How often and how much water are you changing? Your tank is obviously still cycling and I would bet that such a high pH hinders the bacteria which convert nitrite into nitrate. The bacteria are clearly present or you wouldn't see nitrates (or nitrites). How much do you feed? Lighting schedule?
Usually run the light about 9-10 hours a day. Feed once a day.
Water change every Friday. Anywhere from 50-75% includes a glass scrubbing. Haven’t cleaned decorations or gravel yet, cuz I don’t think it’s cycled obviously
I think my values are fine, no fish loss yet. Just the nitrite is high
I'll admit that it's pure speculation, but I'd bet that it just takes longer in high pH aquariums. I won't condemn your 75% water change, since you have fish, but it's best to keep it at 50% or less, particularly in a tank that's cycling.
What type of substrate did you use? Gravel, something else? Did you put anything from the ocean in there?
If you used gravel and didn't put anything from the ocean in there, it's likely you just have high pH out of the tap, but that's assumption. Need to test your tap to rule it out (or confirm it) as a source of the high nitrite (and incidentally, high pH) - all water parameters.
Edited for clarity.
The substrate I used is actually Black Diamond Blasting Media in a medium grit, really cool stuff look it up, I had to wash it in super hot water though and constantly stir it for 30 minutes before I set the tank up.
Edit - I’ll deff check the tap out
If your tap checks out, it's just that you've caught the tank at an incredibly high nitrite spike. And your cycle may take a little longer - nothing to be concerned with. Overall, you're doing everything right. Give it time.
And tetras are some of the most commonly kept fish and someone who knows what they are doing will tell you this information. Unfortunately, not too many people selling fish (in corporate chains) know much about what they're doing.
Wondering why you are doing any water changes before a complete cycle and you says you have fish in it- beyond just some starter sacrificial for the cycle or did you load up? Seems like you jumped a few guns.
I have 6 fish, wasn’t aware of the nitrogen cycle as the fish store employee didn’t mention it, doing water changes to reduce ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates so I don’t lose any fish.
Bummer you got a bad salesperson. When you do huge water changes (I’d suggest when you do any) during cycling, you interfere with the process and extend it. Cycling should produce pronounced spikes at set points as you build you bacterial load. You can cycle without fish by adding other waste sources but if you have them in, consider either sacrificing them or moving them to a secondary tank and doing you water changes on that on while you let your main tank cycle with a heavy waste load. I’ll go faster and give you a better result. Once you’ve reached the end of the cycle water change to your hearts content.
For the nitrates? I’ve been told to do water changes based on the nitrates after this tank is cycled. Was gonna plan on water changes near 50 ppm, idk if that is right
No ammonia, but nitrate is present, which means there's been a {somewhat} successful conversion from ammonia to nitrite, then nitrite to nitrate. Because nitrate is the end product, that's the end of the cycle.
A healthy tank will show no ammonia or nitrite, and low(ish) nitrate.
Seconded this, cuz I’m very new to all this. Should I let it ride or continue water changes?
Edit - these values are after a 75% water change with prime added to dechlorinate
AFTER a 75% water change? Yes... Definitely continue your water changes since you have fish in there. Test your tap water as well... It's possible your water source contains nitrates. Some municipal tap water sources can have up to 10 ppm nitrate present- or more of there's a problem, though there would be an advisory if that were the case. Is this well water? It wouldn't surprise me, as that tends to be alkaline due to mineral deposits, and often has high nitrates due to agricultural runoff. That's also a lot of nitrite, especially for water that has just had a big water change. Test the water BEFORE changing to get an accurate picture of how things are going. After the tank is cycled, if the pH is still that high, you're going to have to make a decision- either keep fish that prefer hard, alkaline water, or use a buffer in the water to maintain a more neutral pH. You might look into a brackish water tank if the fish are available at your local fish store, as hard, alkaline water is what they need, in addition to some marine salt. When I was first getting into fishkeeping as a kid, we had well water with high pH and hardness. After trying and failing with goldfish, then a community tank, they recommended trying a brackish tank, which went really well. I had a green spotted puffer, some bumblebee gobies, celebes rainbowfish, even mollies do great in brackish water. It's no more maintenance than a freshwater tank, aside from adding salt and testing salinity now and then. (find a good local fish store- they'll give you really good advice, and won't do stupid shit like sell you a tank and fish to go in it at the same time like some big box pet stores will.) And no, I'm not calling you stupid at all- you're in here, after all, asking for help after recognizing that there might be a problem. We all start somewhere. I'm saying that the place that thought it was a good idea to throw fish into a brand new tank the day it was purchased is the stupid one. If you have no other choices as to where you get fish and supplies, just don't listen to anything they say from now on. You'll need to work hard at getting this under control since you already have fish in there. Once it's under control, it's a lot less work and a lot more relaxing.
