High Nitrites After Water Change And Filter Clean

So it's a fully cycled tank have it running for a year or so, I think I went too hard on cleaning the canister filter yesterday, and I did a water change so that probably affected the bacteria, I've never had a problem doing both things together, other than this time. my question is I put prime, the extra emergency doses, how long does it actually take to kick in?? Because I still have some fish on the top for air, and others going up for air

 

Water changes do not affect the bacteria. Virtually none is in the water.

How did you clean the filter?
What are the levels for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

 

Before you start panicking, what are your current water parameters?
The parameters will tell us where the issue lies.

Having said that, if your fish are going to the surface for air, then do a 50% WC and add prime according to the instructions. Seems as though you crossed the line somewhere....

 

Add more air pumps and airdrome bubblers. If they're going to the top they're trying to get more oxygen . Using prime lower s Ur nitrites and nitrates and detoxifies ammonia temporarily. They have a new prime out . Seachems special edition prime and it provides a skins coat. It has a rhino on the bottle with red cap and it works awesome.

 

Add some stability in the tank also also when doing water changes use prime and stability and when adding new fish.hope this helps u

 

Water changes do not affect the bacteria. Virtually none is in the water.

How did you clean the filter?
What are the levels for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

With the filter water, it's my fault I know what happen, there a bacteria sponge type of thing that I squeezed out which harmed the Bacteria

Here's the results so far, I haven't done a water change yet, should I do a 50% change and then add doses of prime again?

 

To me that looks like 0 ammonia, 0.25-0.5 nitrite and 20ppm nitrate. A 50% water change and prime would be good.

Cleaning a filter sponge is fine as long as you use dechlorinated tap water.

 

To me that looks like 0 ammonia, 0.25-0.5 nitrite and 20ppm nitrate. A 50% water change and prime would be good.

Cleaning a filter sponge is fine as long as you use dechlorinated tap water.

Ok I'll do the water change and see how it goes. I think the doses of prime lowered the nitrites, when I checked earlier it was at 1 ppm
And yes I used the water from the tank to clean the filter

 

Ok I'll do the water change and see how it goes. I think the doses of prime lowered the nitrites, when I checked earlier it was at 1 ppm
And yes I used the water from the tank to clean the filter

I agree with bottom dweller def. Do a 50 percent water change and add prime but u do know adding prime just lowers the nitrates and nitrites and lowers ammonia temporarily right? There's a new prime out that has a slime coat in it and a few different things. I live in stl MissourI I dono where u live if u live close to me u can go to tropical world pets they have it and it has a rhino on the bottle and a red cap. U can double Ur dose with prime to lower everything harmful to ur fish without harming them. How did u clean u filter? I usually take the filter cartridges out and run hot water over them and wash it with Ur hands really good. U would be better off buying new ones depending on how long ago u put the ones u have now in... Also jw what type of fish do you have and what size tank? I know it's irrelevant but I'm just curious.

 

Doing a water change and cleaning the filter cartridges shouldn't affect Ur bacteria in Ur tank.... And using prime if anything is guna do more good than harm. Lol prime will not ever have ur fish and u can't use too much u cannot overdose ur fish with too much prime I would just double Ur dose after it 50 percent water. Change and add the prime to ur first bucket of new water I usually use prime and stability together but I put it in a bucket with fresh water. I use the prime and stability for the first clean bucket u add so the chlorine doesn't affect Ur fish I do that just to be safe. If u don't have stability go and buy some ASAP that stuff is awesome! Especially when used with prime. I add some when adding new fish and every water change. Do u have stability? Or have u heard of it? Its made by the same company and I swear by it. Also what is urr pH and I'm asking again what type of fish do u have and what size tank ? Prime and stability kick in and go to work instantly. Do u have a pump and a bubbler or air stones? I'm guna say it again if Ur fish are at the top of the tank gasping for air they are not gettin enough oxygen. Also another idea is to add live plants to ur tank as thy will also add oxygen in the tank and make Ur tank look more natural and ur fish will be happier and ur tank will look really cool so it's a win win lol id start off with anubias. anacharis, java fern, hornwort. those are all really hard plants and easy to grow and they grow fast. if Ur water ia good and have good light use rotela and mondo grass maybe some type of sword plantbor dwarf grass and some types of moss like Java moss etc. ur fish will love it and they will be more happy and healthier with more plants. What temp is Ur tank set at? If ur temp is high like in the 80s and above ur fish will need more oxygen in the tank. I hope this helps please answer my questions asap and get back to me so I can help u get Ur fish thriving again. I'm new to the site and just signed up yesterday so I don't know how to work everything but I'm happy to share my knowledge with you whenever needed I don't mind at all.

