ammonia and nitrite levels?!?!?! HELP!!!

burtoncb47

burtoncb47

Large Fish
#1
Nov 12, 2006
245
0
0
Southern CA
#1
ok i just got home from school and i found my male GBR had died :' ( this was my favorite fish so i just tested my water and the ammonia is about .25 and the nitrites are i think are 1.0 are these nitrites extreme i mean is this what killed my fish and will a wc take those levels down

also yesterday i added a piece of drift wood to the tank i soaked it in really hot water before i put it in cuz i heard thats what ur supposed to do and i also added a couple corys and an amazon sword would any of these things killed my GBR????
PLEASE HELP!?!?!?!?!
JJ
 

FroggyFox

FroggyFox

Forum Manager
Moderator
#2
May 16, 2003
8,589
10
38
42
Colorado
#2
I'm sorry for your loss :(

Can you give us some more information about the tank? Is it the 55g in your signature? How long has it been running? is it finished cycling or has it just started? When was the last time you did a water change?

Nitrites of 1ppm are not necessarily extreme, but definitely stressful and can be deadly for a sensitive fish like a GBR. I would do a nice big water change tonight and see if you can get those levels as close to 0 as possible. If they are not at 0 because this is a new tank and was not cycled then I suggest you get some biospira to help cycle the tank asap or you will lose more fish. If they are not at 0 because of a heavy bioload or dirty substrate then you ought to take more care doing water changes and gravel vaccuming.
 

burtoncb47

burtoncb47

Large Fish
#3
Nov 12, 2006
245
0
0
Southern CA
#3
k well yes it is the 55 and it has been up and running for about 3 weeks. all levels have been good every time ive checked up until now. ive been doing water changes every three days. do u think that the nitrites are what killed my GBR? and yes i will start doing larger WC's and get some biospira. thx for your help i really appreciate it!!!! this tank is my life right now and i dont know what id do if i lost more fish!?!?! im really trying to do the best i can to make this tank perfect for them!!!! thanks again
 

burtoncb47

burtoncb47

Large Fish
#5
Nov 12, 2006
245
0
0
Southern CA
#5
there were fish in the tank when it was cycling i had three tiger barbs in there and when all the levels evened out i gave the tigers away and started adding new fish and now there was a jump n nitrites all of a sudden???!!!
 

MissFishy

MissFishy

Superstar Fish
#12
Aug 10, 2006
2,237
5
0
Michigan
#12
As I said when you bought all those fish...the GBR's will be the first to go. They really need to be in a completely cycled tank. Buying bio-spira at this point will not help since there is already ammonia in your tank and that will kill the bio-spira if you add it. If you want the rest of the fish to live...you need to increase the amount of water changes, making sure to dechorinate and match water temps each time. The goal is to keep ammonia and nitrites as low as possible, if you are just now starting to get readings, that means the tank may have just started cycling. Sometimes tanks take 1-2 months to completely cycle, sometimes even longer...that's why we suggested fishlessly cycling so you wouldn't have all these issues.
 

FroggyFox

FroggyFox

Forum Manager
Moderator
#13
May 16, 2003
8,589
10
38
42
Colorado
#13
MissFishy said:
Buying bio-spira at this point will not help since there is already ammonia in your tank and that will kill the bio-spira if you add it.
Click to expand...
That is not true. All that needs to happen is a large water change so that there are no nitrites or ammonia in the tank and add the biospira immediately. It will help immensely.
 

Grumpy_Marine

Grumpy_Marine

Large Fish
#15
Oct 18, 2006
741
2
0
Oceanside California
#15
Burton... i have 29 gallon i cycled with fish... it took nearly a month to complete my cycle. You have 55 gallon up for three weeks, it is not cycled yet. If it was cycled you would have seen a spike in levels starting with ammonia then change to nitrate then change to nitrites. The best advice i can give you is to do a W/C whenever the readings cross the 1.0 ppm or 2.0 ppm levels on anything until all readings are 0 except nitrites. When ammonia is 0 and nitrates are 0 and nitrites are above 0 your tank is cycled. I am sorry about the GBR but as MissFishy said it is a fussy fish needs good water conditions. Sinceyou already have the fish in the tank, best advice is W/C and pray they make through the process. I would not buy new GBR until you are certain the cycle is complete.
 

Grumpy_Marine

Grumpy_Marine

Large Fish
#17
Oct 18, 2006
741
2
0
Oceanside California
#17
I forgot about the driftwood...

Did you buy driftwood at LFS? treating with just hot water won't kill germs. you need to either boil the wood to treat it or soak with bleach. There is Guide in MFT that explains why you must do this in detail. I boiled my driftwood for three days at 6-8 hours a time. and soaked overnight.
 

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#18
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
9
0
47
Florida
#18
Grumpy_Marine said:
If it was cycled you would have seen a spike in levels starting with ammonia then change to nitrate then change to nitrites...When ammonia is 0 and nitrates are 0 and nitrites are above 0 your tank is cycled.
Click to expand...
Tsk...tsk...
I think you got nitrites and nitrates mixed-up. ;)

Big Vine
 

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