Nitrite: the Deadly One
Many aquarists confuse nitrite (with an "i") with nitrate (with an "a").
Nitrite poisoning (often called brown blood disease as it turns the gills of fish from a bright red to a dark brown-like colour) is caused by having too high a level of nitrite in your tank water.
Actual Nitrite Measurement (as NO2-N): 0.011 mg/l, as measured with a Hach DR 890 colorimeter and prepackaged reagents.
Test Strips - Nitrites (High Range)
Value Estimated by Observer of the Test Strips: '2', '1' and '1' mg/l, respectively.
LEVEL OF NITRITES (NO2-)
LEVEL OF NITRITES (NO2-)
No nitrogenous substance should pass the threshold limit in a well-balanced aquarium. As ammonia and nitrates are more difficult to assess, it is the nitrites that must be analyzed regularly.
Ammonia and Nitrite
Using Chemicals to Remove or Neutralize Ammonia in a Fish Tank ...
Just wanted to post a note that I've had good results using this product to help lower/detoxify Ammonia and NitrItes when they spike and I don't want to do too many large % water changes for fear of throwing the tank into a new cycle.
History - How to Diagnose & Cure Ammonia / Nitrate / Nitrite Poisoning in Freshwater Tropical Fish [HD]
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Nitrite
Chemical symbol NO2 - Toxic chemical formed during the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate by bacteria (se nitrification).
Nitrite
Ammonia gets converted to nitrite by the bacteria in your tank. Nitrite levels will soar in new tanks that have not yet been cycled.
Nitrite (NO2-)-Measured in mg/l or ppm. Measured with test kits or electronic probes. Nitrite is a toxic waste material found in varying concentrations in most aquariums.
Nitrite Toxicity
Overcrowding and overfeeding can lead to elevated nitrite levels especially in newly set-up ponds.
Nitrite - (NO2) This is a toxic product of the nitrogen cycle and should be kept as low
as possible at all times.
Nitrogen Cycle - This describes how fish waste is broken down in the aquarium. Waste
decomposes as toxic ammonia (NH3).
Nitrites - Nitrites are the result of ammonia being broke down by bacteria in your tank. Though less harmful than ammonia, it is still very toxic to tropical fish.
NitrIte
Again there should be 0ppm of nitrIte in your tank. If you find a reading of higher than 0ppm in your water then do an immediate 50% water change and continue with smaller daily changes until the water settles and you get 0ppm in your ...
Nitrite: It is the middle element of the aquarium nitrogen cycle, being converted from ammonia. It is harmful to most aquatic creatures at any level.
nitrite - Middle element of the biological cycle.
nitrogen cycle - The formal name for the biological cycle in which toxins are broken down into less harmful products by Aerobic bacteria.
Nitrites: Chemically speaking, it is the hybridized molecule NO2, which contains a nitrogen atom and two oxygen atoms. It is converted from free ammonia and is harmful at any level.
Nitrite: The second product in the nitrogen cycle (NO2). Nitrite is a highly toxic substance that is produced by the oxidation of of ammonia by nitrosomonas bacteria. It is easily removed with biological filtration.
Nitrite - Intermediate nitrogen compound in the biological conversion of Ammonia to Nitrate in the Nitrogen Cycle. Nitrite is toxic to fish, but less so than Ammonia.
Nitrite ([3]) is also highly toxic to fish. Again 0.25 ppm nitrite-N is not good other than very short term, above 0.5 ppm dangerous, and 1.0 ppm can be fatal. At nitrite-N concentrations, the numbers are even worse than for ammonia.
Nitrite:
As mentioned earlier, nitrite is caused by a biological reaction involving ammonia.
Nitrite is an order of magnitude less toxic than ammonia. Thus, one common saying about tank cycling is: ``if your fish survive the ammonia spike, they'll probably survive the nitrite spike and the rest of the cycling process.
Nitrite tests zero. Starting to see micro algae growth in the tank.
Did a 5 gal water change, added a bag of fine reef sand and re-arranmged the live rock.
Nitrite (NO2) Toxic ammonium compound produced by Nitrosomonas becteria from ammonia. Toxic to fishes, and even more so to invertebrates.
Encyclopedia 1.0 by Rebecca Smallwood
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Nitrites and nitrates are in their normal toxic form
>>>> To raise your pH you can use Baking soda (highly recommended), Magnesium sulfate (recommended), ...
Nitrite (NO2) is formed as part of the nitrogen cycle, when the bacteria in the tank breaks down the ammonia, nitrite are produced. While nitrite isn't as poisonous to fish as ammonia, it is still very dangerous and can easily kill fish.
Nitrite level in low, unmeasurable quantity.
Day 5
Ammonia level maxs out and starts dropping.
Nitrite poisoning ranks high in the list of culprits for the Oscars' death because it kills almost instantly and its victims die in full color.
Nitrite/Nitrate Test Kit - (prices vary, under $10.00) Somewhat more important than a pH test kit in a planted aquarium is a nitrate/nitrite test kit. Nitrite is poisonous to fauna and is converted into nitrate by bacteria.
