Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite?
The ammonia (NH4+/NH3) is a simple bio-organic molecule that is a waste product made by fish and most decomposing matter. First stage bacteria colonize and convert it to Nitrite (NO2-) An amazing feat as it has broken four H bonds and created two O bonds, also the reason these guys require oxygen to live. The second stage bacteria take long to settle in and they convert Nitrite to Nitrate (NO3-). What's interesting here is that simply adding another O to the nitrogen molecule causes it to only be toxic at high levels. Mostly this is probably caused by Nitrite being able to fit into a smaller space easier and to essentially mimic a molecule in the fish's breathing pattern. Kinda like how carbon monoxide (CO) can mimic oxygen in our bodies and cause us to pass out. Thus by adding the third O the molecule is now too large to diffuse into the fish's system and now only at high concentrations, essentially when it starts dominating diffused oxygen in the tank, it becomes toxic (due to asphyxiation).
The nitrite and nitrate cycle ?
#1 Any organic material that gets into the water rots. In rotting it becomes Ammonia. That's toxic to fish. #2There are bacteria ,here, there, everywhere,(in the air even),that under certain conditions will eat your Ammonia.These conditions are only two:the bacteria must be attached to solid surfaces(the gravel in the tank,the sponge in your filter,just about any where),and they need to be in well oxygenated water. These bacteria eat ammonia and give off Nitrite,also quite toxic to fish. These bacteria are called Nitrosomonas. #3 There are these other bacteria that eat Nitrites,they're called Nitrobacter. Their requirements are about the same as the Nitrosomonas,solid surfaces,colonies,well oxygenated water. The small problem is that they don't start to grow until the Nitrosomonas are up and running and making Nitrite.(Well they've got to have something to eat,don't they?) These guys give off Nitrates.( Not so toxic,but you still don't want a lot of it in with your fish) Hence the weekly water changes and gravel cleaning. The above three items are the simplest description I can come up with of the Nitrogen cycle. Learning to take care of fish actually starts with learning how to care for and grow bacteria. Strange world,huh? There are a few other things to consider in caring for the little guys,(temperature,water conditions,avoiding chlorine and chloramine)etc. But that's for another day, Good luck.
How do i keep ammonia, nitrates, mitrites levels down? in my tank?
The quick answer is to regularly use a gravel filter to remove water, and crap from the gravel. Ideally this is a 10% water change. Ammonia should be taken care of by your filter if: 1)You don't add fish to your tank faster than the biological filter can handle. At best a 30 gallon tank can take 1 fish a week, and a 60 gallon 2 fish a week. (You can do more, but your ammonia levels will increase, and possibly spike.) Or you can cycle the tank prior to adding fish, but even adding a lot of fish at once is bad. 2)You don't have too many fish in your tank. One inch of slim bodied fish per gallon is a good rule of thumb, but it really depends on the level of care, and quality of the filter. 3)You don't over feed. Food = ammonia. It doesn't matter if it rots or is eaten it's all ammonia. Fish should be fed once a day about what they can eat in 2 minutes. Nitrites should be converted to nitrates just like ammonia is converted to nitrites. The same issue as above apply. Nitrates don't naturally go away unless you have a massive amount of plants. (Roughly x10 the mass of fish.) Even then unless you are constanly removing dead leafs, and stems the nitrate will still build up. Remember in the end Food -> Nitrates. So unless you remove it from the tank it just builds up. The easy way to do this is to replace water. In a healthy tank you shouldn't need to remove more 10% of the water while vacuuming the gravel. If you need more than this to keep the nitrates in line you are vastly overstocked.
How do I reduce ammonia and nitrite levels in my 28 gallon tank?
Oh dear - your tank is VERY overstocked for cycling. You will lose a lot of fish if you don't get them out of there, as they will soon go under from ammonia poisoning. First of all - get your fish out. Secondly, ammonia is a natural part of the cycling process, and it will peak out at high levels for a few days to a week, and then go down as nitrites go up. Then nitrites will go down and nitrates will rise and stay steady at about 20 ppm This is the reason why we change water every week. Your ammonia spiked dangerously due to the amount of waste being dumped into the water from all those fish, and until the bacteria that reduces is and makes nitrite catches up, your fish are in danger of poisoning. Plants will help somewhat by usuing some nitrates as food and releasing oxygen into the water during the day, but they shouldn't be relied on, as decaying plants contribute to ammonia. My advice is to do 30% water changes every other day and take at least half of the fish out - many pet stores will buy your fish if you don't have anyone else to take them to. The Cycle brand is a good thing to add to help your system along, but it won't solve your problem - only time will. You should only leave fish in to contribute ammonia that you're willing to lose if it gets too bad for them. Unfortunately there will be some losses. For more on the nitrogen cycle and what to expect from it, read here: http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.htm... Here's hoping the little troopers hang in there. As for the fish that will eat your snails - would it happen to be a loach? They will eat snails, but can grow up to 18" long depending on the species.
Whats difference between nitrate and nitrite in tropical fish tanks?
Nitrite is the product of ammonia being oxidized. Nitrate is the product of Nitrite being oxidized. This is all part of the nitrogen cycle process, in which bacteria which grows in your filter media and gravel. Ammonia is produced in the tank via several means, fish respiration, fish waste, plant decay and excess uneaten food. All these are sources of ammonia entering a tank. Since a tank is a closed loop enviroment, meaning new water is not available unless you as the keeper do that, there is no way to keep these compounds diluted and oxidized. Bacteria, of two different kinds will grow in your filter media which oxidize the ammonia and nitrite accordingly. First the bacteria for ammonia grows and begins to oxidize this into nitrite. While nitrite builds up, the second bacteria begins to grow and oxidizes that into nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are quite lethal and can readily kill your fish if these levels become too high. Nitrate can do this just as well, only it takes much higher levels and is not as dangerous in lower levels. Generally at 40 ppm and under your nitrate will not pose a danger. There are some that feel nitrate shouldn't go higher then 20 ppm, however, I feel this is an over conservative measure. Most sites I've seen advocate water changes at 40 ppm or higher.
