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Anonymous
>>More specific for the Nitrate: I recently had to do a 50% water change when my Nitrate and Nitrite levels spiked through the roof with no warning. About a week before that the tank had abnormal levels of ammonia so I did a water change for that too. After changing the water this most recent time, the nitrate and nitrite levels have fallen to safe levels but are still high enough to clearly register as opposed to just over a week ago when there was no sign of any. What's going on and how can I stop it?
You need a better understanding of the ammonia cycle in an aquarium.
Fish waste contains Ammonia. Bacteria break down the ammonia into Nitrite. Other bacteria break down the Nitrite into Nitrates. It's a continuous cycle.
When you said that you noticed "abnormal levels of ammonia" that was a big neon sign telling you that in the near future you will be seeing a spike in Nitrites and then Nitrates.
Your Nitrite/Nitrate spike was not "with no warning". The warning was loud and clear: High levels of ammonia. You just didn't recognize it.
When you did a partial water change you got rid of a lot of the ammonia, but there was still some left behind, and thus you still had your nitrite/nitrate spike.
As others have said, you put in too many fish at once. Your tank may also be on the small size for the number of fish you have.
Here are some things to consider:
1) consider keeping fewer fish, getting a larger tank, or adding a sump to your existing tank. The more water you have relative to the number of fish you've got, the better off you are. The chemistry will be much more stable this way.
2) Water changes are important. But they can only do so much--don't depend on them. A properly balanced tank (right number and type of "livestock" in there) should maintain proper chemistry without constant water changes. If you find yourself performing emergency water changes then you need to figure out what's causing the problem.
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