Once nitrites begin to show up in the tank, Nitrobacter and crew will follow. There is some inhibition of Nitrobacter growth in the presence of high ammonia levels. As ammonia levels begin to drop the Nitrobacter colony's growth speeds up.
Once the nitrite eaters have stabilized, nitrite as well as ammonia should be undetectable. Nitrate should be present and may be at high levels with fishless cycling, requiring a large volume water change prior to introduction of the fish.
Amount of Nitrite vs Nitrate
by booth-at-hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (George Booth) (Mon, 3 May 1993)
Freshwater Nitrate Levels
by oleg-at-netcom.com (Oleg Kiselev) (Sat, 18 Dec 1993)
Good NitrAte test kit??
by hardy-at-mighty.fccc.
Ammonium (NH4+) Nitrite (No2) Nitrate (No3). The interproduct, Nitrite is also very poisonous to fish, ...
Nitrite
See the section on Nitrite
nitrobacter bacteria
This is the lithotrophic bacteria that nature has created to reduce nitrite after it has been produced by nitrosomonas bacteria.
If the main symptom is inactivity: test nitrites, pH, dissolved 02, nitrates
Depending on your test results, try the following: Ammonia Change enough of the water to reduce ammonia levels to 1-2 ppm for freshwater or below 1 ppm for saltwater.
They are very sensitive to pollutants, especially nitrates and nitrites. Discus do best in peat-filtered water.
WATER: As a general rule, Discus should be kept in water with similar conditions to their natural habitat.
Nitrite: once every two to three weeks after the tank has cycled. Before the aquarium has cycled: more often, to allow the hobbyist to determine when the cycle is completed.
Tanks must be mature and stable, with 0 ammonia / nitrite, and nitrates and DOC's as low as possible, with 20ppm an upper limit. Trying to keep the water as free of metals, phosphates and other contaminants will also help.
Care and feeding: Since puffers do not have gill covers or scales, they are thought to be more susceptible to diseases, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia levels. Consequently they are not a good fish to cycle an aquarium with.
If there are too many fish in an established aquarium, tests for ammonia or nitrite will be positive. The beneficial bacteria population for an established aquarium is adequate if there is no ammonia or nitrite present.
You are also going to be doing alot, and I mean alot of frequent water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite levels tollerable, or your feeders won't make it long. Once they suffer ammonia and/or nitrite burn, they're done! ...
Removes nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and other wastes. Unsurpassed buffering capability: keep more fish and invertebrates healthier, longer. Maximum surface area - up to 10,000 square inches of surface area per cubic inch.
Beneficial bacteria can then break down waste products such as ammonia and nitrite which come from decomposing organic matter like fish waste. Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to fish, levels above zero can be considered potentially deadly.
This reduces the concentration of nitrite in the water, which stunts the growth of the Discus. They will generally do best in a tank that has reverse osmosis filtered water. Peat filtration is not generally recommended for discus.
You will also need some fish food, and some test kits, at the very least, you need to get a pH test kit, an Ammonia test kit, a Nitrite Test Kit, and a Nitrate Test Kit.
Ammonia is extremely toxic to all of the aquarium inhabitants, and is broken down into nitrites by an oxygen-loving bacteria known as Nitrosomonas.
You can use test kits to measure a wide variety of water parameters: pH, hardness, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and even more specialized things like the concentration of copper, oxygen, calcium, etc.
The second group of nitrifying bacteria to populate are those of Nitrobacter, which convert nitrite to nitrate. This period takes up to approximately twenty-one days, after which nitrite should be almost gone.
During this process, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are tested to monitor progress.
In a fully cycled aquarium, beneficial bacteria lives in the filter and changes ammonia into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate.
Those bacteria will break the ammonia into nitrites, which will attract other bacteria to break the nitrites into nitrates. Use water testing kits regularly throughout this process.
On introduction of the fish, the nitrite and ammonia levels will significantly increase. The bacteria in the filter must be given time to catch up with their increased resources.
Make sure to keep ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate as close to zero as possible. The fact that they are very sensetive to chemicals also means that you should special care before using drugs in a tank containing rays.
Ammonia and nitrite levels should absolute zero, temperature at 76F to 80F, and salinity at 1.024 to 1.026.
You will not be able to tell it's working without testing for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates at every step of the cycling process. Nitrites must spike from 0, and return to 0, before the cycle is complete.
The glowlight need slightly acid water with moderate hardness, but it is very sensitive to nitrate and nitrite, so this fish should be kept in a tank that has active and complete biological filtration.
Nitrification - The process by which Nitrite (NO2) is converted to Nitrate (NO3).
Nitrobacteria - The bacteria which is live in a biological filtration system that converts Nitrite (NO2) in to Nitrate (NO3).
Over time the water collects more and more contaminants such as nitrite, ammonia and too much nitrate. To get rid of these we do water changes.
Water should not have any nitrites and as few nitrates as possible. Dissolved oxygen level as high as possible. Fast current.
Husbandry Information
Feeding ...
Tropheus moorii are very sensitive to nitrogenous waste also. Ammonia or nitrite will almost certainly kill them. They are very sensitive to build up of nitrates also. Nitrates should be kept at a minimum. Under 15 ppm is best.
 See also: Water, Fish, Aquarium, Ammonia, Nitrate
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