ntirite levels...

Question
Hi karen, its me paul. my fishes are doing great,and I'm so happy about it. I really thank you for your excellent advises. However, my concern is my nitrite levels coz it stays to 1.0. I do 25% percent of water changes with same temperature and conditioner every saturday and i did it 2 times now, but still no changes. There was a change however with my ammonia that went from 1.0 to O, which is great. As of now, ammonia levels is at 0 and nitrite still at 1. I've read some article, that for newly setup aquarium high nitrite is good because the bacteria is now starting to build up, and will just go down. is this true, or should i do something about it? Also,I've read that low nitrite levels are also bad for the fishes.Im now confused. Is there a nitrite level that says  -1 or lesser? Also, the arowana sometimes stays at the bottom for a couple of minutes. is this normal, or the nitrite causes this? I know that your the best person who can help me Karen. I really thank you so much..

Answer
Dear Paul,
Really any trace of nitrite or ammonia is harmful to your fish. The prescence of nitrite can make it difficult for fish to breath and they may breath heavily (pumping their gills far more than usual) when nitrite is present. It's always best to do a good-sized water change whenever nitrite or ammonia is present. At least 30% and ideally 50% water changes.

Your Arowana could certainly be having trouble from the nitrite levels the reason he is sitting on the bottom. Along with water changes, it may help to use a water conditioner that neutralizes ammonia, nitrite and nitrate just in case.

Your aquarium will still cycle, even with water changes. But it will just be a little slow and you should always be looking out for your fish and making sure they aren't stressed at all.

I really hope this helps!
Only my very best wishes to you and your fish!
Karen~
ps- I REALLY appreciate your kind comments too!