high nitrite levels

Question
QUESTION: i have a 75 gal tank with two aqua clear 200 filters witch have sponge  charcol and this [ bio stuf for ammonia witch i just removed yesterday] i have no fish yet because i cant get the nitrite levels down they are off the chart and its been 6 weeks  i have been adding food hoping to raise yhe ammona  and dooing water changes nonthing helps do you have any sugistions sur need some help[ randylee59@yahoo.com]


ANSWER: Hi Randy
Sounds like your tank is still going through the cycle process.  It can take 6-8 weeks, sometimes longer depending on what's done to the tank during that time. Just give it time, the nitrites will start coming down soon, and you'll soon see nitrates showing up.

Or, did I totally misunderstand you, and do you mean the nitrites have been spiking for 6 weeks?  How long's the tank been up and running?

The bio stuff you removed....was it called bacteria bio balls, or something similar to that?  Or was it ammonia chips?  If it's the first one I mentioned, you need to leave that in the filter lol!  Those are so beneficial bacteria can grow on them.  It will also grow on the other filter media, gravel/substrate, decorations, etc.  If it's the ammonia chips(used to remove ammonia), then yes get rid of those.  Those don't address the problems of the ammonia, just hides it.  

And what did you use for the ammonia source for cycling the tank?  Also, since there's no fish in the tank, don't do water changes.  That just disrupts the cycle process.  You only want to do that when there's fish in the tank, to help dilute the toxins in the water, and help them to survive the cycle process.

Let me know on those questions, and we'll take it from there!

Christy



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: yhanks for the help ,my tank has been set up for 6 weeks  new tank. the nitrites have been high for at least 5 weeks  no spikes,just verry high off the chart and the stuf i add to the filter was supost to keep the ammonia down they told me there was two kinds and this one i would never half to replaceits in a mesh bag and its little white balls and i have not added any source of ammonia
ANSWER: Ok Randy, I'm really really confused now lol:)  

What are you using to test your water parameters-ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates?  Which kind of test kit, the test strips or the test tube/dropper test kind?  
Because, without something adding ammonia to the tank, like fish, fish food left to rot in the tank, a shrimp left to rot in the tank, you shouldn't have nitrites in the tank....

Ok, look over these links, you'll need to copy/paste to your browser.  Tell me if one of these looks like what you added to the mesh bag:

This first one is called ammo chips, used to remove ammonia:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=5273&Ntt=ammonia%2

This one is the bacteria bio balls:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8983&Ntt=bacteria%

And, the little white balls, was it the stuff that came with the filter?  Or did you buy it separately because the store employee said you needed it?

I know this sounds like a pain, but walk me through what you did and what you added from the time you added water to your tank.

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: im testing my water with test tube with coloered dropsi have been adding fish food and the ammonia balls was something they told me i needed to keep the ammonia level down
ANSWER: Ok, the fish food is the ammonia source then.  It decays in the water and causes ammonia, so that's what started the cycle process.  Stop doing the water changes, that's just disrupting the cycle process, and may be why the nitrites are staying high.  The dropper test kit is better, and more accurate then the others, so it's probably a good reading-assuming your following the directions correctly for it.  Your tank is just going through the cycle process, and it just takes time.  Should be done soon though.  

As for the ammonia balls, I really don't know what that is.  If it's to remove ammonia from the tank, like the ammonia chips do, then you don't want that in the tank during the cycle process.  If it's the bacteria bio balls, the bacteria will grow on those and the bacteria will help break down the ammonia, so if it's that, then you do want that in the tank.  I guess they just didn't explain it very well when they told you it was needed to keep the ammonia levels down....

Sorry I can't help anymore then that, it just depends on what type those bio balls are.  And, like I said for the nitrites, it should be done cycling soon, just keep adding the fish food-you need to have a constant source of ammonia in the tank, and stop doing the water changes since there's no fish in the tank.

Hope that helps, and good luck.  Let me know if you have more questions.

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Christy, hello again. guess what the shrimp and food did the trick all my levels amm. nitrite, nitrate ph. is good just a little more help  please? now can i add fish and should i put those biomax balls in my filter the sails man said they would help with ammonia levels thanks again

Answer
Hey Randy
That's great!!  Glad it worked out :)  If the ammonia and nitrite are reading 0 ppm, and the nitrates are under 20ppm then it's fine to add fish now.  Just do it slowly, only a few at a time so the bacteria that's built up can keep up with the fish bioload.  Then wait about 2 weeks before adding more fish.  

Get on a schedule, and change out about 25% of the water once a week to help keep the water parameters at the levels I mentioned above.  Be sure not to overstock the tank too.    

I was looking around the other day, and I think I found what you're talking about with those bio max balls.  If that's what they're called, BioMax then yes put those in.  Should've left them in when you were cycling the tank.  They won't remove the ammonia from the tank, but the bacteria grows on them, and the bacteria converts the ammonia to nitrites then to nitrates.  The bacteria is  basically biological filtration in the tank.  The filters would be mechanical filtration, and the carbon would be chemical filtration.  So, yes those are fine.  What I was trying to explain before, there's a product out called ammonia chips.  They're little white chips that will remove ammonia from the tank.  Those you don't want to use, because the bacteria needs ammonia to survive, and removing it causes it to die off-leading to problems down the line.  But yes, if it's the Bio Max, then add them to the filter and just leave them.  Once in awhile when they get all gunked up, you'll want to rinse them off in a bucket of used tank water-not fresh tap water-the chlorine will kill off the bacteria.

Well good luck, and glad everything finally worked out!!  Let me know if you have more questions!

Christy