FAQs on Marine Water Quality involving Nitrites 3 Related Articles: Nitrite, Ammonia, Nitrates, Establishing Cycling, BioFiltration,  Phosphate, Silicates, Phosphate,  Related FAQs: Nitrites 1,  Nitrites 2, & FAQs on Nitrite: Importance, Science, Measure, Sources, Control, Chemical Filtrants, Troubleshooting/Fixing & Nitrates, Ammonia, Phosphate, Silicates, Chemical Filtrants,  Some fishes, non-fishes are far more sensitive to nitrite poisoning...

Stubborn Nitrites... Another case of zip [HPO4]       5/8/17
Hello Crew! Thank you for all of the advice over the years. Your site has been an invaluable resource.
<Ah, good>
I'm having a problem with stubbornly high Nitrites after (during?) a cycle for a quarantine tank and I'm out of ideas.
<Well; quarantine systems tend to be unstable, disallowing establishment and ready metabolism of beneficial microbe populations... Do you have sufficient biomedia, circulation about it to sponsor nitrification?>
QT is 20g, HOB BioWheel filter with bagged carbon and GFO (there was a Phosphate issue from uncured dry rock in the display tank).
<Is there still "some" soluble phosphate present? You NEED some for microbial conversion of Nitrite to Nitrate... Re-read that last statement>
Also has a small skimmer as I intend to follow the mantra "Quarantine everything, corals and all" with this new display tank (150g). QT is bare bottom except for some pieces of pvc for hiding spots and tests at 0 Ammonia, 20 Nitrates, 2 Nitrites, 0 Po4,
<Bingo: Here's at least part of the problem. Remove most/all of the GFO>
480Ca, 9dkh, and 1250mg.
We use water from the display tank for water changes (was an attempt to seed, but also a way of acclimating the critters to heir eventual conditions. Currently the only inhabitants are 3 Scarlet Reef hermits.
Nitrates are coming down (artificially high from early on when the both tanks were showing 100+ Nitrates.... DT now shows zero after water changes and a little impatient Vinegar dosing).
<Won't help>
What is NOT moving however are the Nitrites. They've been floating between 2-3 for weeks. The QT has been running for almost 2 months and they just won't come down. I've tried everything. I've even added SeaChem stability to the area behind the Filter wheel in an effort to directly add <sic, aid?> the bacteria necessary. It just won't come down (but isn't going up either). We are doing water changes, but only @10% weekly. I know that a
bare bottom tank takes longer to cycle, but this just seems absurd. I would have expected a spike and then drop over a longer time. Not a constant 2-3ppm with no movement. The kit is Salifert, brand new, and tests fine at 0ppm on the DT as well. I'm completely out of ideas. Any thoughts? I know Nitrites are not as bad for marine organisms, but I'm not relishing the thought of subjecting a really cool frag to Nitrites just because I can't get this thing to fully cycle.
<Your situation is very commonly misunderstood. "Some" phosphate is absolutely necessary to all life... part of DNA, RNA, Phospholipids in every cell... ADP, ATP energy transfer molecules... AND conversion of NO2 to NO3... The (over) use of chemical filtrants has killed more livestock than pathogenic disease. Remove the rust and you will find your nitrite gone in short order>
Thanks again!!
~Frank
<Glad to help Frank. Bob Fenner>
Re: Stubborn Nitrites        5/17/17
Hi Bob!
<Hey Frank!>
Thanks for the help. Rust is out of the quarantine tank (Still have it in the DT as I believe the dry rock that was uncured is leaching phosphate into that system and I’m showing near perfect water parameters there so not too worried about it … unless you think I should be).
<As long as there is "some" HPO4>
I’m still reading no PO4 in the quarantine a week after removing the GFO and the Nitrites are still up at 4. Nitrates, however, have spiked dramatically. 100 or so was the last reading.
<Yikes; change water... daily>
Tell me if I’m wrong here, but with the spike in Nitrates, I’m thinking that something is definitely converting the Nitrites but the population just isn’t large enough to consume all of it.
<Yes>
The skimmer on the QT is weak but pulling out some gunk (not dark green, but still tan). The only source of ammonia is the 3 hermits plus whatever food they don’t eat. We don’t feed very much at all and ammonia is still at 0. Is this just a “more patience required” issue or am I missing something else?
<Can't tell from the data available>
I am about halfway to throwing a small sponge filter in the sump of the main tank for about two weeks before popping it into the QT in case this doesn’t come down.
<Oh, good idea>
Thought it might help now and in the future. I don’t really think I’m going to attack the Nitrate issue until I’ve dealt with the Nitrites because they’ll just come back.
In answer to your question about bio media/flow, there’s a small Hydor powerhead in the QT and the HOB BioWheel style of filter so I can’t imagine there isn’t enough flow/media. I am still running carbon in the back of that filter but will remove if you think that’s causing an issue.
<If it's old... more than a few days... I'd leave it>
We do have a small diatom bloom going on in the QT right now that happened after the GFO was removed. I suppose it’s possible that they’re consuming all of the PO4 and that’s why it’s showing undetectable. Have turned out the lights temporarily to see if starving them leads to an increase in PO4 and a drop in the muddy river look. We had a diatom bloom earlier which I dealt with through water changes and killing the lights, but I assumed that was from using diatom infused water from the DT that was a green/brown soup at the time (crystal clear now).
Not entirely sure all of that was relevant to this problem, but thought more information might help determine the causes/solutions. Thoughts?
<Keep your beer in cool, dark places>
~Frank
<BobF>

Nitrites after feeding     11/9/14
Hi. I currently have a 5x2ft tank that's been running for over a year now.
It's is housing a 1 inch porcupine puffer, 2.5 inch Foxface, a tiny blue tang and a lawnmower blenny. Everyone gets along fine and I carry out 20-25% weekly water changes. I feed the puffer every second day and others are fed daily.
<What sorts of foods?>
After feeding I notice a small increase in nitrites. Around 0.15 with the API test kit. It will then decrease back to 0 by the next day. I have two other tanks and this doesn't seem too happen.
Is this something to worry about? Is it only caused by over feeding?
<Mmm; well; likely either insufficient filtration/circulation, OR a deficient test kit. I'd try another brand of the latter... But do please write back re spec's for your gear. Bob Fenner>
Re: Nitrites after feeding     11/12/14
i bob, thanks for your quick reply.
I feed the puffer prawns and squid, alternating with feeds.
<Umm, no bueno. DO read on WWM re these foods, the nutrition of Puffers.
Too much chance of Thiaminase issues>
And the others receive a small amount of seaweed extreme pellets and brine shrimp/seafood mixture I blend myself.
I have a 3x1.5ft sump. It has filter pads, bio balls, ceramic noodles and matrix.
<How much of this last? Can't be too much... any space to add a DSB of size?>
I am also running a large Aqua one protein skimmer. Tank would have approx 25-30 kg.s of live rock.
After receiving your previous email I upgraded my sump pump as I realised it was too small for the aquarium size. It resolved my problem immediately.
<Ahh!>
Thanks for your help. If you have any more information to give me about the way I am running my system regarding filtration or anything else. I will definitely take it into consideration.
Thanks. Tim.
<The Thiaminase, puffer reading... Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Re: Nitrites      9/21/14
Got It
I totally understand. Honestly, I'm brand new to this site, and hadn't really looked around before emailing you.......my bad.
<Hotay!>
I've just spent several hours reading posts and responses, and I get it.
I'm still thinking that at this point, having had large biotowers built and installed, it's simpler to just use the bioballs on the fish-only systems rather than convert them to a refugium with a dsb.
<Up to you>
Water goes through a prefilter before it hits the bioballs, and these systems get a 25% water change every month anyway.
<I'd change this amount weekly>
As far as my coral tanks go, I have 90 gallon tubs filled with live rock under the four 90 gallon systems, and I'm going to install lights over these tubs, and intend on adding macro algae to them as well.
Enjoy your time in Bali, and I'll let you be.
<Am just back... and bushed>
Thanks so much for your input. I'll try to research a topic more before bothering you in the future.
<Not a bother Rob>
Rob
Seascapes
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>

urgent help... Killing marines through NO2 poisoning...       8/18/14
Hey Bob-
<Robert>
Since speaking to you a few weeks ago, I think I have had my worst time with fish keeping. Since restarting my tank using bacteria (I attempted to treat fish in 100 gallon trough), I have lost 16 of 19 fish.
<?!>
Last night I had 6 fish, however, sometime during the overnight, I lost a 7 inch orange shoulder tang, 4 inch desjardini sailfin tang, as well as a fire clown fish.
I immediately measured water quality (1.023 sg, 82 degrees Fahrenheit, 0 AMM, 5 nitrites
<NitrItes? Incredibly high... WHY are you placing fishes in an uncycled system?>
) I understand the nitrites are high, but they have been high since I restarted the tank after putting fish in it. On Friday I did a 50 gallon water change, (1/3 water volume) and added more stability bacteria.
Do you believe in fact the elevated nitrites are what is killing these fish?
<.... Robert; are you joking? IF so, this is NOT funny>
Upon inspection of fish prior to last night, I noticed a string, white substance attached to the orange shoulder tang, as well as the clownfish.
The orange should also had blotches on him, it was not ich.
My lfs, upon similar description I am giving you, thinks its bacterial, and I should use formalin or quick cure. If it is nitrites, I know letting it run will eventually bring it down. If it is bacterial, when tank does cycle out, when does one know it is safe to add fish?
<.... ? Disappointing. LEARN TO USE WWM>
Also, if bacterial, will flipping on uv light help any? I have left it off in effort to help speed cycle tank, but I also understand where there is good bacteria growing, there could also be bad bacteria.
I am beginning to think I had way to many fish in a tank before, and that was the root of my issues. Going forward, if there is a such thing, I may just opt for less fish, more of the eye catching fish. Eel, lionfish, etc.
Thanks
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marcyctrbfx2.htm
and the linked files above. Yes; all of them. Bob Fenner>
RE: urgent help      8/18/14
Bob,
Well, no this is not a joke. I attempted a quarantine/hospital environment, and failed miserably keeping ammonia manageable. I simply had to
<too>
many fish. I attempted to eradicate the ich, restarting the tank. I felt, at the time, by best interest was to get the bigger body of water (my tank) up and running, use as much bacteria as I possibly could, and get them back in there tank. This was not by design. I would never advocate doing this, but given I had no where else to go with them, I had to do what I thought was right. My lfs would NOT take them in, and I do not know anyone well enough in my area to spare my fish.
With that said, and again, I know it sucked, and wasn't ideal whatsoever, moving forward, do these symptoms sound like velvet, brook, etc, or is that simply the byproduct of high nitrites? (again no ammonia) For what its worth, and maybe this is incorrect, according to an article by Randy Holmes Farley, nitrites in saltwater are not nearly as toxic as freshwater, and some fish can live in nitrites in the 100's.
<Not NitrItes; NitrAtes. KEEP READING>
My dilemma, or oncoming dilemma, is, is this a disease, that needs to be treated again, or something that needs time to cycle out and stabilize.
The highest ammonia level I have seen, measuring once per day the last two weeks, was .5, and it lasted 3 days, in which all of the remaining fish lived thru. Again, I know I screwed up horrible, should have let the fish and the ich be, and not attempt to keep that many fish in an uncycled environment. Moving forward, how do I know if right now I am dealing disease or new tank syndrome?
Thanks