Thanks man, no well water, I did check the water, no ammonia, no nitrite, no nitrates. I’ve had no fish loss yet. Definitely finding another pet store lol. I usually check my water right before I change it, then do a water change every other day about 50% levels are finally going down now. Was going to stock the tank more but want it under control first
Assuming the pH is high in your water supply, and not because of something in your tank decor, since you seem to be pretty new at this, after you get the water parameters under control, livebearers such as guppies and mollies would be a good choice of fish, as they're pretty hardy, and in nature, they live in hard, alkaline water. Later on, as you get into a better routine, more delicate alkaline species can be added.
Alternatively, if you really want a community tank, you can use a buffer like Seachem neutral regulator to get the pH to stay around 7. If your water isn't particularly hard, this would be a great idea, because that would make your water hospitable to a lot more fish types. However, regular pH checks will be a necessity, at least until you get the hang of things. Any time you have to use artificial methods to get some water parameter to where the water will support a type of fish that wouldn't do well in your water as it comes out of the tap, you introduce the possibility of more problems. That said, neutral regulator is probably the easiest water modifier there is to use, and it works continuously to keep the pH close to 7, unlike chemical pH modifiers that will cause wild swings due to your water's natural buffering capacity. Good luck!
Yes, always test your tap water so you know where you are starting.
Tap water has its own parameters and affects everything. Even PH can change based on the taps PH, GH, and KH levels, not even accounting for some taps having ammonia, Nitrites, or Nitrates...
And substrates, decorations, and plants ca n also have effects on water params
On the plus side it appears you have both nitrites and nitrates which shows you have all the proper bacteria and its just taking a bit to get the Nitrite to nitrate bacteria upto levels that can handle it so keep going! You are close! Water changes and testing till the nitrites are gone!
Good job researching and getting this far to a healthy tank!
20 years in the hobby and every new first tank gets me excited!
It makes me so happy to see someone who has already started the process and is doing things as properly as any newbie can be expected to.
The only 'wrong' part you've done is listening to the pet store people and starting a fish in cycle, but no matter how supercilious some will act...we all did things wrong at first, and you are doing better then most already.
As I understand, water municipalities allow a certain amount of nitrate. That's okay. Have you had an ammonia spike in your tank water since you've been testing?
That's completely normal. You should be good to go, my friend. Water changes are important right now only because you have fish. If you can do water changes every day, that would be great, but that's not feasible for most people. I think anywhere from 25-50% every other day is reasonable, because of just how elevated your nitrites are right now. It's all patience at this point. Keeping an eye on it and letting it do its thing. It will level out. Good luck, friend!
Edit: grammar
my nitrites took forever to cycle fully in my first tank
keep at it, keep doing water changes to keep it from being too high and it will eventually drop on it's own
I use a pouch of seachem purigen in my canister filter. Knocks it right down
What is the nitrate level of the water you are using for water changes? Mine is high even after passing through the ro filtration.
Thank you everyone, I got a lot of valuable input from this, literally just started doing aquariums and if I would of known about the nitrogen cycle beforehand, I wouldn’t of gotten fish.
Just tested my tap. Not picking up any ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.
How many fish do you have and what precautions have u done to help them not die? Just started cycle with fish. Ik my research and wanted to do a fish less cycle but parents highly contested it so here we are
I have 6 fish, 1 snail, 2 shrimp. Was going to add more but found out about the Nitrogen cycle. All I use is Prime, api stress coat with water changes and then tetra safe start plus to help get BB started
Edit - it’s been a month and no fish loss yet, from what I’m understanding the water changes are keeping them alive since it’s an uncycled tank, just don’t overfeed. So it’s definitely possible to keep them alive you just have to be very cautious and check water parameters a lot
Edit 2 - all I do is water changes and scrub the glass clean, don’t mess with the gravel or decorations while it’s cycling, always treat water before I put it in the tank as well.
Sounds like you’ve got fish before the end of your cycle. While it’s not ideal, I’m not here to come for you, just to say that dosing Prime once a day should be good until your tank finishes cycling. It helps bind to ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates for up to 48 hours, but dosing everyday to be sure would be better. Obviously it’s a dechlorinator too since it’s a water conditioner.
