High Nitrite?!

[alostfirefly]

My betta, Bacon(don't ask lol), has been swimming lethargically and head down. The only thing he would do was rest on a plant or rock and come up for what seemed to be a lot of gasps for air. I did a water change and treated the water. Before I changed it, it had high Nitrite. Now it seems to be back to normal. How long before he goes back to swimming normally if that was the problem?

[alostfirefly]

PS, I'm a super worried mommy since my roommate and I have a big 10 gallon tank. 7 out of the 11 fish died within a week. Guess I won't ever buy Pet Smart fish again.. I just don't want my gorgeous little boy to die either.

[Jessie1990]

My cycle got stuck on nitrites forever and I was a fish slave. Finally I decided to give tetra safestart a shot and it ended up cycling overnight. BUT you have to follow the instructions that are posted online in an interview with a representative. I also did this in a goldfish tank, not a betta tank.

It didn't work in my betta tank a long time ago, but I was pretty new to fish keeping when I tried it then. You also need to fill out the sticky to tell everyone as much info as possible about what is going on in your tank. They will want to know your water parameters.

Good luck and hope your fishy feels better soon <3

[alostfirefly]

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 78 degrees F
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Partial every couple days. Full once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? See above
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime usually. This last time I used Tetra BettaSafe

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
As of most recent water change
Ammonia: N/A
Nitrite: Safe (was high about an hour ago. Did a water change)
Nitrate: Safe
pH: Alkaline
Hardness: Very Hard
Alkalinity: Ideal

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Belly got a little darker. Easy to see since he's pure white
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He's lethargic, just floats to the bottom. Will let me touch him. Was gasping for air but that stopped after water change I think.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Last night.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Did a water change
Does your fish have any history of being ill? None
How old is your fish (approximately)? I've had him a month max.

[Perseusmom]

What size tank is he in and how long have you been trying to cycle it ? Ammonia is the most toxic with nitrite being the second most toxic to fish...I sure hope he is going to be okay. What are you using to test the levels of the tank with ?

[Perseusmom]

Your tank must be starting to cycle if your seeing nitrite levels and you need to do water change when you see start to see it showing up. It should not be to long before you start to get a reading for the nitrate which is good it means your tank is almost done cycling. It will be cycled when you get no ammonia and nitrite readings.
Keeping up with the water changes i very important now. Prime is a great conditioner and it will detox the ammonia and nitrite and nitrate but only for 48 hours but you will still get a reading for the them when you do the test.

Also you really need to get heater for your size tank I think a 10 or 25 watt would be good. Keep a check on the temp of his water it should be from 76-82 for his health and to stay active.

[alostfirefly]

I have a 2.5 gallon tank for him. And I just changed the water about an hour ago. As for testing, I used Jungle Quick-Dip 5-in-1 Test Strips.

[alostfirefly]

He does have a heater. It keeps his tank nice and warm for him.

[alostfirefly]

Still need my questions answered...

[alostfirefly]

I did what I could for him, but I came back from eating dinner and I found Bacon dead at the bottom of his tank.. May he RIP :(