NO2 and NO3 levels?

Question

My NO2 and NO3 levels are skyhigh, and from what I understand that is really not so good for the fish. What can I do to get it down!? My redtail shark has turned tan so I know there is something seriously wrong. My ph is slightly low. my GH is at the 30 mark. My KH is 40. PH is 6.5. NO2 is 10 and NO3 is 80. HELP!

This tank has been running for weeks. I've had alot of fish dying. Anyway I added about 25% water and treated it as well as I replaced the filter. Then suddenly the water quality took a nose dive. I've put conditioner, salt, and neutralizer in but nothign is seeming to work. It is really stressing me out. The water quality here is absolutly terrible so changing the water doesn't do much good....

Answer 1

Sounds like you may have a new tank. You don't say how long it has been established.

Do a 50% water change fast. If you have some aquarium salt you may add up to 1 tablespoon per gallon. It will do nothing to bring the levels down but it may help the fish a little. Just disolve it into the water before adding it to the tank. Make sure you use a good water treatment to take any chlorine out of the water.

This should help, but test the water daily and if necessary, change another 25% of the water daily if necessary to keep the levels down.

If you are not over-feeding your fish and keeping the tank clean these levels should go down and stay down. Just feed no more than what the fish will eat in 2-3 minutes and change 25% of the water and vac gravel once weekly.

Good Luck

Answer 2

New tank, or too many fish (or both).

The pH and KH aren't as important here as the NO2 and NO3 (and you don't mention ammonia). Several water changes are needed in the next few days. I'd start with at least a 50% change - add the new water slowly as even an abrupt change from bad to good can shock your fish. Do about a 1/4 - 1/3 water change again tomorrow.

I'll add more info, but you need to do this NOW!

ADDITIONAL INFO: Okay, is this a new tank? You can't just let the water run for a day and fill it up with fish the next. Fish eat, they poop, and they add a bunch of ammonia (toxic) to their water. Normally, the ammonia is converted to nitrite (also toxic) by beneficial bacteria, then other bacteria convert the nitrite to nitrate - but this level should stay below 40, or it will harm your fish.

If your tank was recently set up (or you did a complete water change) you probably don't have (or removed) these bacteria. Since you have nitrates forming, you've had the tank running for a little while at least. Until the bacteria build up and your tank finishes cycling, you'll have to keep a close eye on the ammonia and nitrites and do a 1/4 water change once, maybe twice a week to keep the numbers down. If you have a lot of fish and/or a small tank, this can be a problem. Be careful not to overfeed while this is working itself out. Only give what your fish will eat in 1-2 minutes. You can even skip a day or two without harming your fish. For more info on what is going on in your tank, see the links below.

Answer 3

Your tank is still cycling... though, you said you changed the filter and that really worries me. What did you change? If you threw out the sponge and/or the ceramic pellets that were in there, you threw away a big part of the bacteria colony that was growing to cycle your tank, and you took a couple of big steps backward in the cycle. Whatever you do, don't take out the gravel or wipe the inside of the tank clean or you'll kill the rest of the colony.

Both of those nitrogen levels are way too high for your fish and they are taking painful and permanent damage. You need to change 30-50% of your water asap. The bacteria are NOT in the water and fresh, clean water is the only thing that might save your fish. It doesn't matter if your house's water quality is terrible... if you treat it with a water conditioner, it's WAY better than what your poor fish are living in now, because it's not full of lethally toxic chemicals.

Test your levels everyday and keep doing water changes anytime you get ammonia or nitrite (NO2) levels above zero or nitrate (NO3) readings are above 40ppm.

And don't give up if the fish don't make it. Learn from the mistake! Cycling is a vital part of starting up a new aquarium if you want to avoid the sick and dying fish. Do a websearch for 'fishless cycling' to learn how to grow the bacteria without torturing any fish. Good luck!