 

Doing a water change and cleaning the filter cartridges shouldn't affect Ur bacteria in Ur tank.... And using prime if anything is guna do more good than harm. Lol prime will not ever have ur fish and u can't use too much u cannot overdose ur fish with too much prime I would just double Ur dose after it 50 percent water. Change and add the prime to ur first bucket of new water I usually use prime and stability together but I put it in a bucket with fresh water. I use the prime and stability for the first clean bucket u add so the chlorine doesn't affect Ur fish I do that just to be safe. If u don't have stability go and buy some ASAP that stuff is awesome! Especially when used with prime. I add some when adding new fish and every water change. Do u have stability? Or have u heard of it? Its made by the same company and I swear by it. Also what is urr pH and I'm asking again what type of fish do u have and what size tank ? Prime and stability kick in and go to work instantly. Do u have a pump and a bubbler or air stones? I'm guna say it again if Ur fish are at the top of the tank gasping for air they are not gettin enough oxygen. Also another idea is to add live plants to ur tank as thy will also add oxygen in the tank and make Ur tank look more natural and ur fish will be happier and ur tank will look really cool so it's a win win lol id start off with anubias. anacharis, java fern, hornwort. those are all really hard plants and easy to grow and they grow fast. if Ur water ia good and have good light use rotela and mondo grass maybe some type of sword plantbor dwarf grass and some types of moss like Java moss etc. ur fish will love it and they will be more happy and healthier with more plants. What temp is Ur tank set at? If ur temp is high like in the 80s and above ur fish will need more oxygen in the tank. I hope this helps please answer my questions asap and get back to me so I can help u get Ur fish thriving again. I'm new to the site and just signed up yesterday so I don't know how to work everything but I'm happy to share my knowledge with you whenever needed I don't mind at all.

I actually don't have a pet store around me that carries the new seachem. Ph is about 7.4, 50 gallon tank, I have neon tetras, cories, 5 glow tetras, 2 gourami's, albino bristle-nose pleco, and 2 baby yoyo loaches growing out in the tank and will be moved to my other. Yea I used to have a air pump bubbler, but instead I added a small hob filter just for more surface movement. My temperature is usually always set at 78degrees. And yes I know prime just works for a little bit, I use the python to do water changes on my tanks every week, so it's a lot easier than using buckets. And yes I have lot of plants currently, lots of large amazon swords, anubias and and aponogenton, but thanks I'll look into those plants as well. I'm actually having a snail issue right now with my tank, bunch of those annoying pond snails, I take as many out as I can everyday but They just keep coming back.

 

I agree with bottom dweller def. Do a 50 percent water change and add prime but u do know adding prime just lowers the nitrates and nitrites and lowers ammonia temporarily right? There's a new prime out that has a slime coat in it and a few different things. I live in stl MissourI I dono where u live if u live close to me u can go to tropical world pets they have it and it has a rhino on the bottle and a red cap. U can double Ur dose with prime to lower everything harmful to ur fish without harming them. How did u clean u filter? I usually take the filter cartridges out and run hot water over them and wash it with Ur hands really good. U would be better off buying new ones depending on how long ago u put the ones u have now in... Also jw what type of fish do you have and what size tank? I know it's irrelevant but I'm just curious.

And so I have a canister filter, on the bottom tray there's a sponge that grows bacteria on it, not sure what they are called but they are blue color, and on top of that I have polyfill, 2nd tray I have pollyfill and then bioballs on top, and then top tray I have the rocks for the bacteria, so pretty much when I clean the filter I just dip the trays in the water for the stones, put the bioballs in the aquarium water swish them around in there, I take out all the polyfill and put new in there, and the blue sponge I am talking about, when I cleaned it I dipped it in water and was squeezing it out to get the gunk out which I probably should not have done, I think that is what caused the nitrite spike.

 

Oh also I am going to be upgrading the filter too, I'm going to get the sun sun that has 4 trays instead and I'm planning on getting a decent sized hob filter as well

 

And so I have a canister filter, on the bottom tray there's a sponge that grows bacteria on it, not sure what they are called but they are blue color, and on top of that I have polyfill, 2nd tray I have pollyfill and then bioballs on top, and then top tray I have the rocks for the bacteria, so pretty much when I clean the filter I just dip the trays in the water for the stones, put the bioballs in the aquarium water swish them around in there, I take out all the polyfill and put new in there, and the blue sponge I am talking about, when I cleaned it I dipped it in water and was squeezing it out to get the gunk out which I probably should not have done, I think that is what caused the nitrite spike.

