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Question
I tested mi 75 gallon fish tank i discoverd that nitrite & ammonia was very high and i aplied tetra smartstart even though it dosent say it i turned of the filter do you think that was a good idea????

Answer
Hi Daniel,
Without a little more info about your aquarium such as how long its been setup, what kind of test kits you use and water conditioner, how many fish, ect... I can only take a good guess.

Some water conditioners that neutralize ammonia or nitrite cause test results to be false. Most of the time, the label will specify if it will produce false readings and what test kit reagents it is compatible with.

If this is a recently setup aquarium, be very watchful of the ammonia and nitrite level as it is likely to spike very high despite using water conditioners that are supposed to help, even beneficial bacteria supplements. If there is quite a good number of fish present also, even more reason to be concerned.

I would leave the filter running. Its very important for the water to be oxygenated by the filter both for the fishes benefit and the beneficial bacteria's growth as they require a good amount of oxygen as well to function normally and keep the water free of ammonia.

Consider if you might be getting false readings on the test kit. Be very cautious if this tank is a new setup and it hasn't cycled yet --- if so, make sure to test the water daily and do 50% water changes if the ammonia or nitrites are spiking too high and/or the fish seem stressed. Always making sure the replacement water is equal in temp or just a little bit warmer than your tank's water and make sure its treated with a good water conditioner.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~