Fish, Nitrite, Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrites: Nitrites’ll Kill Some Fish, There’s a Test

Where do Nitrites Come From?

Ammonia is reduced by a bacteria called “Nitrosomonas” into Nitrite. These Nitrites are toxic at very low levels. People often test 0.25 (a quarter) part-per-million of Nitrite and disregard it as a problem. “Oh, that’s not enough Nitrite to matter!” they say. Perhaps they are fools. Their fishes’ health problems never end. Not until they reduce the Nitrites to conventionally immeasurable levels. Sure, there are tests which can detect traces of Nitrite at all times. That’s normal. But what you’re looking for is a “negative” result with the commercially available Nitrite test kit.

Lemme restate that. If you use a crude test kit and get any decent level of Nitrites, it’s a big deal. 0.25ppm is a lot. If you use a stealth-CIA-elite Nitrite test kit and get a parts-per-billion result, nevermind that. With a crude test kit like a “dip strip” all you need is “any” and you’ve got an issue. Bioseeding works FAST on that. There’s an article on bioseeding here in DrJohnson.com

If you find Nitrites in a recently-populated system, it’s pretty normal. The bacteria which will eventually colonize your filter and the surfaces of the pond-bottom will not have had time to colonize.

Bioseeding works.

If you find Nitrites in a well-established older system, it usually means the filter is being deprived of sufficient oxygen and / or the filter is clogged with organic waste products. The filter media should be gently cleaned with pond water and you should make sure the filter is sized correctly to your fish load.

Nitrites hurt the fish two ways. First, the nitrites are caustic (they burn) the fishes’ skin. Also, the Nitrites pass into the fishes bodies through the gills and create a damaging bond with the red blood cells. The situation is called met-hemoglobinemia wherein the red blood cells can no longer carry oxygen. The blood runs brown instead of red. The fish dies shortly after this.

Did you know that you can slow (and even STOP) the absorption of Nitrites from the water with salt?

If you use as little as one pound of non iodized table salt, or regular fish-safe salt per one hundred gallons, it interferes with the passage of Nitrite back into the fishes’ gills. This effect is not permanent but usually lasts long enough for the beneficial bacteria to populate your filter and bio-film and reduce the Nitrite.

When nitrite levels are very high, a partial water change is also helpful if it’s possible to do.

You’ll read about methylene blue being used to stop Nitrite intoxication. This is because veterinarians used to use methylene blue in cows for nitrite and nitrate poisoning. They’d inject it into the cow intravenously. I guess someone thought if it worked for cows it would have to work in the water with fish. No, it doesn’t. Save yourself the trouble.

SHORT AND SWEET: Nitrites “pop up” just after the Ammonia begins to decline in the water and are best controlled with limited salt application, OR partial water changes, and a bacterial adjuvant.

Enter your email address for a free PDF of this article including its images.

Enter your Email Address

My Favorite Amazon Recommendations

Items and content will not show in "Reader View" check your browser.

This is The LCD Screen Scope
We Did The Tutorial With. I did a twenty page tutorial (Here's the tutorial) with video, audio, images and even little parasite movies to show you how to use a microscope. 

This Filter is Good For BIG Dirty Tanks
I've been wrestling with water quality with the turtles. The sponges work GREAT, but in THOSE turtle systems where they eat MICE the poops are bulky. This filter can handle it. In "Tortu's" tank, it's got an 800 gph pump and it rocks. 

PraziPro for Flukes
They nailed it. Figured out the solubility and worked out the dosing. It works. 

PraziPro

Buy Some Good Koi?
No, this isn't really for the 'high end' collector y'all. But for someone who isn't near a decent garden center, here are "good-to-quite-good" Koi you will like at a very good price. I know these guys personally.

Buy Koi Online

Best Food, Ever
It's made for (and I discovered it for) my Blood Parrots but the small size, intense color enhancers and excellent formulation make it superb young-Koi food. Oh, and it's AMAZING on color-cichlids like Flowerhorn and Blood Parrots. 

Pro Air 60 Aerator is a VERY high output air pump pushing my whole fish room (17+ drops), and I have one at home driving everything there, and I have one as a back up. 

Formalin Malachite (Not dilute)
There are formalin malachite preparations at 10%, 22% and 37%. There's economy in the concentrates. Hard to get Prime shipping because air transport is curtailed. This is a good value on 32 ounces. 

Topical For Koi and Pond Fish Ulcers
I like 7% tincture of iodine because it stains but it's hard to hurt anything with it. Used with a WOVEN gauze, this works well to clean and disinfect a wound. Only use ONCE. Do not 'repeatedly' scrub wounds. 

Confectioner's Glaze 
Is the way to bind a medication to fish food. Gone are the days of paste food and oil. The write up is done, it's RIGHT HERE.

Koi Health & Disease
Hopefully this link takes you to the newest edition by PRIME to get it to your house the fastest. 

I have over ten of these Titanium Heaters in my fish room and at home. They're a paradigm shift in aquarium heating. They're titanium and 400W for under $30! Whaaaaaaaaat?

CyroPro by Hikari is safe and easy for Anchor Worms and Fish Lice.

Whatever heaters you use, back yourself up with a temperature controller, it'll turn on, and off your heaters. If your heater seizes "on" at least the thermostat will stop a tragedy. 

LifeGuard by Tetra is a tablet version of a tame 'chloramine-t' or 'halamid' compound that's easy to get and good on bacterial infections, in baths. 

Antimicrobial
If you're making medicated feed for a larger group of fish, this will come in handy. Dosing is available in the site. 

For me, filtration-of-choice
For aquariums, even small Koi holding facilities or small ponds. These sponge filters are cheap, easy to clean, and they clear hazes very well when used with some Accuclear or similar.

Rubber sided, round, nettable tanks
Make great hospital or quarantine facilities. They SHOULD cost about $200-300 depending on size, but this, lower quality unit (while panned in some reviews) may be good. Don't overfill and make sure it's propped up.

1200 Watt heater, on a thermostat held securely above the waterline, works GREAT as a large tank heater. That's all I'll say because there's risk of electrocution and all that. But then, even in a bucket you could get killed. Sound like fun?
I have several of these ALLIED PRECISION stainless ones that are a couple years old. Working still. 

Potassium Permanganate 
500 grams could be a lifetime supply but it's 50% more than the 100g cost wise, for 500% more amount. Dosing is in the site and the book.

What Does Ajax Eat?
I looked for something well formulated, with meat as the first ingredient. Something UNDER $2/lb and something they could deliver for free. And this was it. He looks and feels great on it.