Part two: Transient NO2; SW; tied in with gravel vacuuming    7/9/14
In the past I have written to you about a small nitrite reading in my mature fish only system. The tank had been running for ten years or so, and I seemed to get a .5 reading.
<Strange... and you've checked the test kit>
I did as you suggested, water change, not feed until reading came down , but surely the next time I checked there would be nitrite.
This has been going on for 6 months or so. I finally stumbled on what may be my issue, could be a coincidence as well. I perform all water checks and tests a few hours following a water change. This is when I would see nitrite. 20 percent change, or 50 percent water change to remove nitrate., it didn't matter I would test positive for nitrite. I then started testing water in between changes. As I do them every 7 to 10 days. So let's say I would test after 3 days post water change.
I would test zero.
<Ahh!>
My guess is, by siphoning my sugar fine sand, and moving it around through vacuuming, I was disturbing bacteria, and creating a nitrite spike. Is this possible?
<Oh yes>
I always thought it was good to vacuum fine sand, even when it looked not needed.
Is this typical?
<Not greatly unusual>
And if so, should I halt the siphoning, and just rely on power heads to keep debris and detritus off the bottom? Thanks bob,
<My usual suggestion to only do "one side" vacuuming per period... the other half next time>
Robert
<BobF>

nitrate question; SW; rdg.       1/29/14
Hi again, Bob. I had another question which I felt was better not crammed into my shark question. Given the set-up I have, 155 bow, 50 gal sump, mtc protein skimmer, two return pumps providing nearly 1400 gallons an hour combined. 80 lbs total live rock, in display and in sump, siphon cleaning sand every two weeks, weekly 15 percent water changes, what next gradual step should I do to eliminate nitrates.
<Not likely to eliminate, but help reduce/control... there are a few possible avenues... avoidance by stocking, feeding... absorption, export, denitrification... all gone over on WWM. Use the search tool or indices>
I have an API test that shows 40, and another test that shows 20. I do get 80 readings from time to time, but after retesting, it shows 40 (looking into getting the most accurate, consistent test, if one does exist to the home aquarist)
<Check what these kits are actually measuring... some do "Nitrogen as Nitrate"... rather than [NO3] itself>
The sump has two sections, a trickle down part, with bio balls, <Part of your/the induced problem. See WWM re this media... change it out for something else>
where the in sump protein skimmer exists (water is pushed in protein skimmer, via return pump) and then the return section. The only mechanical filtration is tank are the two sponges (socks)
<These need to be cleaned/switched out for pre-cleaned daily>
 in the over flows (one in each over flow) as well as a block pad that sits in between the sump divider. (water has to run through it in order to make it to the return section. (I clean these weekly
<Need to be done every day>
 during water changes with seawater to maintain bacterial colonies.) My skimmer is always on, and produces maybe a cup a week.
I do not really have the space for a refugium, and was told by various lfs owners that Chaeto would not solve my problem.
<Could help though... this and/or Ogo/Gracilaria would be my choice/s>
Should I start with some sort of carbon source?
<Not likely helpful in the long/er term>
I also read vodka dosing is risky, and also not a long term solution to my issue. They also market a block that is 8x4x4, that supposed to be good for growing the denitrifying bacteria to rid nitrates. Any word on these?
<Can help IF your issue is carbon limitation>
As far as detritus is concerned, about 6 weeks ago I swapped out my crushed coral, which was nearly ten years old, for sugar sand in anticipation of the marbled cat.
<A good move for sure>
To prevent detritus from entering the water column, I removed all the fish I had at the time into a garbage can, with 50 gallons of seawater from tank, along with live rock. Once they were out, I drained out 100 gallons of tank into drain, till there was nothing left in tank. I then used clean seawater to wipe clean tank of debris. I placed new sand in, and added 100
gallons of new water (water I would normally do a water change with, temp was spot on, salinity etc) added fish and live rock in, and finally the 50 gallons that was holding the fish. I also siphoned out debris in overflows as well as the little detritus that was in sump. Whole process took me about two hours. as I wished to maintain bacteria in sump, pumps etc as
much as possible.
<Sounds/reads great>
So there is little to know detritus in tank now that I would think could fuel nitrates. I do not think my situation is a problem, it is well maintained, however in the long run I wish to lower them as possible. Thank you, Bob
<Try the reading for a bit; keep good notes, and we'll be chatting. Bob Fenner>
bio balls follow up     1/29/14
Hi bob. I agree 100 percent with what you said about the bio balls possibly being a factor in my nitrates. However, the sump I have, which was custom built folwr by MTC (marine technical concepts) is completely sealed, with no access to them. I suppose the only way would be to cut the sump open itself (not sure if that ever is a good idea)
<Up to you; denitrifying media can/could be placed downstream...>
With that said, are they that detrimental, that a new sump should be in the works?
<Depends... as nitrate is produced; is that an issue?>
 I can tell you when I observe the bio balls with a flash light, they are as blue as they were the day they went in there, with no build up of detritus. There is no pad above the balls, so the flow that goes to them is heavy water, which according to MTC, helps prevent dirt from settling on them. Detritus does build from time to time, but it is under the bio balls after already falling through them. What do you think? Respectfully, Bob
<... Posted. B>
help needed; Formerly nitrate question; SW; rdg.       1/29/14   Now, NO2 poisoning...  1/30/14
Hey Bob, its bob again. Yesterday was the day from hell, I had mentioned the new lionfish has passed the night before, which was in my tank for four days, and never ate. Chalked it up to stress, non-eating specimen. Coming home from work that night, I noticed my grouper, who was eating krill like a champ, dead under the rock. Upon observation, he had no signs of fighting on him, and you can tell he had some girth to him and he was a strong feeder. Later that evening, my rainbow wrasse, was laying on side, occasionally flapping his tail. Didn't think anything of it, because I know wrasses like to perch and lay, but a day later, and he is still in same position, with minimal movement.
Had my parameters checked again last night, no ammonia, trace amount of nitrates, where my trusted lfs said he believed that would not kill a fish.
Nitrates between 20-40.
<...?! What is your dissolved oxygen here. ONE last time: CHANGE WATER. Add aeration, slightly depress (a thousandth or two) spec. grav. DO add activated carbon or such product (Chemi-pure e.g.)>
What step should I take from here. All other fish are doing really well, eating, no signs of distress other than my rainbow wrasse flapping under a rock. My lfs said to dose copper in there, seeming to believe it is a parasite.
I have not done anything yet. Could it be flukes that killed the grouper and killing the wrasse? (maybe that is wrasse behavior, not sure)I purchased some SeaChem stability last night because of the small spike in nitrite, but have not used it. Could it help/hurt?
<Not at all likely. B>
Thanks
 RE: help needed     1/30/14
never measured dissolved oxygen before.
<See WWM re DO>
 I have two return pumps running at combined 1500 gallons an hour. I did a 15 percent water change Tuesday night, I can do another if you recommend tomorrow.
As far as trace nitrates, I meant trace nitrites. Less than .5. And through no implication, do not add copper correct?
<I would definitely not>
puzzled fish loss... Ongoing... NO2, 3 f's     1/31/14
Hey bob. As I said two days ago, I lost a new lion fish, (believed to be stressed, small and not eating) and lost a 3 inch miniatus grouper two days ago as well. Was eating like a horse, then dead. My gf, who felt bad, took it upon herself to get me a 1.5 inch miniatus grouper as well as a medium 4 inch lion fish yesterday. The grouper died within hours, I did not see it,
but my mom said the trigger (humu) chased him non stop until he was dead.
<... likely>
I came home and removed him, and you can see physical wounds. Too small for tank, my gf did not know any better, was trying to  be nice.
Today as I was observing the tank, the bigger lion, who went from swimming around one minute, to literally upside down within 5 minutes of me seeing him swim.
I checked the parameters again, and everything was fine, with exception of .25 nitrites.
<? Toxic. Why would anyone add to this trouble?>
That is four fish lost (rainbow wrasse is still laying on bottom flapping occasionally) I told all members of the household no more fish, or replacement of fish till we find out what is happening.
<Yay>
My other fish, sohal tang, clown tang, spiny puffer (burr fish),  humu trigger and marbled cat shark are all fine. I have made the decision to remove the sohal, and trigger tomorrow and return them to my lfs. I believe the grouper was killed by trigger, and also believe sohal chasing everything is adding stress.
<I agree>
I will wait at least a month before adding anything at all. Question is, are these mystery deaths just fish not meant to be, or do you believe there is a parasite lurking in the water. I would have thought if it were a parasite, all fish would have been affected.
I am really puzzled, and my lfs shrugs his shoulders when I tell him. I know I can not use copper with presence of shark. I did add some carbon matrix to sump, as well as pulling some water from tank and replaced with r/o water to lower salinity. Which is now a 1.24 from a 1.26.
<... missing a zero>
What else can I check for? I did do a 10 percent water change this morning.
Really struggling and frustrated.
Thanks in advance.
<ORP, TBC. B>
RE: puzzled fish loss    2/1/14
ORP oxidation reduction potential. I know what it stands for but don't know anything about it in relative terms to my tank. Or what that means going forward.
<... use the search tool... found on every of the 14 plus k pages on WWM>
As far as the .25 nitrites, that is what they tested today after the dead fish were removed from aquarium. They were checked daily the passed month, and did not see any spike in that nor ammonia.  I would not blatantly add fish to my tank with toxic byproducts.
And what is TBC? To be checked? not familiar with that acronym.
<Total bacteria count... A very interesting proposition with aquariums:
Just how much role does a given concentration of "bacterial population/s" play in determining, influencing livestock health in our systems? Their metabolites, analogs... just the bit they add as BOD? I have oft-wondered if microbial content period was important in such cases as yours... Oh, and this measure and CBC are often gen. measures of potable water quality>
Lastly I wanted to ask you, at night when the lights go down, (I lower led lights to 0 white light, 5 percent blue light for an hour, then totally off) my shark over the past few nights is starting to show more of himself.
<Ah good>
  Is now the time to stick feed, since is barely visible during the day?
Part of me says if he's hungry he will come out, the other part of me says I need to be proactive.
<Not until there's no detectable nitrite>
And yes, I did forget the 0. it is now a 1.024 sg.
Thanks, Bob
<Welcome. B>
RE: puzzled fish loss... NO2, 3   2/2/14
Will certainly look into that.
<Oh yeah; reading>
I received this email this morning, so last night the shark actually came out and was swimming around the live rock. I tried stick feeding a silver slide, which he ignored, but then I tried a piece of cut scallop, and he nibbled on it a bit. I then turned the room light off and walked away.
After reading what you just said about waiting for nitrites to go away, I will do so now and wait till its 0. I decided to keep feeding minimal until it clears out to play it safe.
Also, I will search the WWM site again, but do you have an opinion on the MTC HSA 250 Becket style protein skimmer? I am not getting much skimmate at all weekly, maybe a cup or so, and my lfs said he had those skimmers before on his display and reef tanks, and threw them out. He said I should look into getting a reef octopus. Any thought?
Thanks
<See WWM re skimmer selection (FAQs)>