All the cleaning of your filter media should take place in tank water. As long as you donot use tap water for the rinsing, you are doing the right thing! Let me know what canister filter you have (make and model) and I can tell you if the media is set up right.

 

Oh also I am going to be upgrading the filter too, I'm going to get the sun sun that has 4 trays instead and I'm planning on getting a decent sized hob filter as well

Tris,
Two filters is great for redundancy! However there are a few things you need to keep in mind, i.e.:

1. The canister sizing for your 50 g tank is to get a filter that has a filter flow (not to be confused with the filter pump flow) should be 200g/hr. (if you only have this one filter)
2. The HOB filter size for a 50 gallon tank should be 400g/hr. (if this is the only filter or if you have 2 HOBs rated at 200g/hr)
3. My personal preference is to have two identical filters, so that you only have to carry one set of consumables and spares i.e. filter media, orings and seals and spare rotor for your pump.
4. When you have two filters, you clean them with a 2-3 week time difference to avoid any accidents that may lead to loss of cycle.

I assume you would be looking at something like this:
SunSun-China HW-304B 5-Stage External Canister Filter with 9-watt UV Sterilizer, 525 GPH
which gives you four trays and a sponge filter on the intake to catch larger muck.
If you read the instructions, you will see that the filter is sized as max 525GPH (gallons per hour) - which means that on average it will provide 50% i.e. around 250g/hr which is 5 times tour tank size. This is at the larger end for your requirements, but I (and many here on the forum) prefer to over filter than to underfilter . Does that make sense?

 

Tris, I'm actually having a snail issue right now too especially bc my electric blue rams laid eggs two days ago and I came home from work and the dang things messed up over a hundred eggs they are just gone now.... I was bummed out at first but o well nothin I can do now right. Lol just an idea for u... Buy a clown loach he will take care of all ur snails in a few weeks. The problem is they breed and have a bunch of babies. I'm.not sure if the yo yo loach's eat snails or not I would think so. I'm pretty sure u could add a copper supplement to ur tank and will care Ur snails. Someone to ld me adding salt to ur tank will kill snails. I have 5 electric blue rams in one tank along with 4 German blue rams. I'm moving most of them in a new 55 gallon today. I have a 29gal. Two 55s a 110 gallon and a 120 gallon I need to set up soon but I need a new heater and a big filter for it. I have a lot of African cichlids in my 55 and 110. I also use a 50 ft Python too. It def beats buckets ! I had to buy a new fitting for my sink bc after awhile the threads will ware off bc it's plastic but I'm good to go now no more buckets for me. It's so easy to add and drain water with the Python. Best investment ever! When u use Ur Python do u siphon ur gravel or sand really good in Ur tank when removing water before u add water to do ur water change . U can never have a filter too big on a tank and two filters are better than one for sure! What's Ur gh and kh and is ur water hard or soft? Also I dono where u buy Ur plants at but just a tip sounds weird but u can buy plants online off eBay and there half the price of lfs's and get twice as much if not 3 times as much. Def generous quantity's. If ur water is harder than u like buy peat moss and put it in r filter. Just a lil truck to keep Ur water softer. Buy stability ! And buy an air pump with a bubbler or air stones to get more oxygen in Ur tank? A lil pump or power head doesn't create too much oxygen. U need more I promise u add one and I guarantee ur fish won't be going to the surface for air! It's a cheap fix for that. Sounds like a ur problems are cheap fixes thank god lol lmk how everything works out for u and what u end up doing! Keep me posted ! - Kyle

 

Oh yea ... I wouldn't add salt to ur tank bc ur plants do not like salt and u will probably kill some if not all of them ! Look into the copper supplement or a clown loach they look cool and will feast on Ur snails at a fast rate!

 

I'm actually having a snail issue right now with my tank, bunch of those annoying pond snails, I take as many out as I can everyday but They just keep coming back.

I feel for you. For the whole of last year I had an issue with snails. I was pulling out around 50 a day for 6 months in traps and with nets. Got so fed up that after a year I used a German product designed for rooting aquarium plants that has a huge warning saying that it will kill snails and shrimp. I dosed it foe a month and VOILA! all snails gone.... eggs too. The challenge is to watch for ammonia as the dead snails rot...and decompose into ammonia.

The product I sed is Wurzel Aktiv by a company called Femanga.

