0
What can I do to make the High levels of ammonia and nitrite go down?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
When there are ammonia & nitrites in your tank, it means that your tank is not fully cycled. When it is fully cycled, you will begin to see some nitrates, but this also needs to stay under 10ppm.
While your tank is cycling, make sure that you do a 50% water change every week, more if your tank is over-stocked, too small, or not enough filtration.
Also, when you add new water to the tank, make sure that you add the recommended dosage of water conditioner such as Prime or Amquel+
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What compound is most toxic to freshwater fish?
Fish waste includes ammonia (NH3), which breaks down into nitrites, then nitrates. Both in your store and at customers' homes, freshwater fish aquariums should be closely monitored for levels of these three waste products. Ammonia should test at zero in established tanks with sufficient nitrifying bacteria. However, ammonia can rise to very high concentrations in new tanks or when too many fish are added. Levels should be carefully monitored in new tanks and after adding fish, particularly in smaller tanks where waste can concentrate faster. Nitrite (NO2) and nitrate (NO3) should be monitored closely. Ammonia is broken down into nitrite, which is less toxic but still dangerous to fish at high levels. Nitrite is then broken down into nitrate by another type of bacteria, completing the nitrogen cycle. Nitrite generally is detected in only new tanks (during the initial phases of establishing nitrifying bacteria colonies) and when new fish are added. In established tanks, nitrite levels should test at zero as it breaks down into nitrate. Nitrate will accumulate in the aquarium over time but can be kept at safe levels by frequent partial water changes.
Your Betta fish goes crazy whenever you look at him in his tank swims up down around fins get big what does this mean?
Panic type jerky behaviour is often indicative of high ammonia and/or nitrite levels in the fishes water. It could also be that something else is wrong. I would start off by doing a few large water changes and see if he settles down.
What cycle occurs in the aquarium?
Nitrogen Cycle occurs in the aquarium.Fish produce ammonia which is toxic. In a well established aquarium, Some beneficial bacteria will break down the ammonia into nitrite, and a second species of bacteria will break down nitrite into less harmful nitrate. The whole process of converting ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate is called nitrogen cycle.Although, only well established fish tanks have this nitrogen cycle going normally.For new aquariums, fish keepers must do fishless nitrogen cycle before they add any fish at all, or the fish will risk dying to ammonia poisoning due to insufficient amount of good bacteria. The whole fishless nitrogen cycle process can take 6~8 weeks.
How many fish can fit in a gallon?
I wouldn't put any fish in a tank that small, but if you can keep it really clean and the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate down, a Betta is a pretty good choice
Hi what acid does fish flake food give off when you leav it in the tank thanks?
It doesn't give off any kind of acid. What happens to the flakes is bacteria start to form on them to break them down (This is called going rotten or decomposing) It is when these bacteria are working that ammonia is formed. Ammonia is a deadly poison not an acid. A filter is used to house aerobic (good) bacteria that will break down the Ammonia into NitrIte (which is still poisonous) and then it breaks the NitrIte down into NitrAte which is relatively harmless. This Nitrate can then be used up by the plants living and growing in the fish tank. When this is all working correctly in an aquarium it is refered to as a "Balanced Aquarium".
Why bottle of ammonia is cooled before opening the seal?
Ammonia is a gas. It is pressurized and cooled to liquify
How does fish poop help photosynthesis?
It doesn't do so directly. The poop breaks down and creates ammonia and mulm. This ammonia is deadly poisonous but nature has contrived to fix it by converting it into Nitrite and then to Nitrate by using naturally occurring bacteria in the environment and the 'cycled' filter. The plants can then use up the nitrate and mulm as they photosynthesise and grow.
What is a normal ammonia level?
Ammonia, which is a nitrogen based compound, is typically broken down in the liver, and may be elevated in any kind of liver dysfunction. Normal levels are from 0 to 40 micromol/L.
How do you lower nitrite and nitrate levels for a newly set-up African cichlid tank also what are the optimum hardness and alkilinity levels for said tank?
The only safe way to lower Nitrite levels is to have a properly cycled filter doing the job bacteriologically for you. As far as keeping the resultant Nitrates down that can only be achieved by either using them up by growing plants or changing heaps of water every week. Recommended levels. pH around 8.5 to 9. GH more than 20 ppm
Would there be bacteria in a aquarium?
There should and probably will be bacteria on EVERY hard surface in the tank such as the Decorations, Substrate and Glass. Also there is bacteria in the Filter as it breaks down the toxic bacteria in the water. these bacteria remove toxins for fish that can kill them ammonia, nitrite and nitrate
What does tank cycle mean?
If you refer to the cycle of an aquarium, it means a nitrogen cycle. Fish produce ammonia as natural waste, and it is toxic which will harm and kill themselves. In those well established tanks, good bacteria are in sufficient number to break down ammonia into nitrite, then convert nitrite into nitrate which is much less harmful. New fish tanks do not have enough of these beneficial bacteria. Thus, experienced fish keepers will do a nitrogen cycle before they add any fish at all. The safest and the most popular way to cycle a fish tank these days is to cycle the tank without any fish. It is called Fishless Nitrogen Cycle. In a Fishless Nitrogen Cycle, the best and fastest way to do it is to use pure ammonia. You just need to keep a constant source of ammonia on daily basis and wait for the bacteria to grow into sufficient number. The whole process can take over a month. You will need a water test kit for the fishless cycle. Once your test kit reads 0ppm for both ammonia and nitrite after you have added ammonia on the same day, your fishless nitrogen cycling has completed.
12 feeders goldfish in a 29gal tank high nitrites how do you get it down?
Well first off 12 feeder goldfish in a 29gallon tank is way too many goldfish. That's where the problem lies; there are too many goldfish in the tank therefore they produce way more ammonia than the biological filter was ready for. What happened was the bacteria colony of nitrosomas grew and converted the ammonia into nitrite. Unfortunately the other type of bacteria; (nitrobacter) have not yet formed or were somehow killed off by salt or medications. This causes a spike in nitrite, here's what I recommend doing to lower the amount of nitrite in your aquarium:do severall large 50% water changes each day that the amount of nitrite stays highadd 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per five gallons of water to prevent nitrite gill damage of the fishdo not feed the fish (goldfish can typically last a whole week without food before they begin to starve, one of the advantages of being "cold-blooded)Get a bigger tank! each fish needs a minmum of 10 gallons to thrive