Ammonia Cycling Problem  8/31/13 Dearest Crew,  <Hey Joe (where you going w/ that fish net in your hand.... JimiH)> Thanks again for the wonderful service that you provide!  <A pleasure> I'm having a problem cycling my new 155 in-wall reef tank. I have been using Dr. Tim's nitrifying bacteria and have attempted to contact them without luck.  <Mmm, knew Tim Hovanec in college (SDSU); and seen several times since he joined the industry years back... He's usually diligent. I'd try again; but, let's see what you have here> I've followed the manufacturers directions by adding the bacteria followed by the ammonia chloride. I've been keeping my ammonia at about 2ppm but have had my nitrites skyrocket. The test kit goes to 5ppm (API) but it seems that the color is at or above this. I have been doing 15% water changes (more challenging in the new tank then in my old 54 gallon!) but the levels do not seem to be dropping. <I'd stop the water changes... likely this is not helping... indeed maybe sub-tending the completion of cycling.>  I'm confused as to what steps I should take to correct the problem. Should I continue keeping ammonia at above 2ppm or continue water changes to get the nitrites down? <I'd also stop w/ the addition of ammonium chloride... AND add "a pinch" of dried/flake food, or pellets; even a stinky shrimp (yes; cocktail type) to offer an ammonia and more source>  The cycling started about 2 1/2 weeks ago and the manufacturer claimed that it should be completed in less then a week.  <... sometimes takes longer> Lastly, the tank is has about 100 lbs dry rock and about 15 lbslive rock. I'm currently running the skimmer. <Again; to review: Stop changing water, adding NH4Cl, add an organic source of carbon/amino acids. Got it? Oh, and the universal (and oh so challenging at times) ingredient, patience. Cheers, Bob Fenner>  Very confused here.  Thanks!!! Joe W. Wichita, KS Re: Ammonia Cycling Problem  8/31/13 Thank you Bob,  <Welcome Joe> Always a pleasure to chat with you. You don't know how many times I've had the Hendrix comment made to me! Luckily that's one of my favorite tunes!  <Ahh! People think Hendrix was talented with a guitar, playing it inverted and all; they've not seen me w/ a siphon!> I was under the impression that the high nitrites were poisoning that necessary bacteria and must be lowered. I'll go ahead and add the cocktail shrimp and halt on the water changes.  <The high [NO2] will abate on/of its own... Think it might not serve to elaborate more here; I assure you, the simple changes, addition mentioned will "do the trick" here> I've attached a photo of the tank before it was filled with water. The contractor really did a nice job with the exterior.  <Ah, very nice; yes. I especially like/d the wood trim as I downloaded the pic> Thanks! Joe W. <Again, welcome. BobF>

Fwd: WWM query mentioning you  8/31/13 Thanks Bob for the referral. <Ah, welcome Tim> Dear Joe: Not sure how you tried to contact us as we have no record of a phone call or email.  In any case you did not follow the directions we have on the website.  You are not suppose to 'keep" your ammonia at 2 ppm =- that is too much ammonia which has resulted in the high nitrite level. You need to do a water change asap and get the nitrite down.  The faster you get the nitrite down the faster the system will cycle. Once you get the nitrite down you need to add  ammonia and wait 24 hours before measuring.  Measure and if ammonia and nitrite below 0.1 then add some more ammonia.  Do not add more if either it above 3-2 ppm wait another 24 hours. <Cheers, B> Re: Fwd: WWM query mentioning you   9/1/13 Thank you so much Bob,  <Ah, welcome Joe. It is my practice to "cc" all that are mentioned in conversations; to elicit their personal input if possible> Very kind of you! Have a relaxing Labor day holiday! <Ahh, very enjoyable. You as well. BobF>

nitrite help    2/6/12
Hello,
    My tank has been established for a few months now
<... evidently not>
but all of the sudden the past few days I have been getting a nitrite reading that is a little high, between .75 and 1.25.  I did a water change of about 15% less than a week ago.  Should I be concerned?
<Yes; toxic, debilitating>
 If so should I change the water again or should I just wait a few more days and leave everything alone?
<... Quit feeding, start reading... is this freshwater or marine? Let's assume FW: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/NO2ContrF.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
                            Thanks,
                                Erik
Re Nitrite help... SW     2/8/12
Hello,
<Hello Erik>
  Sorry I didn't specify.  I have a 30 gallon salt water tank.  About 30lbs LR, 30lbs LS, a few fish and some inverts.  I read what I could on Wet web I think said I should try not feeding for a few days and doing a water change.  Is this correct?
<Did you do an ammonia test?  It's possible your nitrite test kit could be giving you a false reading.
Might want to take a water sample to your dealer and compare his test results.
My tank has been established for a few months now but all of the sudden the past few days I have been getting a nitrite reading that is a little high, between .75 and 1.25.  I did a water change of about 15% less than a week ago.  Should I be concerned?
<Yes, as above compare readings with your dealer.  Anything over 0.2ppm is not good.
If so should I change the water again or should I just wait a few more days and leave everything alone?
<I'd wait until you verify that your reading is correct.  If so, I would not feed for a day or two and do
a 20% water change and retest the following day.
Overstocking can lead to high nitrite readings. You did not state your inhabitants and their size, a "few fish" doesn't tell me much.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Erik
Re: nitrite help    2/9/12
Thanks for your help and quick response.  I didn't feed for a day and my nitrate <nitrIte> seems to be back to 0.  I am going to retest tomorrow and test my water at my LFS.
          Thanks again guys,
                   Erik
<Welcome, BobF> 

Extreme nitrites no matter what (RMF?)<<>>  5/20/11
Hi guys, I started a 10 gallon QT tank and have a hang on power filter with a fiber square that is to hold the biological stuff. I started out by put<ting> the filter in the sump of my 220 gallon cycled tank. After a week I put it back into the QT power filter. I was not around to feed any ammonia to the QT for 6 days and had nitrites off the charts high, like 50ppm.
<Seriously? What do you have in there, an alligator?><<Not possible... summat is off here... Either the test kit is for Nitrate or N2 as NO3... or it's reagents are bad... or... Reality: go try another NO2 kit and/or known sample (distilled) with the present one>>
I started feeding the tank with 3 ppm ammonia each day and in 4 hours the ammonia was non-existent and the nitrites still off the charts.
<How's about scaling things RIGHT back. Give the aquarium a complete water change. Rinse of the biological media in some of that aquarium water. Then, stop with the ammonia -- my guess is you're adding too much -- and instead just add a pinch of flake food: 2-3 flakes 5 mm square would be ample,
i.e., about as much as you'd add for a couple small fishes. Then repeat this daily. Do 20-25% water changes every couple days.>
Three more weeks have gone by feeding ammonia every day
<<How much and in what format? Methinks this system has been, is being poisoned by over addition>> and two 50% water changes from my display tank and yet nitrites still off the charts even right after WC. For the last three days I have done 90% water changes each day and get the nitrites done to 5ppm but it goes right back up into the red zone off the charts. I am using SeaChem's tests and the highest reading is a medium pink but I end up with almost red. I tried feeding triple dose of ammonia
<<Again... w/ what? Industrial/cleaning NH4OH? At what concentration? Try diluting same and reading what you get on your test for ammonia>>
 and its gone in 8 hours but still no nitrates, or none that can be detected because testing is done with the same nitrite test results. the tank has nothing but a airstone in it and that's only been for the last week. Can you tell me what I can do to finish cycling this tank? The water parameters are 80*, 8.3 PH, 11 dKH, Ammonia 0, Nitrite approx. 40-50ppm, Nitrate 0. Its been a little over 4 weeks since starting with filter from my display tank which has Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0 and Nitrates 1. Thanks Randy
<Do as stated above. You should find after a few days ammonia will rise to about 1-2 mg/l, and then drop down. Nitrite will follow, and both should reach zero within 3-6 weeks depending on the situation, and at that point, you should be able to add a few hardy fish. Allow the tank a good 8-12 weeks to settle in before substantially raising the fish population or adding delicate species such as Neons. Cheers, Neale.>
<<I agree w/ Neale. You need to dilute (through massive water change/s) the current amount of NO2... down to a few ppm... it's otherwise forestalling through poisoning, the useful microbes that allow conversion to NO3. Bob Fenner>>
Re: Extreme nitrites no matter what (RMF?)  5/20/11
The tank never had anything in it, I bought it new, cleaned it and filled it with my display tank water, that's it! . I presumed that the bio filter pad got loaded with bacteria when I had it in my sump and that the high nitrites came from that bacteria dying off due to the fact that I had not fed it any ammonia for 6 days.
<Hmm'¦ no. Dying bacteria at this sort of population size should have minimal impact. In fact, in the absence of ammonia the nitrifying bacteria are more likely to go dormant than to die.>
When I started feeding it I did use food pellets but since that seem to make no change
<It takes a few days for saprotrophic bacteria to start the decay process, i.e., from flake food to ammonia. But it will, must happen.>
I then started using bottled 10% ammonia
<<This is VERY concentrated relative to what aquatic life produces... only takes part of a drop per ten or more gallons to start, sustain nitrification. B>>
 without colors or soaps. Its just yesterday that I put more triple ammonia dose in to try to shock it to make a change and it just ate it up quickly, lol. Thanks, Randy
<I would not be using any sort of household ammonia for now. Unless you know what you're doing, it's easy to produce all sorts of craziness. Almost by definition, a pinch of flake will produce about the same amount of ammonia whether it goes through fish or saprotrophic bacteria. So while it's an old school approach, the flake feeding method of cycling tanks is at least logical and effective. Do also review whether the filter is adequate to the tank, whether you're maintaining filter media appropriately, and whether anything added to the tank or used for cleaning might be killing the bacteria. Cheers, Neale.>
<<It assuredly is>>
Re: More : re: Extreme nitrites no matter what (RMF?)    5/20/11
I just took the whole quarantine tank apart and cleaned it, now it back up and running. No ammonia, no nitrites and the 1ppm nitrate due to the water coming from my display tank. The walls of the glass had a coating of slime all over which turned white when I cleaned the tank with bleach solution and so did the inside of the power filter. I never added any thing but the Ace Hardware Janitorial Strength Ammonia, contains 10% ammonium hydroxide,
<Yes... NH4OH>
meets commercial & institutional specs, no additives, color or soap and it does not foam when shaken. Since the tank is 10 gallons I had been dosing 1ml a day
<!... too high>
which computes to almost 3ppm. I have 3 different testing kits, all Seachem, one is just for nitrites and nitrates and all read the same! BTW, I use RO/DI water. I'm not new to this but this one really bewildered me.
Thanks, Randy
<Am amazed at the 50 ppm NO2... I would do as Neale says, add some source of proteinaceous food (flake, pellet, part of a shrimp... sans cocktail sauce) and naught else. BobF>
Subject: More : re: Extreme nitrites no matter what (RMF?)
Extreme nitrites no matter what (RMF?)<<>>
Hi guys, I started a 10 gallon QT tank and have a hang on power filter with a fiber square that is to hold the biological stuff. I started out by
put<ting> the filter in the sump of my 220 gallon cycled tank. After a week
I put it back into the QT power filter. I was not around to feed any ammonia to the QT for 6 days and had nitrites off the charts high, like 50ppm.
<Seriously? What do you have in there, an alligator?><<Not possible... summat is off here... Either the test kit is for Nitrate or N2 as NO3... or it's reagents are bad... or... Reality: go try another NO2 kit and/or known sample (distilled) with the present one>>
I started feeding the tank with 3 ppm ammonia each day and in 4 hours the ammonia was non-existent and the nitrites still off the charts.
<How's about scaling things RIGHT back. Give the aquarium a complete water change. Rinse of the biological media in some of that aquarium water. Then, stop with the ammonia -- my guess is you're adding too much -- and instead just add a pinch of flake food: 2-3 flakes 5 mm square would be ample, i.e., about as much as you'd add for a couple small fishes. Then repeat this daily. Do 20-25% water changes every couple days.>
Three more weeks have gone by feeding ammonia every day <<How much and in what format? Methinks this system has been, is being poisoned by over addition>> and two 50% water changes from my display tank and yet nitrites still off the charts even right after WC. For the last three days I have done 90% water changes each day and get the nitrites done to 5ppm but it goes right back up into the red zone off the charts. I am using Seachem's tests and the highest reading is a medium pink but I end up with almost red. I tried feeding triple dose of ammonia
<<Again... w/ what? Industrial/cleaning NH4OH? At what concentration? Try diluting same and reading what you get on your test for ammonia>>
and its gone in 8 hours but still no nitrates, or none that can be detected because testing is done with the same nitrite test results. the tank has nothing but a airstone in it and that's only been for the last week. Can you tell me what I can do to finish cycling this tank? The water parameters are 80*, 8.3 PH, 11 dKH, Ammonia 0, Nitrite approx. 40-50ppm, Nitrate 0. Its been a little over 4 weeks since starting with filter from my display tank which has Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0 and Nitrates 1. Thanks
Randy
<Do as stated above. You should find after a few days ammonia will rise to about 1-2 mg/l, and then drop down. Nitrite will follow, and both should reach zero within 3-6 weeks depending on the situation, and at that point, you should be able to add a few hardy fish. Allow the tank a good 8-12
weeks to settle in before substantially raising the fish population or
adding delicate species such as Neons. Cheers, Neale.>
<<I agree w/ Neale. You need to dilute (through massive water change/s) the current amount of NO2... down to a few ppm... it's otherwise forestalling through poisoning, the useful microbes that allow conversion to NO3. Bob Fenner>>
Re: More Re: Extreme nitrites no matter what (RMF?)    5/21/11
I tend to believe that I must have not cleaned the tank well enough in the beginning or due to the fact that I did no cleaning of the power filter box created this issue. The nitrites were off the charts way before I started using the ammonia and there was no keeping them down. Hopefully I have rectified the issue and just have to cycle again and learn a lesson from it! Thanks Guys!
<Welcome... am (still) wondering what the source of the NO2 would be here... B>
Re: More : re: Extreme nitrites no matter what (RMF?)
Too high?
<... Rand 3 ppm is too high... can/does actually suppress the metabolisms, kill off the desired microbes>
I had gotten results from ammonia tests 15 minutes after dosing the 1ml and it showed 3ppm every time and I thought that was the amount needed.
So does the NH4OH the cause of the slime or is that just something else? I have the uncooked frozen shrimp, so I will just use it, for a ten gallon tank how often should I replace the shrimp? Thanks!
<... please do a bit of searching, reading on WWM, the broader Net... one shrimp, no replacement. B>Nitrite Spike 11/5/10
Hi all
<Hello Jim>
Have just tested nitrites in my 15g quarantine and they are 2ppm.
Naturally a bit shocked as I thought I had cycled the tank.
I have added a Polyfilter to the power filter and have executed a 25% water change. I have a Flame Angel in quarantine and am wondering whether to keep him in the QT now as these figures are worrying. Ammonia is zero by the way.
Should I keep up with the water changes? Next one being 50%? I use only Ro water for all water in my QT and display tanks.
Thoughts please.
<I would first ensure your test kit is accurate by comparing your nitrite readings with your LFS's test kit. Did you test for ammonia? James (Salty Dog)>
Jim
Re Nitrite Spike 11/5/10
Hi James
<Jim>
Yes the nitrite readings are accurate. Tested my main tank and other water...no nitrites. My flame is only in quarantine another 3 weeks. As stated ammonia is zero.
<Tank likely hasn't completed cycling yet.>
Many thanks
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Jim
Re Nitrite Spike 11/5/10 - 11/7/10
Yes your right it hasn't stopped cycling. Angel was taking gulps of air from the tank surface (indicative of nitrite poisoning). So I took the step of putting him in the display tank.
Will make sure I leave the QT tank to cycle for my last fish addition.
<OK. James (Salty Dog)>
Jim

