General Care Discussion :: nitrite level high

[blind44]

just couple of days ago, i checked the water and pretty much everything came out spot on. i added anacharis yesterday and i checked the water again today and found the nitrite level has jumped up substantially. im a little baffled because i had added anacharis before and i never had a problem like this. im a little anal about the water condition so i clean out their poop and discarded food everyday. anyone have any idea why the water nitrite level might have jumped and how i might be able to bring it down? im on a verge of changing out some of the water today to see if that does anything. i also noticed that the nitrate level was up a little from couple of days ago too but not at a level where i need to worry.

[blind44]

to add to what ive wrote, i did upgrade to a slightly bigger tank over last weekend so its a new set up and also i added turtle clean and reptisafe to the water for the first time. to fill up the aquarium, i used filtered drinking water.

[Daniel3507]

are you using a new filter?

[SpotsMama]

It's likely that the jump in nitrites has more to do with the newness of the tank than the anacharis.

It would be helpful to know if the filter is new and what kind of filter it is.

Have you checked the ammonia level lately and what is it?

Also, exactly how high is the nitrite reading?

Have you noticed any cloudiness in the water?

[blind44]

im not using a new filter but i did change up the cartridge for it(its one of those bio cartridge) i did make sure to wash out the filter with hot water before putting it in the new tank. ive only had the turtles for about 4 weeks now. they were given to me as a surprise present along with the used 10G setup. filter they gave me was old and dirty so i bought me a top fin 30G filter(im not 100% sure about the brand name cuz im at work but i believe this is it) filter seems to work exceptionally well and i also use eheim sludge and particle remover that cleans out the crap without removing any water daily. i had everything set up and then 3 weeks later i saw a new 20G long glass aquarium on sale so i figured i can upgrade the tank for time being without changing up the set up so i did just that.

ever since i started up the tank on day 1, i have been checking the water consistantly and only problem i had was that the water was hard. since last friday when i changed the tank, i checked the water and everything came out near perfect, even more perfect than my 10G setup, but less than a week later, now im showing the nitrite at stress level. im not all that familar with the terms or numbers but the nitrite test kit told me that the leval was at stress. kit shows me whats safe, whats stressful, and toxic. im sorry i cant explain in more details but im at work and i dont have any means of finding out until tonight.

what ive changed in the new tank - new bio cartridge for the filter. its slightly different than the cartridge that came with the filter, one i used on the 10G. turtle clean and reptisafe.

so if the nitrite level is high due to new tank setup, is it safe and will the nitrite level drop when the new tank settles? should i leave it alone or change up something?

p.s. water has been clear as a bell since day1....10G and 20G tank.

[Daniel3507]

if you changed out the biological filtration than you probably have new tank syndrome. everything will return to normal after your tank gets established

[blind44]

^ okay...thank you all....i guess i'll keep checking and see if it goes down or not. if the nitrite level goes to toxic level(praying that it doesnt), i'll definetly let you guys know.

*also to rephrase something i said above*
when i started up the initial 10g tank, i didnt check the water for 2 weeks because i didnt know i had to. then from all the reading from this site, i bought the tester and everything was fine. this new tank, i have been checking since the first day. im guessing that 10g tank probably had the new tank syndrom too but i just missed it cuz i didnt test right away and assumed it was fine from the day 1.

[Daniel3507]

if it gets bad it could turn the tank a cloudy white so thats also something to watch for

[blind44]

so far the water is as clear as can be, execept for all the anacharis pieces floating around. im still using that eheim sludge thing you recommended me b4...works like magic. its easy to use and easy to clean.....keeps my tank water beautiful.

[Daniel3507]

yeah those are nice to have. i love how they dont take waterr out of the tank

[blind44]

^ yeah and its quiet enough that it doesnt bother the turts either. they come by so close that i get scared imma suck them up..ha...=)

[1981camaroz28]

A good filter will help I had tanks over 30 years now and I am anal about filters. What I have always done it what ever size tanks you have get a filter for that size and by 2. Here is a example of what I do. On my 120 gallon I have 2 Emperor 400 filters my water will cycle 900 gallons a hour. New water will also do it so be careful with how much water you change at once. I am sure people are going to say what I do is over kill but all 7 of my tanks are perfect and put yourself in the turtles shoes would you like dirty water or perfect.

[Daniel3507]

no such thing as overkill whe it comes to filters. haha

[blind44]

okay...now im getting worried. how long is this new thank syndrom suppose to last? since my last post, all the other elements such as ph, nitrate, hardness and alkalinity seems fine but the nitrite level has been reading at around 4.0. is this safe for my res or should i add something to lower the level of nitrite?

[Daniel3507]

have you been testing amonia and nitrate?