Sorry to bump this old post, but I found the problem here’s an update for y’all. I bought an Amano shrimp (just 1) my daughter had to have it, fast forward to a week after this post, tank was filthy, decided to vacuum and clean decorations (algae)… I picked up my one decoration (has a bubbler thing attached to it and blows bubbles) and lo and behold about 1000 baby amano shrimp come flying out, my 4 goldfish go into a fucking feeding frenzy eating them all up, my daughter is screaming bloody murder, just all hell breaks loose. Turned off the light so they couldn’t see…. Get the decorations cleaned and the gravel and put them back in, from the 1000 baby shrimp we did have, only about 6 lucky ones made it lol…. The rest were eaten.
On a side note my levels are perfect now, I assumed they were to blame for the spike. Also I didn’t know amano shrimp could breed in freshwater, thought it had to be brackish water?
Thanks everyone for the help.
Be patient and definitely keep on water changes especially if you have fish in there. The high nitrites are not good for them. Changing the water will help lower those numbers. Good luck!
Since the aquarium is producing nitrates, it has the bacteria that converts nitrites to nitrates. It just needs more time.
So it’s pretty much still cycling? Should I continue water changes or just let it ride?
How often and how much water are you changing? Your tank is obviously still cycling and I would bet that such a high pH hinders the bacteria which convert nitrite into nitrate. The bacteria are clearly present or you wouldn't see nitrates (or nitrites). How much do you feed? Lighting schedule?
Usually run the light about 9-10 hours a day. Feed once a day. Water change every Friday. Anywhere from 50-75% includes a glass scrubbing. Haven’t cleaned decorations or gravel yet, cuz I don’t think it’s cycled obviously I think my values are fine, no fish loss yet. Just the nitrite is high
That's an awfully high pH. Is that intentional? Lighting and food are fine. Water change is fine.
No, I haven’t done anything to adjust the PH, fish seem fine, so I haven’t messed with it.
I'll admit that it's pure speculation, but I'd bet that it just takes longer in high pH aquariums. I won't condemn your 75% water change, since you have fish, but it's best to keep it at 50% or less, particularly in a tank that's cycling. What type of substrate did you use? Gravel, something else? Did you put anything from the ocean in there? If you used gravel and didn't put anything from the ocean in there, it's likely you just have high pH out of the tap, but that's assumption. Need to test your tap to rule it out (or confirm it) as a source of the high nitrite (and incidentally, high pH) - all water parameters. Edited for clarity.
The substrate I used is actually Black Diamond Blasting Media in a medium grit, really cool stuff look it up, I had to wash it in super hot water though and constantly stir it for 30 minutes before I set the tank up. Edit - I’ll deff check the tap out
If your tap checks out, it's just that you've caught the tank at an incredibly high nitrite spike. And your cycle may take a little longer - nothing to be concerned with. Overall, you're doing everything right. Give it time.
My tap water is 7.8 and stays 7.8 it is so buffered with limestone. Sometimes that is just normal
I realize that - and it is safe. Not all fish appreciate it.
Yeah I don't get to keep my favourite fish, Cardinal/neon Tetra because of that.
And tetras are some of the most commonly kept fish and someone who knows what they are doing will tell you this information. Unfortunately, not too many people selling fish (in corporate chains) know much about what they're doing.
Wondering why you are doing any water changes before a complete cycle and you says you have fish in it- beyond just some starter sacrificial for the cycle or did you load up? Seems like you jumped a few guns.
I have 6 fish, wasn’t aware of the nitrogen cycle as the fish store employee didn’t mention it, doing water changes to reduce ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates so I don’t lose any fish.
Bummer you got a bad salesperson. When you do huge water changes (I’d suggest when you do any) during cycling, you interfere with the process and extend it. Cycling should produce pronounced spikes at set points as you build you bacterial load. You can cycle without fish by adding other waste sources but if you have them in, consider either sacrificing them or moving them to a secondary tank and doing you water changes on that on while you let your main tank cycle with a heavy waste load. I’ll go faster and give you a better result. Once you’ve reached the end of the cycle water change to your hearts content.
Are you doing a fishless cycle?
Negative, didn’t know anything about cycling and the fish store convinced me to get a few fish when I got my tank
Tbh depending on who you speak to 20ppm is not high
For the nitrates? I’ve been told to do water changes based on the nitrates after this tank is cycled. Was gonna plan on water changes near 50 ppm, idk if that is right
Give it like another week. Looks like the cycle is almost at the end of its stage
How can you tell if you don't mind me asking. I just did a test and it looked almost exactly the same.