Nitrites   9/10/10
Hi
<Hi Benita>
Tank Info
75L with in tank filter and skimmer Salt 1025, Temp 26 ph 8 nitrates
<?>
water changes 10% per week LED KR91 lights
10kg Live rock
2x clowns
1 x Bi-coloured Blenny
1 x damsel
Pom Pom crab
3x Sexy shrimps
2 x Cleaner shrimps
2 x Hermits
8 x different snails
3 x soft corals
Zoas and Rics
Hope someone can help
<Ok>
In July i <I> went away for a week leaving the tank (75L ) with a friend to feed and keep an eye on temp (it was very hot here hit 40°) he struggled to keep the temp down so added cooler pre mixed water to help, anyway when i <I> came back I found he had also added lots of RO water so the salt level was down, plus the lights had failed. (didn't receive a new one for 3 weeks used old T5 set until than)
<Oh dear.. I had a friend that this happened to recently>
I cleaned the tank up, gradually brought the salt back up using the water i <I> had pre mixed, only found out there was a problem when i <I>
lost a crab and tested the tank to find that i <I> had 0,05 nitrites
Could not understand why - thought first of all i <I> might have been the crab but i <Arghh!> had taken it out the day it died, did further water change still no difference, so out of curiosity tested the tank with pre mixed water - Nitrites off the scale!!
<Mmmm>
throw all the water and made up new batch in new container tested no nitrites being doing the changes every week, since but still as today have a reading of now 0,01 what is going on?
<you have had a die-off as well due to this contamination of poor source water.. contributing..>
have also now lost, last week my conch , yesterday one soft coral the others are healthy and growing well, fish all fine.
Have just set up a new 135L tank with sump and would like to transfer all the live rock and stock over but am now worried there is a problem with the live rock, will it leach Nitrites into the new tank?
<No. More likely ammonia from any die-off in/ on the rock that is being converted to nitrite. But I would not be too concerned that this will be a long-term problem>
Was going to us the old water but not now and some of the old sand to seed it. i <I> can not get my head round this can you help.
<Not much you can do here save continue with the water changes, use some carbon to remove any noxious substances that are contributing to the further die-off of animals. I would still transfer all to the new system, but don't add anything else'¦ with the added water volume you should overcome this more easily. Please try to capitalise properly and use proper sentencing etc. should you write again>
Benita pullen
<Simon>
Re: Nitrites    9/13/10
<Hi Benita>
Do I use the old water as well? Or just dump it
<I would use a little of it, enough to cover all, then top up with new, temp & pH adjusted, aerated for at least a day>
Thank you for your quick response
<No worries>
Benita
<Simon>

Nitrite goes marching on -- 2/3/10
Hello,
<Hello Jesse>
Thanks for providing such a great service to myself and my fellow aquarium addicts!
<'Tis a pleasure>
I recently had to QT my entire tank due to an ich outbreak. I know it could have been prevented and I have slapped myself on the wrist several times for not QTing coral before bringing it in to my system.
Anyways since I had to pull all 5 of my fish out I went out and bought a more appropriately sized 40 gallon breeder for a QT tank as my 20g was no where near enough for a Kole Tang, Foxface, 2 small Clowns and a Dragon Goby (RIP Obi Wan the Goby). So I brought over my filter for my 20g that was running for 2 months prior, and water from my display, which I know does little good but any little bit helps.
<Ok>
I started out doing small 15% water changes to begin the hypo salinity process every 12 hours.
<Mmmm, I would have dropped this immediately were it me doing this treatment, but this treatment would not have been my choice either>
All of this time my nitrites were high (I never paid attention to the numbers but its pretty much always the 2nd or third level in the API Test Strip).
<Ok. What about ammonia?>
After reaching my desired level of salinity I was hoping things would level off but they have not. I am trying to avoid constant water changes because my assumption is that the tank is going through a cycle.
<Water changes are necessary here>
How is this when the media, a Marineland with 2 bio wheels/media chambers, was running for two months and was already well past its cycle?
<Hmmm, this filter came from the 20 you say and not your display? Did this aquarium have fish inside? The bacteria level in/on a filter media will only be capable of nitrification for a certain bioload. I would say you have exceeded this filters capability here. Alternatively something has knocked back the bacteria, could have been the salinity drop, or chlorine if you were using tap water>
I am very concerned about my fish and although they have seemed to have turned a corner and everyone is eating I believe these nitrite levels are still stressing them out.
<yes, although nitrite is not as worrying as ammonia, yet you make no mention of this>
Any suggestions what to do? Do I just wait this out? Put in some live rock? Sand?
<No, at this salinity it will just cause die-off w/ increased ammonia/nitrite>
I have dosed with BioSpira which seemed to have no effect.
<Hmm, did you check the expiry date? Try Hagens 'cycle'>
Thanks in advance, the life you save may be my precious fish's
<let's hope so!>
Jesse
<Simon>
Re: 03/02/2010 Nitrite goes marching on
Simon,
<Jesse>
Also on a side note I use RO/DI water for my water changes. The water is premixed for 2-3 days before its used.
<Good practice, it should be heated as well>
Thanks!
<No problem!>
Jesse
<Simon>

Nitrite Level High 1/28/09 Hi !! <Hello Jim> I'm taking care of a 150 gallon saltwater tank for someone that has been set up for six months. <The tank or the person:)> The system has a wet/dry filter with a large area of bio balls, protein skimmer and UV sterilizer. The carbon is changed monthly and filter pads. <Pads need to be changed more than once monthly. The waste may be out of view but it is still in the water.> The tank only has a few fish in it 2 damsels and 2 clowns (that is all that will survive). The problem is the client doesn't want me to do any water changes. <Why keep him as a client, if I could not maintain a system properly I'd opt out, would not want the responsibility.> Since that tank was started the levels have been fine until last week. Three tangs died last week that I put in (probably due to not changing the water) - no surprise. <Environmental stress, nutritional deficiency likely.> Nitrate levels finally started going up - Nitrate was 10 mg/l, the Nitrite was 0.2 mg/l, and ammonia was 0. Why is the Nitrite still "up" seeing how the bio balls used were from the previous tank the client had? I did a 30 gallon water change last week for the first time because the levels were up and that still didn't change anything. <I'd try a different test kit, compare results. Generally, when nitrite is up, some ammonia should be detected also. Have you tested for ammonia at the time?> Thanks for any advice. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Jim

