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Nitrite harmful to fish cause when it go through the fish grill it convert to methemoglobin (less oxygen or taken away oxygen). trying to simplify as below extract info from web.
if am wrong please correct it.
Nitrite is an intermediate compound in the nitrogen cycle and is converted to nitrate by the Nitrobacter bacteria of a healthy biological filter. In a freshwater tank, levels above 0.05 parts per million (ppm) will likely be harmful to the fish. The problem is common during the "new tank syndrome" after the ammonia has been converted to nitrite by Nitrosomonas bacteria. This usually occurs between weeks one and two of a cycling biological filter.
Nitrite enters the fish by crossing the gill membrane. Problems arise because nitrite is capable of oxidizing (chemically changing) hemoglobin to methemoglobin in the bloodstream. This condition is known as methemoglobinemia and can be fatal since methemoglobin is an inefficient carrier of oxygen.
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