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Need Help with Nitrite Levels!!!

977 views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  beaslbob 
#1 ·
Last weekend I finally took the plunge and switched from all gravel with fake plants to a dirted/ planted set up! I'm super happy with the look (except for the tanins from the driftwood used... despite having soaked it for a month ahead of time--- but that's another issue :))

I have been testing for an ammonia spike constantly and so far (thankfully) nothing. But today I did another test on the other levels and the Nitrates were really high (around 80). To remedy that I did a large water change (40%) and checked again. The Nitrates went down to around 40 (I only have the test strips not the drops so there's a little more guess work involved) but the Nitrites were the same (right about 10), if not slightly higher (they might have been 0.8 the first test)! So then tested my tap water (with declorinater in it) and it tested @ 1.

So obviously my tap water has nitrites in it. I wondered if it's the home filtration system we use but I still don't know what to do about it. Help Please!!! :cry:
 
#2 ·
live plants will consume any ammonia first then nitrates second. Therefore no ammonia is due to the plant action. It is also very common to have an initial nitrate bump especially with organics like your soil providing nitrates which the plants ignore while consuming ammonia for nitrogen. As the tank matures the nitrates will jump down because the bacterial has built up and is then consuming the ammonia and the plants the nitrates.

On nitrItes, my solution is to stop adding any food until they jump down to unmeasureable levels. In fact I don't and any food for the first week because when I used to feed that single first fish, it would die on the 5th day just like clockwork. But with no food being added it has always lived.

my .02
 
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