nt labs nitrite test kit

Tests Nitrite in freshwater. 40 tests.

Nitrite is produced by beneficial filtration bacteria as they break down the waste ammonia excreted by the fish. Like ammonia, it is not visible to the naked eye. Although toxic to fish, Nitrite is less toxic than ammonia, however nitrite is still very detrimental to the health fish.
High nitrite levels are toxic to fish, reducing their ability to carry oxygen and potentially leading to suffocation.
Nitrite itself is further broken down into nitrate as the final process in the nitrogen cycle, and is practically harmless to fish.

There is no occasion where any nitrite is tolerable in an aquarium. A level of zero mg/L (ppm) should be maintained at all times.

If a level above zero / nil this is recorded, then a substantial water change is essential. Change 25% of the water volume for 1 mg/l (ppm) nitrite and 50% for nitrite levels above this. If any level of nitrite is detected a suitable will remove ammonia (and thus nitrite) from the water and can be recharged. If you do record a nitrite level, then it is important to check other vital water quality parameters, especially pH and ammonia. Adding cooking salt to a maximum of 3ppm over a 24 hour period will lessen the stress of Nitrite poisoning, but all plants and scaleless fish such as loaches, and crustaceans, shrimps etc would need to be removed also.