bren2k wrote:I killed off my first ever aquarium due to lack of patience - got everything set up, filled it with water and introduced fish 24 hours later - I was horrified to watch them all die off over the following few days.
If I'm remembering it right - nitrite levels spike dramatically as fish produce waste and the cultures in your filter media are not sufficiently established to break it down (into nitrates - is that right Snowie?) The result is that your fish get poisoned by their own shiz, which can't be pleasant.
yes it is the ammonia from the fish poo that builds the nitrite level up.
its amazing how the tank can can reach a high poisonous level from clean water to then drop down and stabilize itself, with more fish crapping away would expect it to creep again but the culture within the filtration do balance it out
if there's any they might be mine as for being woken at 3 it was the mrs I was still in a stooper 
