heatmisr

I am going away for the weekend and I am in the middle of cycling my tank. I have a 5g with 1 betta, but a bad nitrite problem. I have been doing 50% water changes daily, but the nitrite readings only go up. They go up about .5 every day. They only start to come down after peaking at about 2.0. I plan on doing a water change tonight and I will be back early Sunday afternoon, but does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do about these nitrites? I am getting ammonia readings also and I don't know why. It is 1 fish and I feed him once per day right now. Any suggestions?

chickadee

Have you tested your tap water to see if the problem is starting with the tap water before you add any dechlorinating agent to it? Just a suggestion as you could be surprised to see what is in the tap water.

There are products you can use to cut the Ammonia, Nitrite and nitrate levels but they should really not be used with a tank that is not cycled as it can stop the cycle cold. It sounds like you are going into the second stage of the cycle and it is full blown. The water changes are the best thing for it (not more than 50%) as tough as that sounds. If you want to give yourself a little break, invest in a supply of Jugged Spring water to use for 50% of the water in the tank and it will maybe help for a little while.

(not distilled water or drinking water as the Spring water has some minerals and such that you will need in the tank.)

Good luck and take care. Enjoy your weekend.

Rose