i have a problem. i just got a new 20 gallon tank for my two goldfish (they grew out of the old 10 gallon) a little over a month ago. and i just moved the tank a few days ago so i had to almost re-fill the entire tank again with fresh water (there was only about 1/8 of the water in the tank when i moved it to it's new location, the rest being fresh water from my tap - treated with water treatment of course. now my nitrates are through the roof and have been since the move. i have noticed that one of the fish has some black marks on its fin (i think it is anmonia burns) and i have a nitra-zob pack in the filter - and i have been doing 20% tank changes since. but within 24 hours my tank nitrates are through the roof again.

i have also been adding cycle to the tank to encourage bactarial growth - i am wondering if anyone has any more ideas on how to stabilize my tank. my fish (the one with the burn marks) is also just getting over a bout of fin rot (one of the reason i was moving him into a bigger tank...) he still has a white streak on his head and body - but i have treated him with meds and to very little effect. fortunately his fins are growing back - although they are not near the glory they once were.

any suggestions???

kara

Just to be clear, do you mean NitrItes or NitrAtes? If you're talking about healing ammonia burns etc. then I think you meant nitrites. High nitrates would indicate a fully cycled tank. How high are the nitrites exactly - what's the latest reading?

It sounds like the move to a new tank made the cycle crash for some reason - did you allow the filter media to dry out at any stage? If this is the case, then you need to re-cycle the tank.

20% changes are actually quite small and probably nowhere near enough to deal with soaring nitrites. During cycling, frequent changes of 50% or even more may be necessary to bring the nitrites back down below 1.0. The best way to control your ammonia and nitrites is this:

1. test the water daily for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates

2. if you find ammonia or nitrites have risen above 1.0, change just enough water to bring them back down to between 0.5 and 1.0. This is a safe level for your fish while still leaving enough for the bacteria to 'feed' on and grow.

3. Repeat process daily until no ammonia or nitrite is present, only nitrates. The tank is now cycled and safe for your fish. This will probably take your tank a couple of weeks.

I would remove the Nitra-Zorb from the filter. It is much easier to assess where you are in the cycling process without this present and it will also inhibit formation of the nitrifying bacteria which you need.

I never had much luck with Cycle - won't hurt, but doesn't help a lot either.

The other thing you could do is add a little salt to your tank to help protect the fish against the effects of the nitrites. 1 teaspoon per gallon, dissolved first in a little tank water is ideal. Any salt will do as long as it does nt contain anti-caking agents.

Hope this helps.