NitrIte spike!
 

Ugh!

Just do a water change, right? Only, I measured my tap water and it's 0.5ppm in nitrIte. So is my new tank. For 24 hours the level hasn't changed. I've always tested water before a change so I never knew the tap water had nitrIte in it until now. So I don't know if this is new in the tap water or not.

Ammonia is 0, nitrAte is 10ppm. This is a new cycled tank with filter media from my old tank in it (that tank was up for 10+ years with all of the fish that are now in the new tank).
I found this during routine testing. Outwardly, the fish are coping well.

I tested my 5 gallon which is several years old and it's at 0 for nitrite. I guess the newer tank isn't ready to cope with the nitrites from fish and the water.


How much of a pH swing can the bacteria handle? normal pH is 7.6-7.8. I added CO2 a week ago which brought it to 7.2.

I feel kinda trapped. I can't do a water change or else it introduces more nitrite. It's a big tank and I can't buy enough water to make a dent in the nitrItes.

I decreased their feedings. Anything else to do?

You can get a water conditioner that detoxifies nitrite. It will likely still show up on tests but should be rendered nontoxic until it can be processed by the bacteria. Seachem's Prime detoxifies nitrite.

Another solution for you may be to get your water elsewhere (i.e. buy it at a wine making store or something like that) to ensure that you are getting water that does not contain nitrites/nitrates/ammonia. Of course that can become a bit of a hassle in itself. I'd say that if your fish are coping well, don't change anything.

Does this still allow the bacteria to develop?

Yep, your tank will still build up the beneficial bacteria, with the use of Prime.