# First Walstad tank: High Nitrites?



## FuzzyMuffin (Apr 28, 2014)

So, I recently set up my first walstad tank. It's got about 2in of Natures Care Organic Soil (soaked for a few days, but not mineralized), 1.5-2in of large grain sand. It's 50gals with DIY LED lights. I thought the 60 plant package I bought would be enough to heavily plant the tank, but it wasn't so more plants (along with some floaters) are on the way (maybe 45-55 plants total), even though algae outbreaks have been mild and the plants are growing _fabulously_.

It's been set up for a couple of weeks now, maybe three, and I tested the water a few days ago with an API liquid test kit. Ammonia 0.25pm, Nitrites off the charts (didn't match any of the colors on the chart, and tested with other water/tanks so I know the tests aren't faulty), Nitrate 5ppm. Obviously, this water isn't safe for fish yet and after a little bit of research I discovered that plants don't like consuming Nitrites. So... how am I to get rid of this huge spike? Just give it time? Seed the filter (which is currently set up for just water movement)? Water changes? More plants?

I'd like to avoid water changes, if possible. I'm using our hard well water, but because our tap goes through a softener I need to use a special spigot that only has a cold setting to bypass the softener system. It's kinda of a pain in the butt and I worry about shocking the plants, but if it's necessary I'll do it.

Side Question: There are a fair amount of gas bubbles in the tank. I've been poking at the substrate daily, but is this enough? Should I be doing something else? How long can I expect this to go on for?

Huge thank you to anyone who helps me out with this! I thought I'd done enough research, but things are never quite what you expect when you actually do them, lol.


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## mooncon (Oct 12, 2011)

Seed the filter or water changes should help or just let it go the nitrite's should start coming down a little as its cycling.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

This is fairly typical for Walstad tanks that are set up with rich "hot" soil that has not been mineralized As mooncon says, put seeded biomedia in your filter and let time and water changes take care of the problem.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Nitrifying bacteria will grow best when the ammonia and nitrite are under 5 ppm, so do a big enough water change to get the NO2 lower. 

You can test and get a result using a trick like this:
Put 2.5ml sample + 2.5ml Reverse Osmosis water (distilled is fine, too) in the test tube. Add the instructed amounts of reagents. Double the results. 
Try 1ml sample + 4ml RO then multiply the result by 5.


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