High NO2    1/28/09 Hi guys <Hello, Jessy here> I have recently lost all the salt water fish in my tank. I had a beautiful yellow tang, two ocellaris clowns, a Klein's butterfly and a blue ring angel. They died due to a nitrite spike and although I did a 80% water change advised by the LFS they still died. <So sorry to hear that. Although, I would assume that your fish died from high amounts of Ammonia in your tank. Nitrite (NO2) is created from Ammonia (NH3 + NH4) in a process called Nitrification.> My tank is still up and running with no fish. I have one bleached anemone that has been bleached for months but with regular feeding he is still hanging on. I have had my tank for a year now and my concern now is why I have nitrite issues at least once a month. My poor fish had survived many of them and my LFS is just as confused as me. < I know the frustration personally> I have an 80 litre tank with lots of live rock. I have a brown algae outbreak at the moment so I have removed all the gravel and rotated the rock so the algae is receiving no light. <While the die off of anything in the tank will lead to water quality issues, I don't think your algae die-off is going to cause huge issues. But I would like to tell you to err on the side of caution and make sure to do extra water changes during the period of time that you are trying to kill off this algae> I 25% water change and gravel vac every two weeks and keep my tank very clean. I'm scared to buy more fish in case this happens again. Do you think live sand would help my water quality? <It sounds like you're doing well with the water changes, and while I personally don't disturb my substrate (live sand), I've heard of people that do use a gravel vac for other substrate. I can only advise you from my personal experience with your substrate. I do think that adding live sand to a system helps with Nitrogen Cycle of a tank. My tanks have all had a healthy amount of live sand, live rock, and a refugium to help export waste from the water, and to date, I've been successful. Without going into the many suggestions one could have about adding such measures to your tank. I would first fun tests to find an unknown source of Ammonia getting into your tank. What water are you using to supply your water changes? Check the source water for impurities of all kinds (Ammonia, Chlorine, etc) Check your tank for sponges or other media that can be building up with waste over time. Make sure that you don't have something dead and rotting in the tank under rocks. Make sure there isn't something environmental happening around the tank...like someone cleaning a window with Windex or something around the tank. It is important for you to run through all these tests to find a source before you try to fix it with things like refugiums and more substrate as this will only band-aid the issue> Regards <Hope that helps, Jessy> Rebecca

Re: High NO2   1/29/09 Thanks for your quick reply. I think I may have found a possible source of the ammonia in my tank. I clean the benches around the tank with Windex and wasn't aware that this could have such a drastic effect on my water quality. Thanks again. Rebecca <Rebecca, you don't know how happy I am that you figured it out! Keep the cleaning products far far away. Jessy>

Wits end with Nitrate and Nitrite 6/16/08 I am at my wits end with what is going on with my nitrite and nitrate levels'¦ <We all have these times/phases.> I have a 54 gal corner marine fish only aquarium. I have a Megaflow 1 sump which uses the pre-filter media then lava rock instead of bio balls. <Not my first choice.> I also have a protein skimmer and a UV sterilizer. The protein skimmer is doing a good job of removing tan/yellowish color liquid. <Good.> My ammonia levels are staying at zero, but I cannot figure out why my nitrites/nitrates are not leveling out. It has been a good 2-3 months now since I have set up this tank. I have done a few series of 10 gal water changes'¦. Have tried a dose of TLC (live bacteria). <Little to no benefit, much better off seeding with live rock.> My salt is at 1.024; pH 8.4; ammonia 0; nitrite .50; and nitrate 10. Any advice would be appreciated'¦. <A few things here. First, after a few months you should obviously see no nitrite. The fact that you are indicates either insufficient filtration or high nitrite the water you are using, assuming your tank is stocked appropriately both for its size and age. Regarding the filtration, lava rock is not a great choice. It can leach contaminants into the system. Live rock or a man made biomedia are far superior choices, in that order. The nitrate will not go down on through traditional biofiltration. You will need a DSB or macroalgae refugium if you wish to combat nitrate in ways other than water changes. A bit of tweaking and time and all will be well. Good luck, welcome, Scott V.> Quarantine Maintenance - 6/10/08 Hi nitrites in a Quarantine tank Hi crew, <Hello there!> A quick question: I have a 10 gallon saltwater quarantine tank set up with a small canister filter (mechanical filtration only), a heater and a nano hydrolia. I used it to quarantine 5 blue green chromis 4 weeks ago with no problems. It has been running empty now for two weeks, that is until I introduced 2 ocellaris clowns on the weekend. Since then nitrites have been going sky high (between .2 and close to 1). I have done several water changes which helps a little but not enough....any advice? <Well, part of this is the two fallow weeks. During this time your nitrifying bacteria have diminished. Many quarantines are run with little biological filtration, relying on frequent cleaning of mechanical filters and water changes to maintain water quality. I would advise water changes to maintain low nitrite levels until you biological filter stabilizes.> Is it too much of a risk to move them into my large tank yet? <Yes. Quarantine should last at least 2 weeks, preferably 4-6.> They seem to be quite alert, active and eating well, though one did seem quite lethargic this morning. I'm new to this game and am probably making rookie mistakes but I don't recall reading much on managing a quarantine tank in any of the books I've read, only how to set it up. <This is a flaw with much literature. Quarantine methods are diverse, however. If your quarantine is unmedicated and stable, biological filtration will improve over the quarantine period. Until then do continue daily water changes to keep the nitrite low- and understand that should your fish require medication that wipes out this biological filter the water changes will become your only method of water maintenance.> Thanks, Robert from Newmarket Ontario. <No problem! Benjamin>

Nitrate/nitrite 12/17/07 Gentlemen, <Hello> As always, I'll start with a thank you for all the useful information. I have a bit of a dilemma on my hands. I've been away on business for a few months and my wife was caring for my 75 gallon FOWLR. She did a great job I might add because there are also three little ones running around my house. The tank has been running for two years. At the time I left, my nitrites, nitrates and ammonia levels were zero. During the time I was gone, the tank experienced a bloom of red slime algae and green algae. The red slime algae is under control and the green algae is getting there. Upon my return, two days ago, I did a large water change (30 gallons). <Good> In the past I did 10 gallon water changes every other week. After the water change, my levels went up. <Suspicious.> Nitrites - .25 ppm, nitrates - 10 ppm, Ammonia - 0 and PH - 8.0. I have 1 blue damsel in the tank (lost a Naso Tang and Yellow Tang before I left and didn't want to replace them until I returned) and a number of hermit crabs and snails. Does this mean the tank has to cycle again ? <No> Do I stock the tank with damsels or Chromis for cycling purposes or do I wait this out ? <Only if you want those particular fish.> Was it my water change ? <It sure sounds like it. Your numbers were higher after the water change. If that is indeed where the nitrite came from I would expect it to be processed by your live rock fairly quickly. As for the nitrate, keep up the water changes, after you test your make up water and source better quality water if need be.> I have a wet/dry 150 gallon filter. <Could possibly eliminate the biomedia to help with the nitrate issue. How much live rock do you have? Best Regards, Scott V.>

Re: Nitrate/nitrite 12/18/07 About seventy pounds of live rock that was once covered with coralline algae. Unfortunately, that beautiful pink/purplish color has faded to white/grey in many areas. <It will surely return. I would pull any biomedia out of the wet/dry.> A good portion of it still has a greenish /brown colored "hair" algae on it. Is that an indication of something I could attempt to fix or has my live rock died off ? <Indicates your nitrate is high. You are measuring 10 ppm and that is just what the algae has not used.> Does live rock die off ? <Possible, doesn't sound like the case here.> I apologize for the basic questions but I still consider myself a beginner and really want to get this right. With only one fish (the blue damsel) left in the tank I'm open to any suggestions. I certainly don't want to add any fish until I know it's safe. Thank you for your time and patience. <Water changes and time. As you get the water quality under control and the algae dies off it will necessitate more water changes. So in a way you are curing your rock again. Please test your source water and feed the remaining damsel very sparingly. Best regards, Scott V.>

Nitrite in Quarantine   5/25/07 Hey Crew! <Don>       I have a tomato clown that's about 2 inches in a quarantine tank that is 20 gallons. I had an ich outbreak and now promise myself to quarantine all fish from now on. My issue though  my quarantine tank has above 3mg nitrites. <Yikes!> When I set it up I had my 802 aqua clear power head quick filter in my sump that I'm using and my 20 gallon hang on top fin filter also from the sump of my display. I used all original tank water and now I am doing water changes everyday both tank water and new and it's not helping. <Need to change more...> If I keep up water changes like this I'll have to use all new salt mix water <Bingo> cause i would run out on tank water because I was planning on leaving the display tank fallow 45 days with water temp at 83 degrees. So besides breaking down the quarantine daily any advice? Thank you. <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisindex.htm The files linked below re Nitrites, Quarantine Systems and their Maintenance. Bob Fenner>

Sand and Nitrite, DSB Woes 4/17/07  James' go Hey guys. <Hi, whomever you are.> I have a problem here right now. Nitrite level is at 0.25ppm and my fishes died one at a time. It's really that horrible. Are fishes really that sensitive to nitrite level? <Is this a typo and meant nitrate?> I know that this is normally caused by increased in bioload. Let me update on some of my recent activities in the tank. Add in some snails recently and 4 of them died causing a foul smell in my tank. <This did not help matters any.> Then I introduced 4 new fishes into my tank. I have a DSB of 7inches in my refugium and it is supposed to be able to support my tank (no sand) of 50gallons. <Do not follow...DSB of 7 inches, (no sand)> I did a change of biological filter medium recently before addition of fishes. I took out the old ones and replace with better ones. But I didn't replace all of them at once. <Mmm, any live rock in the system?> I leave <left> out some old ones behind so that the bacteria are still around. I thought that the DSB will be able to support the tank but to my surprise, my nitrite level went up to 0.25ppm. I think the bioload possibly increased due to the demise of my snails and fishes. <Definitely helped the problem along.> And sadly, I am left with only a few fishes. The corals are intact. My clams and shrimps are all good and alive. No sign of Ich showed on my Powder Blue when it died. But some dark spots can be seen. <Tank would have been too small for this guy even if it were small, as they do require plenty of swimming room.> I still have a Powder Brown in my refugium but have placed it in a separate container of newly-prepared water. <Container sounds small, the fish probably won't last too long in that environment.> There are some color changes in my DSB. Some sand changes from yellow sand into grey color. I have included a picture on that. Is it caused by anaerobic bacteria? <Yes, can be caused by such.> When I try digging into the grey area, a lot of air bubbles coming out of the sand. <Nitrogen gas or hydrogen sulphide gas.  Does the sand/gravel have a rotten egg smell to it?  Pick a small handful up and give a whiff.> Despite having years of experience in reefing, this is the first time I see a change in coloration of my substrate. What caused that exactly? I do dose in medication for my fishes. <Not good, you are adding to your problems.  In my opinion, medications should only be used in quarantine tanks.  No effective pathogen/bacterial medication is completely safe irregardless of what it says on the bottle.> What I concluded and think is that the change of filter medium caused a breakdown in biological filtration with the addition of fishes and the demise of one after another, the biological system cannot support and thus increasing in nitrite level. But what I am more worried and suspicious of is that of my DSB, I fear that the bacteria are dying and that contributes to the reason why the DSB can't support my tank anymore. It spells trouble for me. <First, stop medicating and do read here and related links, so you have an understanding of how these systems work when set up properly.   http://www.wetwebmedia.com/deepsandbeds.htm> I will <would> like to hear you out on that and some of your <your> opinion. I'm not adding anymore stuffs in until I have find a solution or answer for that. <I wouldn't add any more stuffs either, but also would not add any more fish or invertebrates.> I am afraid the medication and ozone are causing the lose of bacteria. <You do not sound like you have years of reef experience.  Some of the problems you have mentioned should not have happened to an experienced aquarist.  Please read above, my friend.  I could not open the picture files, maybe Mr. Fenner can. <James (Salty Dog)>

