Help please!

[lasvegasnights21]

Hi Everyone.

I have african cichlids, and need some help with nitrite problems. I did a test last week, my nitrite was 0. Woke up this morning, and two of my breeder cichlids died. I checked the nitrite, and it is off the chart-above 3.0. How can I get it to go down?

I just did a water change.

Thanks so much in advance!!

 

[CichlidsRool]

Hi Everyone.

I have african cichlids, and need some help with nitrite problems. I did a test last week, my nitrite was 0. Woke up this morning, and two of my breeder cichlids died. I checked the nitrite, and it is off the chart-above 3.0. How can I get it to go down?

I just did a water change.

Thanks so much in advance!!

water change is good dont feed them for about two days,that is how i do it and it works for me.good luck

 

[junglej]

Yup, BIG water change.

 

[junglej]

But what concerns me more is, Why did they die to begin with?

 

[CichlidsRool]

But what concerns me more is, Why did they die to begin with?

after 25+years later i asked same question my self "why", nitrite is the number one killer my friend and i hate it,its killed many of my babies...

 

[lasvegasnights21]

I am not sure, i did the test last week and the test and all my fish were fine. these two fish were the only ones i have lost in over a year.

 

[CichlidsRool]

I am not sure, i did the test last week and the test and all my fish were fine. these two fish were the only ones i have lost in over a year.

did you over-feed them if not change you filter make sure its clean...

 

[junglej]

yes i do understand this, nitrite should not be an issue if reg. water changes are performed, though. I test all of my tanks weekly, and the only time I've ever had any sort of nitrite reading is when my son dumps food in the tank, or if a fish dies from being beat on. I keep a log of my readings on each tank and can go back almost three years w/o finding any nitrite reading on most of my tanks.

 

[junglej]

but, i do 50-75% water changes on all of my tanks at least weekly, if not twice weekly. this may have something to do w/that

 

[1974Pantera]

What substrate do you have? Are you thoroughly vacuuming the substrate. You could be over feeding or don't have enough filtration for the size or stock of your tank.

If you have an established tank with an UG filter, you will always be fighting nitrate spikes unless you syphon water from underneath the plates.