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Hi

When nitrite levels rise during the cycling period of a tank. What PPM should you try and keep them at to mininize stress for the fish? In this case gold barbs. Thanks.

John

NitrIte rates above 5 ppm
should signal you to do a 50% (or larger) water change in a new aquarium.
Do not clean the filter unless it is totally plugged with rotting food or waste in a newly set up aquarium.

Basically in a new tank,
one wants to change the water, not the filter.
The good bacterias that live in the filter
take time to grow.
So, if you keep cleaning the filter, the colony of good bacterias never get a chance to establish.
The bacteria that breaks ammonia into NitrIte can mature in 4 days or less.
The bacteria that breaks NitrIte into NitrAte mature in 14 days or more.
Ammonia and NitrIte are both deadly in ammounts as low as 6 ppm.
NitrAte, is only dangerous is ammounts above 400 ppm...depending on the species.

Gold barbs are actually a good choice for starting a tank,
they are notoriously hardy.