Sand and Nitrite 4/17/07  Chris' go Hey guys. <Hello> I have a problem here right now. Nitrite level is at 0.25ppm and my fishes died one at a time. It's really that horrible. Are fishes really that sensitive to nitrite level?  <Yes, is quite toxic, nitrate is much less toxic, and the next step in the nitrogen cycle.> I know that this is normally caused by increase in bioload.  <Or overfeeding, or a crash of the bacterial population brought on by many different factors.> Let me update on some of my recent activities in the tank. Add in some snails recently and 4 of them died causing a foul smell in my tank. <Decaying organic matter, probably the source of the nitrite.> Then I introduce 4 new fishes into my tank. I have a DSB of 7inches in my refugium and it is supposed to be able to support my tank (no sand) of 50gallons.  <Do you have LR, generally a sandbed alone will not have sufficient surface area to do all the biological filtration.> I did a change of biological filter medium recently before addition of fishes.  <Probably added to the decrease in biological filtration capacity.> I took out the old ones and replace with better ones. But I didn't replace all of them at once.  <Need to space this out over weeks most likely.> I leave out some old ones behind so that the bacteria are still around.  <But it needs time to recolonize the new media.> I thought that the DSB will be able to support the tank but to my surprise, my nitrite level went up to 0.25ppm. I think the bioload possibly increased due to the demise of my snails and fishes. <I think you have unrealistic expectations of what a DSB is capable of.  Only the top inch or so of the DSB will help in Ammonia - Nitrite conversion.  Any deeper and there is not enough oxygen to accomplish this.  This is where the DSB can convert nitrate to nitrogen gas and keep nitrate lower.  Are you confusing nitrite and nitrate maybe?> And sadly, I am left with only a few fishes. The corals are intact. My clams and shrimps are all good and alive. No sign of Ich is showed on my powder blue when it died. But some dark spots can be seen.  <May just be stress or death markings, hard to say.> I still have a powder brown in my refugium but have placed it in a separate container of newly-prepared water.  <Filtered hopefully.> There are some color changes in my DSB. Some sand changes from yellow sand into grey color. I have included a picture on that. Is it caused by anaerobic bacteria ? When I try digging into the grey area, a lot of air bubbles coming out of the sand. <Could be areas of hydrogen sulfide, but you would smell it, smells like rotten eggs.  Hopefully just Nitrogen gas and the color changes just the waxing and waning of algae living along the glass.> Despite having years of experience in reefing, this is the first time I see a change in coloration of my substrate. What caused that exactly ? I do dose in medication for my fishes.  <What medications?  Why?  What are you trying to treat?> What I concluded and think is that the change of filter medium caused a breakdown in biological filtration with the addition of fishes and the demise of one after another, the biological system cannot support and thus increasing in nitrite level. But what I am more worried and suspicious of is that of my DSB, I fear that the bacteria are dying and that contributes to the reason why the DSB can't support my tank anymore. It spells trouble for me.  <The DSB works just like a shallow bed as far as nitrite reduction is concerned.  DSB used mainly for nitrate reduction.> I will like to hear you out on that and some of your opinion. I'm not adding anymore stuffs in until I have find a solution or answer for that.  <Good.> I am afraid if the medication and ozone are causing the lose of bacteria.  <Adding medication to the main tank is never a good idea.> <Chris>

Hello...? Justin... You've gots to make, re-place the titles... So I can find the ongoing corr. and place tog... RMF - 1/18/07 My water has been changed and the bio balls have been cleaned 2 times and filter changes, <Bioballs need to be cleaned weekly, or very close to, as I stated previously.> have had the tank 2 1/2 months and about the lighting I did give the wattage new one power Glo is 40 watts and the one I originally had in there was the coral Glo actinic 03 with the marine blue one. <If you read how you phrased the original question about the lighting, it read like you had a 40 watt bulb already, then purchased a new fixture with a different type of bulb, and did not list the wattage.> <....Please... Proper punctuation... I don't even know where to begin on correcting this!> The ammonia was 0.0 and the nitrites were 0.1 I tested the nitrites not the nitrates as I could not figure out the tester. <You should have a professional at a local fish store or otherwise show you how to use such.> and I will do another water change tomorrow and I thank you very much for all your help, and I will just enjoy and keep a close eye on the water changes. I feed my fish 1 time a day now, was feeding 2 times a day. <You need to identify, and remove, the source of your nitrites. Your nitrites are slowly poisoning your livestock, anytime there is any present. Once again, I IMPLORE you to PLEASE read over our query conventions -- we simply do not have enough time to correct these grammatical errors! http://www.wetwebmedia.com/QueryCorrsRefPg.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/faqstips.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm -JustinN>

Those Pesky Nitrites - 11/12/06 Hi Eric, <<Hi Ken>> How is the diving? <<It's excellent mate!  We did a 118' dive at Two-Step a few days ago to see some Bicolor Anthias and Stenopus shrimp, and we just came back from a dive at Kaloko a couple hours ago.  Air temperature is averaging about 87-degrees, water temperature is 81-degrees (even at depth)...amazing>> Hope all is going well for you. <<Indeed it is...!>> Well, I am still waiting for the nitrites to read zero. <<Patience, Grasshopper>> In my past experience, once they drop, they drop like a rock and that's it. <<Perhaps something deep in the rock...>> The tank has been set up for 2 weeks and 2 days.  I still have low levels of nitrite. <<Will pass in time...cycles can be as long as 8 weeks or more sometimes...especially if the rock has not been pre-cured>> On LaMotte Colorimeter, which has a digital readout, it says I have .040 ppm.  This is expressed as Nitrite Nitrogen (NO2-N). To get ppm nitrite (NO2) you have to multiply the test results by 3.3. So, my readings over the last few days have been .046, .037, .040 (NO2-N). Multiplied out I get: 0.1518, 0.1221, 0.1320 ppm (NO2). Is it normal to still have nitrites at this point? <<Oh yes>> I thought with live rock all is cycled in about a week. <<Absolutely not.  This is a possibility, but certainly not an absolute.  Perhaps this rock was not as "mature" as you thought/were told>> Does this say anything about the quality of the rock? <<Hard to say...  Very good rock, if fresh from the ocean, would have a considerably longer cycle period than not-so-good rock that has been sitting in a dealer's tank for a couple months>> Any reason you can think of why it has stayed at basically the same level for many days? <<Mmm...the presence of decaying organic material in the rock>> Also, which is the correct way reading the result, NO2 or NO2-N? <<Can use either, the goal still is to reach 'zero' regardless>> In other words, when using other test kits such as Fastest, Salifert, etc, which way do they use so that I can compare apples to apples. <<NO2>> I used Fastest today as well and there was a very, very faint tint of pinkish. <<I'm not a big fan of these test kits (Fastest), but even so...still pink <grin> >> My nitrates are 1.89 ppm Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3-N).  I have to multiply by 4.4 to get Nitrate (NO3).  This is then 8.31 ppm. Typically which way is used to read nitrite: (NO3-N), or (NO3). <<NO3>> Same question for nitrate.  I am trying to figure out my readings. <<Understood>> By the way, is it a good idea to put any flake food or frozen food in the tank to continue the cycling? <<Not necessary...is obvious to me the rock is still producing/processing decaying matter>> Thanks and regards, Ken <<Two weeks is not a long time for a tank to be cycling/to be where your tank is now.  Typically, 4- to 6-weeks is "very" common...it will 'get there'.  Eric Russell>>

Re: Those Pesky Nitrites - 11/13/06 Hey Eric, <<Hiya Ken>> Sounds nice. <<Yes indeedy>> I travel to Asia and Southeast Asia about 4 times a year for work.  I had a couple days off in may and went to Phuket, Thailand. <<Cool...Bob was just at Chiang Mai a few weeks ago>> The water temp was similar to where you are. <<Neat...forgot to mention also, visibility is about 100'...I think I'm spoiled>> I guess I read too much about reef tanks cycling within a week. <<It can/does happen...but is not the "norm">> You are correct though about the rock.  The rock that I got was not cured, but was pretty clean. <<Not a problem...just needs time to cure>> I got to the fish store as they just received 3 boxes of rock from Newark Airport. <<Best way to do it in my opinion>> I picked about 90% of my rock from those boxes. <<Excellent!>> They had airway billstickers from LAX and also said New Zealand Airlines.  I would imagine that the rock was cleaned somewhat overseas plus whatever died-off in transit and my bringing it back home and cleaning/putting in my tank. <<Agreed.  The extent of "cleaning" by collectors will vary.  Some have systems where the rock is placed on racks and sprayed continuously with saltwater to rinse away dead/dying/decaying organisms, others don't go to such trouble and will have varying degrees of attention to the rock after collection>> The rock didn't smell bad, but it did not smell cured.  The rock does not have that smell any longer.  By the way, I did add some CaribSea Aragonite "live" reef sand yesterday.  I did not want a deep layer.  I put in about 30 lbs.  Just enough to give me a little depth and to go around the rock but not underneath it. <<Sounds fine>> Thanks for the help. <<Always welcome>> Regards, Ken <<Be chatting, Eric Russell>>

