Please tell me why after all of the water changes and perfect parameters, why would my nitrites spike so high? i mean all of the other parameters are perfect
nitrate=10
nitrite=3
ammo=0
ph=6.7
temp=81
i did a water change (30%)last night and added some amquel+. Could it be that i have done so many water changes that i have depleted the bacteria in the tank?
maybe i dont understand the nitrification process correctly?
help! i dont want my fish getting even sicker! they were just starting to improve!

i double checked the reading also b/c i was using a test strip so i went and got my liquid test kit and checked again. my nitrites went from 0 to 3 in like 12 hours

I don't think you can get rid of the bacteria unless you wash everything in fresh water, your filters should be full of it. I'm not real good with water problems but someone will be here soon to save the day, hang on

did you test your water supply?? maybe the problem?

Throw the test strips away they are garbage.I got nothing but false readings from them.Use the liquid test kits.. Watch out BGH will want to bet you a weeks pay on this subject...LOL:laugh:

Yes, use liquid test kits, please.
Only has trouble with nitrates ones, I didn't test my water myself but went to the LFS when I started out in the hobby.
When they tested the water and the result came out a deadly silence filled the store...
It was bad, no, a miracle only one fish died that time.
Did waterchanges 30-50% dayly for 14 days.
Added dechlor and bacteria dayly and the reading finally went to zero.
Mind you I had to upgrade my filter, wich was the actual problem.

Ok so i went home for lunch and i checked the levels again and they have gone up to 1.0ppm! this is scary. so i did another water change and added more amquel. it seems like the amquel isn't working along with the water changes. i do have to ask though. Is amquel like some other additives when it comes to detoxifying ammonia, nitrate, and nitrites? like i know with seachem prime if you use it and test your water that it will still show ammonia levels b/c it has only detoxified into a safe form?

If your nitrite is 1.0, you need to be doing around a 70% water change once a day. However, don't test the water directly after, trust that you have removed the nitrite with the water change. You have to remember that nitrite is almost as toxic as ammonia.

i did a 30% change yesterday and then another today....would that be sufficient?

:o i dont have a python gravel cleaner so i use a garden hose with a piece of pantyhose on it so that it doesnt suck up my sand. i use a 5 gallon bucket and siphon the water into it, pick it up, dump it outside, and do that all over again until i have changed the amount of water that needed to be changed. and for the last month i have been doing these water changes with a broken hand. so is there any thing else that i can do. i mean i would have to change over 100 gal of water with a garden hose and a five gal bucket. could i do like a 35% tonight and a 35% tomorrow morning?
this just happened over a period of less than 12 hours....what would make the nitrites spike like that? if i can figure out what made it spike that would help a whole bunch!

i mean i know ya'll aren't psychics or anything like that I was just wanting to see if ya'll had any ideas/ opinions on what could have made the nitrite rise so fast. by the way how would my fish be acting if they had nitrite poisoning? b/c when i got home they were active and eating. Ya know just acting like a happy oscar would act.....maybe the Amquel is working......I hope

like ofl stated you should be doing large water changes every day until the nitrites come back into check. as to why they spike on you i dont have any idea.
for something to help with the spike you could try using prime as your additive. it helps in more ways than simply removing clorine from the water