Nitrite issue

[Rghfor]

I have issues with nitrite . My tank crashed about 3 weeks ago due to anaerobic bacteria I believe. I have removed the sand from my tank and added seachem stability but no neater what nitrite seems to stay at 0.1 or above. The tank is 5x2x2 filtered with a fx5 . It's only stock is 3 pearl geos and 3 red hook dollars . I change 50% water weekly

Any advice on how to get the nitrite to 0?

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Add BB bottle to speed up the cycle, you don't have enough BB to convert Nitrite to Nitrate, it will take sometime, or ask someone or LFS give you some old filter pad (make sure its from a healthy fish tank though)

 

[Rghfor]

Add BB bottle to speed up the cycle, you don't have enough BB to convert Nitrite to Nitrate, it will take sometime, or ask someone or LFS give you some old filter pad (make sure its from a healthy fish tank though)

Been dosing stability for the last week . I'll carry on

 

[souzie]

If you haven't already done so, add aquarium salt immediately. It'll reduce the toxicity of the nitrites while you're waiting for your tank to stabilize.

 

[Beetlebug515]

Can you give more detail on the tank crash? I would wager that by removing all of the substrate in your tank, you removed the majority of the beneficial bacteria that convert Nitrite to Nitrate. Also, I have not had much success with stability. My go to bottled bacteria is Brightwell Aquatics microbactr7.

 

[Beetlebug515]

Also, .1ppm Nitrite isn't that bad. I'm not saying it's good, but it's far from a lethal amount. I see no real need to take drastic measures at this point. One more question, what's in your fx5?

 

[Rghfor]

Also, .1ppm Nitrite isn't that bad. I'm not saying it's good, but it's far from a lethal amount. I see no real need to take drastic measures at this point. One more question, what's in your fx5?

Mixture of k1, bio balls, ceramic media

 

[Rghfor]

Can you give more detail on the tank crash? I would wager that by removing all of the substrate in your tank, you removed the majority of the beneficial bacteria that convert Nitrite to Nitrate. Also, I have not had much success with stability. My go to bottled bacteria is Brightwell Aquatics microbactr7.

Stability has been effective in the past for me . I doubt I removed the bacteria as nitrite was present as well as ammonia which is how I detected the crash . It's possible I suppose though

 

[Beetlebug515]

K1 and bio balls perform poorly in a canister filter due to their low surface area. I would start to phase them out of your filter and replace them with ceramic media, matrix, or lava rock. You removing beneficial bacteria isn't a possibility, it's a certainty. The bacteria that live in our tanks live on the surface of objects. They live on the tank walls, decor, filter media, substrate etc. The small grain size of most aquarium sand means that there is a massive amount of surface area to harbor these bacteria and often makes up a large part of your bio filter. That being said, the problem isn't the Nitrite now, the actual problem is what caused the tank to crash to begin with. If you don't fix that problem, it could happen again. Can you give more tank parameters? Ph, hardness, and original stocking would help.

 

[Rghfor]

K1 and bio balls perform poorly in a canister filter due to their low surface area. I would start to phase them out of your filter and replace them with ceramic media, matrix, or lava rock. You removing beneficial bacteria isn't a possibility, it's a certainty. The bacteria that live in our tanks live on the surface of objects. They live on the tank walls, decor, filter media, substrate etc. The small grain size of most aquarium sand means that there is a massive amount of surface area to harbor these bacteria and often makes up a large part of your bio filter. That being said, the problem isn't the Nitrite now, the actual problem is what caused the tank to crash to begin with. If you don't fix that problem, it could happen again. Can you give more tank parameters? Ph, hardness, and original stocking would help.

Tanks crash was in my opinions caused by the sand and anaerobic bacteria pockets in it then Popping . Orginal stock was the same . Ph is 7.2 ish . Gh/kh I have no idea on but I know it's hard as I live in a hard water area.