How can I reduce or remove Ammonia levels in my fish tank?
It's great that you're willing to try new things to get your fish to live longer! You mention carbon, but no filter. Do you have a filter? If you don't, now is the time to get one rated for 10-20 gallons or more. Change its pad regularly, too. You need a heater for your tank to maintain a stable temperature. You can set it around 78 degrees for most tropical fish and it will maintain that temperature for you. Do you know what your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are? How about your pH? You can buy a test kit from any pet store to test these. The kits where you drop chemicals into test tubes are better than the test strips you just dip in the water, as they're more accurate. It sounds like your tank has never gone through a nitrogen cycle, so I think it would be best to start over. Drain your tank and rinse all decorations. Fill it with new, dechlorinated water, and add a little fish food to introduce some ammonia into the tank. Test your water every day and you should see your ammonia rise and fall, then your nitrites rise and fall, then your nitrates rise and fall. Then you're ready to add fish! Now, a 10 gallon is pretty small for any goldfish, so you might be better off using some smaller tropical fish. Gouramis and tetras are my personal favorite freshwater community fish suitable for a small tank. Finally, when adding a fish from the store to your tank, follow the store's acclimation procedures. Most will have you float your fish in its bag in your tank for 15 minutes or so to equalize the temperature of the bag water to your tank's temperature. Then add a little water from your tank bit by bit to the bag until it's full. Dump half the water out of the bag and fill it again, bit by bit. Then net your fish and place it into the tank. Take care not to get water from the store into your tank, as you don't know if there are any parasites in it. There is also a method of acclimation called the drip method, involving a bucket and airline tubing, but it's more complicated and only a necessity for more fragile fish. [I use it for all my saltwater fish.] Best of luck to you!
Will someone explain to me the nitrogen cycle of an aquarium in terms I can understand.?
I'll take a stab: After you've dechlorinated your water (even leaving chlorinated water in the tank a day or two will do this), you have a blank slate. Add in a fish. Through urine, feces, uneaten food, and even the exhalations from their gills, you add ammonia to the water. Ammonia is toxic to fish. It burns their eyes, scales, fins, and worst of all: their gills. Once ammonia levels peak, a new bacteria: nitrite forms. Nitrite eats up the ammonia as quickly as it forms. Nitrite is also toxic to fish. It messes up their ability to absorb oxygen and with high levels over a period of time, they asphyxiate. After a couple of weeks of nitrite build up, another bacteria is born: nitrate..the GOOD bacteria (within limits, of course). You should have 20 ppm on a testing kit. You definitely need a test kit with an aquarium. Minimum tests during the cycling phase (which is 4-6 weeks) is for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You will always use a nitrate and PH test after the cycle. The betta will definitely start the cycle. I used my betta in a 30 gallon tank to start for a week or so then added in a few golden danios (much prettier and brighter than the zebras but just as hardy!) Corycats should be in groups of 5 or 6 in order to maintain their normal schooling tendencies. Any less and they tend to get stressed. Stress causes illnesses including ich that are contagious. You could do less, but I wouldn't go any lower than 4. Platys are livebearers. You probably won't have to worry about overpopulating the tank though as your other fish will probably eat the fry unless they hide out in plants somewhere. Currently, in my 10 gallon tank, I have the 3 danios left from the long ago 30 gallon cycling, a black betta named Finding EMO, and 5 platys. Because none of these fish are heavy waste producers, I have no need for a bottom cleaner. The platys and danios are piglets, too. Barely ANY food hits mid-tank..haha. Plus, the platys go picking along the rock and decor constantly looking for little leftovers :)
What does "Cycle your tank" mean?
Since you don't have an established tank, you will have to go through the cycling process. The goal is to grow enough beneficial bacteria that will break down toxic chemicals excreted by your fishes to something much less harmful so that they can actually live in your water. Initial chemical produced by your fishes will be ammonia. This is very toxic to them and soon they will die with enough concentration. You need to get a ammonia test kit and continue to measure the concentration during the cycling process (typically about 1 month). When it reaches to few ppm, you will need to replace a portion of your tank water with some fresh water to reduce the concentration. Mean while, bacteria responsible to break down ammonia will grow and slowly take over this process of breaking down ammonia and eventually you will see zero ppm of ammonia levels. Unfortunately, above mentioned bacteria breaks down ammonia to nitrite. This chemical too is very toxic to your fishes. More than few ppm and your fishes will suffer. Once again, you will need another testing kit to test the concentration of nitrite! Same stuff all over again. Another kind of beneficial bacteria slowly multiplies and will eventually break down all of your nitrites in real time. The final product is nitrate. Fortunately, this chemical is much less toxic. You can keep fishes healthy while nitrate concentration hovers around 30-40ppm. No more bacteria work to do here. You have to change water weekly to keep nitrate level in check. pH is really not related to the cycling process except that lower pH means slower multiplication of beneficial bacteria. So you have a choice - let your fish suffer somewhat for a month going through cycling, or as someone else mentioned, use fishless cycling method which also needs something that produces ammonia. The best by far, is to ask one of your friend who already maintains aquariums. Ask them to lend you some media from their established tank's filter. Put this in your filter. Within a day, your tank will be cycled since the media already contains massive quantity of bacteria. Good luck! :)