R2: Those Pesky Nitrites - 11/13/06 Hey Eric, <<Ken>> I usually stop in transit in Chiang Mai on my way from Hong Kong to Bangladesh. <<Wow...long flights, eh?>> I have an unrelated question for you. <<Okay>> Is it possible for a tank to be over skimmed? <<Not really...in my opinion.  Installing a skimmer bigger than "needed" may not make "economic" sense, but I don't think it is deleterious to your system>> I know skimmers have ratings (accurate or not), <<The better skimmer manufacturers are pretty close on the suggested ratings)>> but if I put a big and very efficient skimmer on a tank that is rated much higher than the tank volume (example: 100 gallon tank and 700 gallon skimmer), is it detrimental to the tank? <<Not in my opinion, but you will find the difference in price between a 100g-rated skimmer and a 700g-rated skimmer, among the high-end skimmer manufacturers, will likely cause you to rethink this strategy>> Will you pull out the good stuff from the water along with the bad? <<The size of the skimmer has nothing to do with this ratio.  Any skimmer will remove a certain amount of "good stuff", but the advantages of these devices far outweigh any perceived disadvantages in my opinion>> I had also seen some information about K+ deficiency with regards to over skimming.  What are your thoughts on this? <<Potassium?  Same as with the possible removal of trace elements by these devices...all easily replaced with frequent water changes>> Thanks and regards, Ken <<Always welcome, EricR>>

Help With A Nitrite Reading...More Biofiltration  - 05/22/2006 Good morning Bob, <James today.  Bob is out in sunny HI.> I was hoping you could answer a question for me. On one of my customer's tanks, she can't seem to shake a nitrite reading. I have had her replace the test kit 3 times, trying a different kit each time. Every time she tests her nitrites, she usually gets a .25 reading. Sometimes however, it is as far up as 1 ppm. I am well aware of how dangerous this level is, and I have had her doing partial water changes on a consistent basis to try to control this. Nothing seems to work however. Here are the tank specs: It is a 75 gallon tank. There are 3 fish in the tank, an Auriga Butterfly, a Coral Beauty Angel, and a chromis. The tank is fed moderately every other day, and water changes are being done anywhere from one to two days every week (because of the nitrites). The tank has been set-up for 6 months. I just can't seem to figure out why the nitrites keep spiking. The only main problem with the tank is that there is not much live rock. There is only 10 lbs. <I think you've answered your own question here.> I have her curing 70 lbs. as we speak, but for the time being, I would still love to have her get rid of these nitrites. The weird thing is that she never has any detachable ammonia reading. Every time she tests the water, ammonia is always 0 and nitrite is .25 or 1ppm. The tank was properly cycled, and there is a Whisper hang-on filter on the tank, as well as a Visi-Jet skimmer. <Poor choices for filtering and skimming on this size tank.  The tank needs more biofiltration.  The Whisper isn't going to help in that regard.  I'm sure that once the additional 70 pounds of live rock is added, nitrites will drop to 0 shortly after. I would not have added sensitive fish like the butterfly and angel to a tank without an efficient bio-filter.> Any help you can provide would be wonderful! Thank you! <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)> Sincerely, Ryan No nitrites - 05/16/2006     Hello, and thanks for all the great reading and help. My set up is as follows: 90 gal reef with 20 gal sump. 220 lbs of Australian gold sand (dreaming of a dusky jaw) and 115 lbs live rock. My equipment is 3 maxi-jet 1200's inside main tank and a PM bullet 1 skimmer in sump. I have no livestock at all, trying to cycle naturally.     My lighting is 2- 150w MH, 2-96w blue actinics with 4 lunar lights. My tank has been set up like this since April 13th, starting the process about a week before that. I believe I need a fan over my sump as my temp. goes from 80.4' to 82.4' during the course of the day. I only keep my MH's on for 6 hours, actinics for 10. I do have a built in fan under lights in canopy. From what I've read here I should try fanning my sump.      I recently (5 days ago)  finally had an ammonia spike of 1.0, this was quick-- basically waiting for weeks and then bam, here and gone. My ammonia is now 0. My nitrates are only 5-10ppm (I have only done 1 water change due to too many diatoms, 3 weeks ago) . I have not seen a nitrite reading at all. I know my test is working property as I cycled my quarantine just fine.     I presently have 2 clowns in my quarantine waiting, and I'm wondering--did I miss the nitrite spike? I test about every 4 days. I'm not sure how long I should wait.     Thanks I know this is ridiculously long, I truly appreciate it. Jill <<Jill:  How long have the clowns been in QT?  What is the SG of your tank and QT?  Before you add the Clowns to the main tank, I would make sure that they are healthy and eating.  It's a lot harder to catch a fish in a tank with a lot of rocks.  At this point, since you already have the clowns and you believe that your tank has cycled, you can consider adding them to the tank.  However, if you really want to play it safe and avoid introducing fish diseases into your main tank, you should QT the clowns for at least 6 weeks with at an SG of 1.009 measured with a refractometer.  While the clowns remain in QT, you can consider getting some snails, etc to add to the tank.  Best of luck, Roy>> Nitrite reading  - 1/6/06 Hi, <Hello Dave> I have a relatively new  50 gallon marine set up with two small clowns a medium size yellow tang and a small royal Gramma the set up is about 8 weeks old and  had fish in for about 2 weeks. The protein skimmer is not working properly but I am in contact with the supplier in the US to replace the water pump. My problem is I am getting 0.25 reading of nitrite and even lower reading of ammonia, is this normal in a new set up, do you think its because the skimmer is not working,<No> I have just done a 15% water change. <In reading your "PS" below, yes this is probably the reason.  I am assuming that you are treating with copper which will dramatically reduce the bacteria required for biological filtration. It is important at this time to keep the tank clean and do not overfeed.  James (Salty Dog)> Thanks Dave PS I am currently treating the tang and Gramma for white spot. Could this be a reason for nitrite readings? Nitrite reading Hi, <<Dave, forgot to mention that you should seriously consider a Quarantine tank both for quarantining new arrivals and for the treatment of diseased fish.  James (Salty Dog)>>

The Simple Approach To Nitrite Reduction!   12/29/05 Hey there, <Hi there! Scott F. here, back from the limitless void> I have wrote to you all about my 75 gallon saltwater tank that was inherited.  It came with about an 18" zebra moray.  Here is my question.  I have a Seaclone skimmer that was cleaning pretty good, a Rena XP2 filter, and about 40-50lbs. of live rock.  Due having my fish (small Clown, juvenile Blue Tang, juvenile Niger, and sm. Dottyback, and Eel) in a small tank while the big one cycled; I put everything in the big once all my chemical levels zeroed.  Now my nitrites are about .25 and everything else is good.  Sorry to ramble...I have been doing about 5 gallon water changes very regularly to help with this, but nothing seems to work.  Any suggestions? Thanks, Rob <Well, Rob, nitrite in any system is indicative of an "immature" or disrupted biological filtration capability. By doing water changes, you may actually be disrupting the very process that you are trying to foster. My solution to your problem is probably this most simple of all...Don't do anything at all! Just let nature complete the cycle. Given time and a little patience on your part, you'll see the nitrites drop to undetectable levels. Best of luck to you! Regards, Scott F.> Ammonia and Nitrite - 12/26/05 Hi, <<Hello>> I find your website very very interesting for beginners in saltwater aquarium hobby. <<That's great!>> I have a 66 Gallon tank. I have 2 power filters, one for the skimmer (it's a quite a big skimmer) and one to get a good water circulation.  I also have a canister filter (1100L/H) and a heater.  I have used saltwater water direct from the sea but conditioned. <<Not the best way to go.  Too much risk of introducing pollution/parasites, along with a very weak/short-lived buffer capacity.>> I have dead corals, dead rock, sea sand and a bit of crushed coral sand in the tank.  My tank looks great with the crystal clear water.  Now I want to start my cycling process. <<Mmm...the cycling process started once all was added to the tank.>> So 3 days after setting up the tank when all my equipment were running well I introduced 6 Damsel Fish (4 Domino and 2 Blue Damsels) <<Sheesh...I know this is a somewhat accepted and often used method, but I just think there are better ways to introduce nitrogenous compounds/waste to a tank for cycling purposes.  Aside from the obvious stress and distress caused to these fishes, many times aquarists find they don't want these fishes/can't keep other fishes due to the damsel's nasty dispositions (the Domino damsels will grow in to real terrors, magnified by the confines of this tank).  It is my opinion that the same result can be achieved when cycling a tank by adding a "small" amount of fish food every few days...or better yet... a couple small bits of uncured live rock.>> when I checked my Ammonia, Nitrite & pH values on the 5th day it was as follows; Ammonia (mg/l) = very close to 1.0, Nitrite (mg/l) = 0.2 -- 0.5.  My questions how can I get both the Ammonia and Nitrite readings together like this?  If I am correct I should get the Nitrite reading after the Ammonia reading is zero right? <<Not correct.  You have insufficient bacteria growth yet in this system, along with a very heavy fish load for this tank and its current stage (one damsel would have been plenty).  As such, you are going to have measurable amounts of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in this system.  Please do some reading here and at the indices in blue at the top of the page: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/estbiofiltmar.htm  >> Is there something wrong with my tank condition? <<Nothing unexpected...you are experiencing the nitrogen cycle...please do some reading up on this, much info re on our website.>> My fish seems to be fine for the moment but I am worried please let me know your view. <<You have my view on this.  Regards, EricR>> Thanks Akila

Re: Ammonia and Nitrite - 12/25/05 Hi Eric <<Hello Akila>> Thanks for your quick and valuable response. <<You're very welcome.>> By reading your reply and also the recommended information on the cycling process I have decided that patience is virtue here. <<Indeed>> So I'll be doing the tests regularly and see what's happening. <<Very good>> Also could you please let me know what exactly buffer capacity is? How you do measure your buffer? What effect does that have on fish, water quality and bacteria? <<Buffer capacity, simply stated, is a measure of your tanks ability to neutralize acids while resisting change.  Do some more reading here for further explanation: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/calcalkmar.htm >> I have placed my tank outdoor.  But when I researched so many articles say to keep your tank out of direct sunlight.  Why is this? <<This is generally to reduce/prevent heat buildup.>> I actually don't have direct sunlight to the place where my tank is but I get somewhat more sunlight than keeping it inside the house. <<If the tank is not overheating it is likely fine.  Rodney Jonklaas did just this many years ago with his fish only tanks in Ceylon.>> Please let me know what effect sunlight has on the tank water quality, fish and bacteria.  Up to now I don't seem to have a problem. <<Then I doubt you will...no need to worry.>> Appreciate your response. Thanks Best regards, Akila <<Cheers my friend, EricR>>