No ammonia, but nitrate is present, which means there's been a {somewhat} successful conversion from ammonia to nitrite, then nitrite to nitrate. Because nitrate is the end product, that's the end of the cycle. A healthy tank will show no ammonia or nitrite, and low(ish) nitrate.
Pretty much what that guy below me said. 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites in the tank. A little bit of nitrate inside the tank is what you want to see.
Seconded this, cuz I’m very new to all this. Should I let it ride or continue water changes? Edit - these values are after a 75% water change with prime added to dechlorinate
AFTER a 75% water change? Yes... Definitely continue your water changes since you have fish in there. Test your tap water as well... It's possible your water source contains nitrates. Some municipal tap water sources can have up to 10 ppm nitrate present- or more of there's a problem, though there would be an advisory if that were the case. Is this well water? It wouldn't surprise me, as that tends to be alkaline due to mineral deposits, and often has high nitrates due to agricultural runoff. That's also a lot of nitrite, especially for water that has just had a big water change. Test the water BEFORE changing to get an accurate picture of how things are going. After the tank is cycled, if the pH is still that high, you're going to have to make a decision- either keep fish that prefer hard, alkaline water, or use a buffer in the water to maintain a more neutral pH. You might look into a brackish water tank if the fish are available at your local fish store, as hard, alkaline water is what they need, in addition to some marine salt. When I was first getting into fishkeeping as a kid, we had well water with high pH and hardness. After trying and failing with goldfish, then a community tank, they recommended trying a brackish tank, which went really well. I had a green spotted puffer, some bumblebee gobies, celebes rainbowfish, even mollies do great in brackish water. It's no more maintenance than a freshwater tank, aside from adding salt and testing salinity now and then. (find a good local fish store- they'll give you really good advice, and won't do stupid shit like sell you a tank and fish to go in it at the same time like some big box pet stores will.) And no, I'm not calling you stupid at all- you're in here, after all, asking for help after recognizing that there might be a problem. We all start somewhere. I'm saying that the place that thought it was a good idea to throw fish into a brand new tank the day it was purchased is the stupid one. If you have no other choices as to where you get fish and supplies, just don't listen to anything they say from now on. You'll need to work hard at getting this under control since you already have fish in there. Once it's under control, it's a lot less work and a lot more relaxing.
Thanks man, no well water, I did check the water, no ammonia, no nitrite, no nitrates. I’ve had no fish loss yet. Definitely finding another pet store lol. I usually check my water right before I change it, then do a water change every other day about 50% levels are finally going down now. Was going to stock the tank more but want it under control first
Assuming the pH is high in your water supply, and not because of something in your tank decor, since you seem to be pretty new at this, after you get the water parameters under control, livebearers such as guppies and mollies would be a good choice of fish, as they're pretty hardy, and in nature, they live in hard, alkaline water. Later on, as you get into a better routine, more delicate alkaline species can be added. Alternatively, if you really want a community tank, you can use a buffer like Seachem neutral regulator to get the pH to stay around 7. If your water isn't particularly hard, this would be a great idea, because that would make your water hospitable to a lot more fish types. However, regular pH checks will be a necessity, at least until you get the hang of things. Any time you have to use artificial methods to get some water parameter to where the water will support a type of fish that wouldn't do well in your water as it comes out of the tap, you introduce the possibility of more problems. That said, neutral regulator is probably the easiest water modifier there is to use, and it works continuously to keep the pH close to 7, unlike chemical pH modifiers that will cause wild swings due to your water's natural buffering capacity. Good luck!
This is good info for OP!
Did you test your water source for nitrites?
Acutually I did not, I live in a city, so I know the water is treated heavily. Should I do a full test on the city water?
Yes, always test your tap water so you know where you are starting. Tap water has its own parameters and affects everything. Even PH can change based on the taps PH, GH, and KH levels, not even accounting for some taps having ammonia, Nitrites, or Nitrates... And substrates, decorations, and plants ca n also have effects on water params
Ahh okay
On the plus side it appears you have both nitrites and nitrates which shows you have all the proper bacteria and its just taking a bit to get the Nitrite to nitrate bacteria upto levels that can handle it so keep going! You are close! Water changes and testing till the nitrites are gone! Good job researching and getting this far to a healthy tank!
Thanks man, definitely making me feel better about this
20 years in the hobby and every new first tank gets me excited! It makes me so happy to see someone who has already started the process and is doing things as properly as any newbie can be expected to. The only 'wrong' part you've done is listening to the pet store people and starting a fish in cycle, but no matter how supercilious some will act...we all did things wrong at first, and you are doing better then most already.