 

Tris, I'm actually having a snail issue right now too especially bc my electric blue rams laid eggs two days ago and I came home from work and the dang things messed up over a hundred eggs they are just gone now.... I was bummed out at first but o well nothin I can do now right. Lol just an idea for u... Buy a clown loach he will take care of all ur snails in a few weeks. The problem is they breed and have a bunch of babies. I'm.not sure if the yo yo loach's eat snails or not I would think so. I'm pretty sure u could add a copper supplement to ur tank and will care Ur snails. Someone to ld me adding salt to ur tank will kill snails. I have 5 electric blue rams in one tank along with 4 German blue rams. I'm moving most of them in a new 55 gallon today. I have a 29gal. Two 55s a 110 gallon and a 120 gallon I need to set up soon but I need a new heater and a big filter for it. I have a lot of African cichlids in my 55 and 110. I also use a 50 ft Python too. It def beats buckets ! I had to buy a new fitting for my sink bc after awhile the threads will ware off bc it's plastic but I'm good to go now no more buckets for me. It's so easy to add and drain water with the Python. Best investment ever! When u use Ur Python do u siphon ur gravel or sand really good in Ur tank when removing water before u add water to do ur water change . U can never have a filter too big on a tank and two filters are better than one for sure! What's Ur gh and kh and is ur water hard or soft? Also I dono where u buy Ur plants at but just a tip sounds weird but u can buy plants online off eBay and there half the price of lfs's and get twice as much if not 3 times as much. Def generous quantity's. If ur water is harder than u like buy peat moss and put it in r filter. Just a lil truck to keep Ur water softer. Buy stability ! And buy an air pump with a bubbler or air stones to get more oxygen in Ur tank? A lil pump or power head doesn't create too much oxygen. U need more I promise u add one and I guarantee ur fish won't be going to the surface for air! It's a cheap fix for that. Sounds like a ur problems are cheap fixes thank god lol lmk how everything works out for u and what u end up doing! Keep me posted ! - Kyle

Yea my yoyo loaches seem to not like the snails I guess. I have a 150 gallon indoor pond, I have dojo loaches in there, I could put one of them into the tank to eat the snails but I'm scared it will jump out because of being moved to a way smaller size tank, they are really big lol. But yea I always buy my plants from eBay, lot cheaper than pet stores!

 

I feel for you. For the whole of last year I had an issue with snails. I was pulling out around 50 a day for 6 months in traps and with nets. Got so fed up that after a year I used a German product designed for rooting aquarium plants that has a huge warning saying that it will kill snails and shrimp. I dosed it foe a month and VOILA! all snails gone.... eggs too. The challenge is to watch for ammonia as the dead snails rot...and decompose into ammonia.

The product I sed is Wurzel Aktiv by a company called Femanga.

Oh wow, I'm just so scared to try it, did it mess up your plants or anything? I just hate the snails because they are eating up all my plants, I hate seeing holes on them. I have some in my other tank too, which used to be heavily planted but the snails ate up all the plants and now I have none In there :/ don't want the same to happen with my 50g. The only reason I don't mind it much in my other tank anymore is I take them out and feed them to my goldfish, he loves them.

 

Hey guys just wanted to ask if you knew anything about black hair algae? I have some on my anubias and swords, for a long time know, I've tried leaving the lights off and all that but it's not working

 

Oh wow, I'm just so scared to try it, did it mess up your plants or anything? I just hate the snails because they are eating up all my plants, I hate seeing holes on them. I have some in my other tank too, which used to be heavily planted but the snails ate up all the plants and now I have none In there :/ don't want the same to happen with my 50g. The only reason I don't mind it much in my other tank anymore is I take them out and feed them to my goldfish, he loves them.

Absolutely no effect on the plants ...maybe except that my Java ferns seem to have grown more roots and send out runners more often.

 

Hey guys just wanted to ask if you knew anything about black hair algae? I have some on my anubias and swords, for a long time know, I've tried leaving the lights off and all that but it's not working View attachment 478513View attachment 478515View attachment 478516

Just a polite suggestion - try opening a separate thread for new topics otherwise the existing thread gets confusing and very long........ and then people comment without going through the whole history , which takes responses out of context

 

Absolutely no effect on the plants ...maybe except that my Java ferns seem to have grown more roots and send out runners more often.

I live in California, tried searching up the product on amazon and eBay couldn't find any :/

 

I live in California, tried searching up the product on amazon and eBay couldn't find any :/

You will have to switch ebay to show you products from Germany.
Here is how to do this:

I paid about 10 dollars plus delivery fees for mine. It is a 250ml container and is good for 1000 litres Smallest container I could find!