Ay-yiii... nitrite spike

[mr white]

I've looked around the board but couldn't really find anything to help me, otherwise I wouldn't be posting. My ammonia had recently gone up, so I stopped feeding (stopped Friday, began today, Monday) for three days and did a couple water changes. Now my ammonia is a-okay (at 0) but my nitrites have rocketed. I've been doing water changes every day and adding double doses of Cycle to my 20 gallon (as it says in the test kit booklet) but it doesn't seem to be helping. I wonder if it'll take longer than the three days it's been since the spike to get it to go down at all, or is this problem not being corrected? I hear that nitrite spikes after ammonia ones are common. My LFS owner told me to do the three day no food thing, and that worked for the ammonia... just wondering if there's anything else I can do to rectify this nitrite situation? Also, what do high nitrites do? My fish are all acting fine, luckily. Any and all help is appreciated! If you need any more info, just ask!

[brett_fishman]

1. have you removed/replaced any filter media or gravel?

2. have you added any new fish prior to your ammonia spike?


i dont think the cycle will help any, it might even make it worse...adding more chemicals to the water...

cycle doesnt do much compaired to PRIME or Bio-Spira...maybe you should get some PRIME, it will really help!! it detoxifies ammonia and nitrites..making the spikes safe for the fish..

-brett.

[mr white]

1. no
2. no again

the booklet said if my nitrites were above 0.3 mg I should do a 20% water change and add a double dose of Nutrafin Cycle. I don't even know if either of those are available to me here. Also, I read AMMO-LOC 2 can help, but my LFS owner told me that it will detoxify ammonia and nitrites (depending on which you used it for) but my test kit will still record high readings up to 2 weeks later, at which point the ammonia or nitrite could be toxic again and I wouldn't know if it was detoxified or new and toxic. And I suppose the products you mentioned would have the same effect?

[brett_fishman]

1. PRIME is made by seachem, you may have a 'dealer' near you..
it is a dechlorinator, and it also detoxifies ammonia and nitrates, along with heavy metals in your tap water (metal piping)

2. Bio-Spira is a cycling agent, but i dont know the company...
it is essentially 'bacteria in a bottle' just like cycle 'claims' to be...but this is really bacteria..you can use it to cut down on cycling times, it just makes the media and gravel colonize with bacteria quicker...

and, if your nitrites are above...0.3mg..per liter?? i guess that makes sense, i was thinking of nitrates..haha

-brett.

[mr white]

hahaha yes, I suppose I should have specified! 0.3 mg/L is the meausrement. Thanks very much for your help! Unfortunately the only two places I can purchase fish supplies is Pet City and Wal-Mart. I have no way of getting to Petcetera in St John's though. It's 5 hours away. I guess I'll continue on with the water changes and talk to my LFS owner about Cycle and if it can help. Thanks again!

[brett_fishman]

water changes are your friend to get toxic chemicals out of your water...as long as your tap water is toxic...

-brett.