case of dire emergencies. our lfs charges you a dollar everytime they test, so if you ask me, those dollars ad up, and i can test when i want, not on the fish stores schedule!


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## UgLy_eLf (Feb 26, 2005)

Did a few water changes, cleaned out the filter, went to get the water tested again, all is well.

What's a good test kit to buy, and easy to use? I can be pretty dopey...


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

i suggest the aquarium pharmacuticals freshwater master test kit, or something in the liquid form. The quick dip tests tend to be a little off and can expire quickly, especially if the container gets moisture in it


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## Mr Aquarium (Jan 18, 2005)

What I have learned in water changes,
First off, try to get the temp as close as you can to the tank temp,
Never Add water to your tank untell you add your decloranater stuff, I use a 5g bucket to do my w/c's and I add it to the bucket and stir it up pretty good and leave it set for a min, 
Then I don;t just dump it in there, I take my time and pure it in slow, may take me a couple minutes to dump it all in.
Another good Idea I have found, Never clean your filter when you do your w/c, let that go for a day or two after, Unless your running more then one filter, then you can do one when you do the w/c and the other later on or rotate them every week like I did when I have two on my 75g.
One other thing I do, I only vac the gravel that i can get when I take out the water from the tank, I do 15g a week, so i can get allot of my tank but not all of it.
I lost a danio and almost a second one of them plus almost lost and angel after a w/c a couple months back, so I started sticking to the plan and have not had any kind of worrie what so ever.
That Is how I do my w/c's and tank maint.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

When I do water changes I add my water extremely slow  but instead of holding the bucket or whatever over the tank for 10-20 minutes, I got some of those water jugs (hold about 2.5 gallons) with the air hole on the top. I fill them half 2/3 of the way, then take the cap off, add dechlorinizer, and then just prop it over my aquarium and let it drizzle out of the air hole.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

My theory on water changing is to make it as easy as possible, so you will not dread doing it as much. I just fill the tanks directly from the garden hose ( adjust temp. of course ) and pour the dechlor. in as I go. Works for me.


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

ron v @ Fri Apr 01 said:


> My theory on water changing is to make it as easy as possible, so you will not dread doing it as much. I just fill the tanks directly from the garden hose ( adjust temp. of course ) and pour the dechlor. in as I go. Works for me.


We use the python!


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Aquarium pharmaceuticals is what i use, i like it the best of the different ones i have tried thusfar. and MUCH better than the crappy less accurate dipstick thingamadealies you can get. Pure rubbish.


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