# ammonia & nitrites



## notoriouslyKEN (Jul 31, 2003)

at what point do ammonia & nitrites become dangerous for piranha?


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

Well.... piranhas are hardy so i wouldnt reallky know what is consider dangerous to piranhas. May reading of ammonia at 3 and nitrite at 2 are dangerous.


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

Just try to keep it low as possible.


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## notoriouslyKEN (Jul 31, 2003)

yea, i thought i had my 30 gal cycled, but i checked the nitrites today and they were around 2ppm, so i moved my rhom out to my other tank. I think i'll wait a couple days to move him back in, after the nitrites drop down.


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Ammonia toxicity is both pH and temp dependent. Very low levels of ammonia in high pH and temps can be fatal.

The presence of nitrites is always dangerous because of what it does to the blood cells. Prolonged exposure to low nitrites can kill fish through suffocation because the blood is not carrying enough oxygen.

Always try to keep both values at zero. In cases where there are spikes, water changes help both, keeping a nuetral/low pH and using AmQuel or Ammo-Lock can help to detoxify ammonia, and adding salt can help relieve nitrite poisoning.


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