Nitrites high, parrots dying - Help please!

[nasomi]

I cycled my tank for 2 weeks before adding fish. Added a pleco first, then 2 blood parrots, then 2 firemouths. Now, my nitrites are high, 5ppm. My parrots are gasping and not doing well, all other fish are doing fine. Is there any way to correct this quickly to avoid their death? Or should I put them in my 125g until the 75g is under control? They're looking really bad

I should note, ammonia is low, nitrates are 20ppm, i had been doing the nitrite test wrong

If the problem is poor bacteria growth, what if I took my rena xp3 off my 125g and put it on my 75g, then hooked up my spare rena xp3 to my 125g which still has the marineland 350, that way it can cycle the bacteria in the 75g.

 

[Carefree_Dude]

daily water changes till the cycle is finished

 

[nasomi]

How much? Tap water isn't a viable option for me, I have to use my RO unit, but my water pressure is low, so the most I can get out of RO is 10-12gal per day.

 

[Carefree_Dude]

ouch. I would recommend 50% daily. but, that looks like it will be hard. I think seachem prime will make the nitrite be less harmful.

 

[stephcps]

I would do what you said with the rena!!! Just watch your other tank.

 

[jcardona1]

How did you 'cycle' your tank for 2 weeks? Ammonia shouldn't be 'low', it should be zero, just like nitrites. What that tells me is that you added fish without the tank being cycled. I would start doing large daily water changes, add Seachem Prime to detoxify ammonia/nitrites, and add Seachem Stability per the instructions to cycle the tank.

 

[aclockworkorange]

How did you 'cycle' your tank for 2 weeks? Ammonia shouldn't be 'low', it should be zero, just like nitrites. What that tells me is that you added fish without the tank being cycled. I would start doing large daily water changes, add Seachem Prime to detoxify ammonia/nitrites, and add Seachem Stability per the instructions to cycle the tank.

Agreed.

 

[Oscarum monstruoso]

Why not add some seed in a bottle?

 

[nasomi]

Ammonia is zero, sorry. I filled the tank with 50% tap 50% distilled, ran the filter with 3 anubias and 2 java ferns. My other tank has nitrites at zero, ammonia zero, and nitrates less than 5ppm(colors are somewhere between 0 and 5). I'll drain 30gal, fill with my 10gal of RO i have on hand, and start feeding hte tank RO. I can dose with seachem prime, i don't have nor have ever used stability, but i can get some if necessary.

 

[jcardona1]

Ammonia is zero, sorry. I filled the tank with 50% tap 50% distilled, ran the filter with 3 anubias and 2 java ferns. My other tank has nitrites at zero, ammonia zero, and nitrates less than 5ppm(colors are somewhere between 0 and 5). I'll drain 30gal, fill with my 10gal of RO i have on hand, and start feeding hte tank RO. I can dose with seachem prime, i don't have nor have ever used stability, but i can get some if necessary.

Sorry but your process did absolutely nothing to cycle the tank. The cycling process started when you added the fish, and seems like your smack dab in the middle of the cycle. Seachem Stability is what you really need, as it will start to seed your filters with bacteria.