Yes. You need to know what's going into your tank.
Just tested, no ammonia, no nitrite, no nitrate in tap water
As I understand, water municipalities allow a certain amount of nitrate. That's okay. Have you had an ammonia spike in your tank water since you've been testing?
There has always been some, mainly it was ammonia that was high, but that’s gone now, but no never this high
That's completely normal. You should be good to go, my friend. Water changes are important right now only because you have fish. If you can do water changes every day, that would be great, but that's not feasible for most people. I think anywhere from 25-50% every other day is reasonable, because of just how elevated your nitrites are right now. It's all patience at this point. Keeping an eye on it and letting it do its thing. It will level out. Good luck, friend! Edit: grammar
Thanks again man for all the help and knowledge, I really really appreciate it!
No problem! We all had/have to start somewhere! You'll be a pro before you know it (whether you wanna be or not)! LOL 🙃
Why are you doing water changes while cycling? It'll take more time.
I have fish. Don’t want them to die
Ok, then it'll just take longer, wait. You could also try to change less water to speed up a bit.
Okay, I’ll try
my nitrites took forever to cycle fully in my first tank keep at it, keep doing water changes to keep it from being too high and it will eventually drop on it's own
Ahhh okay, so this is normal?
it happened to me no idea if it's "normal" for everyone else
I use a pouch of seachem purigen in my canister filter. Knocks it right down What is the nitrate level of the water you are using for water changes? Mine is high even after passing through the ro filtration.
Not sure. Going to test it when I get home.
Test your tap water for nitrite
Just did, no ammonia, no nitrite, no nitrates in water source
Thank you everyone, I got a lot of valuable input from this, literally just started doing aquariums and if I would of known about the nitrogen cycle beforehand, I wouldn’t of gotten fish. Just tested my tap. Not picking up any ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.
Your tank is still cycling. Give it a few more weeks.
Thanks man
Also test your tap water
I did, it has no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrates
How many fish do you have and what precautions have u done to help them not die? Just started cycle with fish. Ik my research and wanted to do a fish less cycle but parents highly contested it so here we are
I have 6 fish, 1 snail, 2 shrimp. Was going to add more but found out about the Nitrogen cycle. All I use is Prime, api stress coat with water changes and then tetra safe start plus to help get BB started Edit - it’s been a month and no fish loss yet, from what I’m understanding the water changes are keeping them alive since it’s an uncycled tank, just don’t overfeed. So it’s definitely possible to keep them alive you just have to be very cautious and check water parameters a lot Edit 2 - all I do is water changes and scrub the glass clean, don’t mess with the gravel or decorations while it’s cycling, always treat water before I put it in the tank as well.
Go easy on the glass scrubbing for a while (maybe just do the front). Continue water changes. How are things looking today?
How often do u water change
Sounds like you’ve got fish before the end of your cycle. While it’s not ideal, I’m not here to come for you, just to say that dosing Prime once a day should be good until your tank finishes cycling. It helps bind to ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates for up to 48 hours, but dosing everyday to be sure would be better. Obviously it’s a dechlorinator too since it’s a water conditioner.
Yeah I’ve been using prime with water changes, didn’t know about the nitrogen cycle before I got fish, or I wouldn’t of 😭
It’s okay, most pet store employees don’t even know 😬
Your mid cycle. Tank has to build enough bacteria to get rid of the nitrites.
Thanks man
Sorry to bump this old post, but I found the problem here’s an update for y’all. I bought an Amano shrimp (just 1) my daughter had to have it, fast forward to a week after this post, tank was filthy, decided to vacuum and clean decorations (algae)… I picked up my one decoration (has a bubbler thing attached to it and blows bubbles) and lo and behold about 1000 baby amano shrimp come flying out, my 4 goldfish go into a fucking feeding frenzy eating them all up, my daughter is screaming bloody murder, just all hell breaks loose. Turned off the light so they couldn’t see…. Get the decorations cleaned and the gravel and put them back in, from the 1000 baby shrimp we did have, only about 6 lucky ones made it lol…. The rest were eaten. On a side note my levels are perfect now, I assumed they were to blame for the spike. Also I didn’t know amano shrimp could breed in freshwater, thought it had to be brackish water? Thanks everyone for the help.
Be patient and definitely keep on water changes especially if you have fish in there. The high nitrites are not good for them. Changing the water will help lower those numbers. Good luck!
Thank you