Re: Ammonia and Nitrite II - 12/29/05 Dear Eric <<Hello Akila>> Thanks again for your valuable information. <<Always welcome my friend.>> I live in Ceylon too. <<Cool!  Maybe someday I'll come visit, go diving...>> I have no overheating problems because as I said although the tank is outdoors the tank is not exposed to any direct sunbeams. <<Sounds fine>> But my concern is algae. <<Likely of little "concern" if the tank does not receive direct sunlight.>> I heard when the tank is outdoors you are more likely to get algae problems in your tank. <<A lighting (sunlight) issue...doesn't seem to be the case here.>> What kind of algae are these? <<The same that occur under artificial lighting.>> And how do you remove them if a problem occurs? <<The same way you do for those that occur under artificial lighting.  Here's some more reading for ya:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm >> Oh, and also by keeping my marine tank outdoors, will my water turn into brown or green color like the common problem in freshwater tanks? <<If neglected, yes.>> What are hair algae that everyone talks about? <<Just that...long, stringy, filamentous algae that resembles, well...hair...usually a sign/result of overstocking/feeding, excess nutrients, insufficient export mechanisms, etc..>> Because my tank is a Fish Only tank is this something to be worried about because I read many articles say that the problem exists in Reef tanks.  Why is this? <<Mmm...this algae can be/become problematic in any system (FO/FOWLR/REEF), if not properly maintained.  But is possibly encountered more/most often in reef systems due to the higher intensity lighting associated with same.>> Also please let me know some tank cleaning animals (like scavenges in freshwater tanks) that will control the algae over growth.  Are Shrimps & Gobies good for this job?  Or are there any other kind? <<Turbo and Astrea snails are considered good algae grazers by many, though I honestly have my doubts as to their utility re.  Some blennies, some tangs, are good grazers...as are urchins of the genus Diadema.  I've also heard tell of a small (3") tropical Pacific Abalone that is supposed to be a good algae grazer, but I've not yet been able to acquire any to see for myself.  A Google search for "algae grazer" should provide some other ideas/examples as well.  But whether or not you can have some of these critters will depend on the fishes in your tank.>> Sorry to trouble you with so many questions almost everyday.  As I am new to this hobby I am still confused. <<No trouble at all.>> Thanks for your help. Appreciate your response. Happy New Year to youj)))) Best regards, Akila <<Happy New Year to you too Akila!  EricR>>

Re: Ammonia and Nitrite III - 01/01/06 Hi Eric <<Hi Akila>> Thanks again for your valuable information and also if you do come to Ceylon I'll sure help you out with your journey. <<Sounds good my friend.>> My current condition of the tank is at expected levels.  Now my ammonia level is dropping and the nitrite is sky high. <<Yes, as expected with a tank that is cycling.>> Anyways I have some more problems that I need your views on. <<Okay>> When I replace the evaporated water, is it alright to refill it with Chlorine-less tap water or should I have buy purified water   all the time? <<Depends on your tap water ultimately, but for a fish-only system this is usually fine.>> Do I have to add some saltwater to the tank when replacing the evaporated water (Ex: when replacing evaporated water should I add 75% fresh and 25% saltwater). <<Nope...maintain your salinity with frequent partial water changes.>> And what about saltwater that goes out with the protein skimmer should I replace that water with saltwater? <<Monitor salinity and adjust as explained.>> Also it is alright to use normal very clean salt (NOT MARINE SALT) that we use in our kitchen to balance the salinity of the water (at very urgent situations only)? <<I wouldn't...best to use a proprietary salt mix here.>> Monthly when maintaining how much water (Percentage) should I take out to replace with new saltwater <<Twenty percent monthly is a good starting point...can be increased if necessary.>> and does this reduce the nitrate levels in the tank? <<Yes, as well as reducing other pollutants, and replenishing trace/earth elements.>> Or are there any other ways to reduce nitrate levels? <<For your situation I think frequent partial water changes will serve well.>> Thanks for your help. Appreciate your response. Best regards, Akila <<Always welcome, EricR>>

High Ammonia and Nitrite 11/25/05 Hi guys, unfortunately my ammonia levels spiked after I put some Blade Brush plants in my tank. I had poly filters in for two days, and the ammonia level is still high, so is the nitrite levels. I ran out of poly filters, and I don't know what else I can do. I replaced them with  regular sponge filters. any advice? I'm a little stuck. ~Sam   <You could use Amquel to drop the ammonia in this emergency, but you must also figure out why your biological filtration did not handle these wastes.  Please see these two links for more information: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i5/Filtration/Filtration.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marsetupindex2.htm > P.S. I have a Picasso and a tusk, and they both seem to be more inactive since the spike in ammonia. <No doubt!  In the short term, I would suggest using Amquel to reduce the ammonia and then performing a couple of large water changes.  DON'T do water changes while the ammonia is high!!  The high pH of newly mixed saltwater makes the ammonia more toxic.  You don't provide much information about your system (age, filtration, live rock, etc.), so I can't make specific recommendations, but the two links above should provide you with plenty of good info to be sure that you are providing the basics for marine aquarium filtration.  Best Regards.  AdamC.> <If one keeps pre-mixed, aerated/circulated saltwater on hand, one ought to do water changes.  It's only newly mixed saltwater that is the major concern, here.  -SCF>

High Ammonia and Nitrite part 2  12/04/05 Hi, I emailed you guys on my high ammonia levels. I was told to use AmQuel. Someone said I needed to be more specific about what's in my tank, so I wanted to let you know. I have a 90 gallon with about 75 LBS of live rock. I have a wet dry filter, Fluval 304, two powerheads, and a Aquawheel filter. <The live rock and wet/dry should each be able to handle quite a bit of ammonia on their own, and it is hard to imagine what is producing so much ammonia that they are both overwhelmed. I would suggest verifying your ammonia reading with another test kit (preferably new and a different brand).> I don't have any carbon in right now as a matter of fact because I have been treating for ich. A crazy strain of it. It's been in my tank for about a month. I treated for 3 weeks with SeaCure copper treatment. I then got a UV sterilizer, I think I might of recently got rid of it. Anyway, yes a Picasso, and a tusk are the fish I have in my tank right now. <Copper should never be used in a display, especially with live rock. It can harm the critters living in the rock as well as reduce the population of bacteria that process ammonia. It is possible that these treatments damaged your biological filtration and caused the ammonia to rise, but it is also possible that the copper itself (which is easily overdosed) is causing your fish to look bad. Any drug treatment should be carried out in a hospital tank, and the instructions for copper must be followed carefully.> Will carbon help me lower my high ammonia levels that I have. should I just stock up on more PolyFilters? thanks, Sam <Carbon will only reduce ammonia in so much as it acts as a place for bacteria to colonize. Poly filters are probably only slightly more effective. I would suggest using AmQuel and feeding very lightly in the short term (a few days), while your biological filtration catches up. Best Regards. AdamC.> The Disappearing Nitrite Mystery 11/3/05 Bob -- <Chris> First, I must say that I thoroughly enjoy your site and want to thank you for all the great information it has provided me in starting this great hobby. <Welcome> I'm cycling a 30g marine tank and it's nearing the end of the cycle (yay). I started with 30lb of mostly cured live rock from the LFS, but with enough dead stuff to kick up a short ammonia spike. This has made the whole "cycle" go really fast (2 weeks, rather than 4) since I was essentially seeding the system with *some* bacteria. <Good> Anyway, my nitrites have been off the chart, while ammonia settled down to about .1ppm ... Which was a good indicator that I did indeed have healthy bacteria on the live rock. Nitrates slowly came up to about 10ppm and the nitrites have remained steadily "off the chart". <Happens> I did a 5g water change 2 days ago. Last night, I tested the tank again... Ammonia had settled to 0 (yay, again), but surprisingly, nitrites jumped down to .25ppm! Surprisingly, nitrate is still at 10ppm. SO... This leaves me with a puzzling question... Where did all those nitrites go?? <Converted! Like a football touchdown!> <<Somewhat, however, this conversion always gets you the two points. MH>> One possible answer... The 5 gallons of new water (DI water) was treated with Amquel+, and of course, allowed to "brew" for a few days with a heater and airstone for circulation. I highly doubt that the 5 gallons treated with Amquel+ (1/2 tsp) would have enough kick in it after a few days to clear up all those nitrites in a 30g tank. <Mmm, the Amquel could be masking some here, as well as giving you a "false negative" on your nitrite tests... but all is likely cycling... and nitrites should be negligible soon> So... I'd just like to figure out where all those nitrites went. I don't want to incorrectly assume that my cycle is finished, because I would expect to see the nitrates rise as the nitrite falls. <Mmm, they have...> At least for the next few days, I'll be watching the nitrites to see if they remain steady, or rise back to cycle levels. Nitrates, of course, are still at 10ppm where they've been for a while.  <May be about here for a while/ever> BTW, I've got a blue-legged hermit and a small snail that came as hitchhikers on the rock, plus the typical amphipods, a few bristle worms, small sponges, 1 small coral, and some coralline algae (which I hope will grow over the next few months). Best, --Chris in Goffstown, NH <Bob F, back in sunny Southern Cal.> 

Nitrite Rise !  9/28/05 Hello WetWebMedia, <Sam> I have a standard 4ft tank and have just changed the gravel from shell grit to coral sand. after a few days I noticed that the nitrite was at 0.5 and still is. <Mmm, not unusual> Is this just a temporary rise and if it is how long do you think it will take to go back to 0. <Hopefully temporary... would take action if approaches 1.0 ppm... likely to drop in a few weeks... maybe sooner. There are articles, FAQs files on nitrites, biological filtration, substrates... on WWM. Bob Fenner> From Sam Nitrite rise after substrate change 9/26/05 Hello WetWebMedia,  <AdamC. Here today!> I have a standard 4ft tank and have just changed the gravel from shell grit to coral sand. After a few days I noticed that the nitrite was at 0.5 and still is. Is this just a temporary rise and if it is how long do you think it will take to go back to 0. From Sam  <This rise is probably due to the disruption in your biological filtration.  Depending on your other filtration (live rock, power filters, etc.), it should return to zero in a few days.  Best Regards.  AdamC.> Can't get rid of the nitrite First of all I would like to thank you for all the information that you guys have given. <You're welcome>  I'm having a problem with my 65 gallon saltwater tank.  I have been in the hobby for about a year now and am still learning as I go.  As I said my tank is 65 gallons, with a wet/dry filter, a canister filter, about 20 lbs of live sand (sitting on top of some none live sand) and 40 lbs of LR for filtration.  My problem is that I still have nitrite in the tank, around .15 ppm (although if fluctuates b/w .15 and .25 ppm), with the ammonia reading zero. <mmm unusual.  Have you tried another nitrite test kit?> I let the tank cycle four about four weeks with some LR in the tank, and I did get the nitrite down to zero at one point in time.  My LFS is not sure what could be wrong, though they have made many suggestions but nothing seems to work.  I know that there is nothing died in the tank and I am sure that I am not over feeding the fish.  I make regular water changes every two weeks, about 15-20 gallons each (is this to much at one time?), using ro/di water. <Twelve gallons every two weeks is sufficient, preferably six gallons per week.>  I use to siphon the sand during the water changes but was told by my LFS to leave it alone.  Is this good advice? <If you don't have any sand sifting creatures, I would vacuum during water changes.  You will be surprised at the detritus that is removed.>  I'm trying to start a reef tank and already have a couple pieces of corals in the tank.  There seems to be nothing wrong with them, although like I said I am a beginner and not completely sure about some of the behaviors of the corals on a regular basis.<You need to go to the Wet Web Media, keyword "Corals" and read, know what you are getting into and the requirements that have to be met.>  The fish also seem not be suffering from the nitrite also.  I guess what I am looking for is any possible solutions that you may have to fix this problem.  Thank you very much.   <I'd start by trying a different nitrite test kit.  Take your sample somewhere mid tank, not the surface.  James (Salty Dog)>  

Nitrite safe in a marine aquarium 8/17/05 Hello, <<Hello Jonathan. Ted with you today>> I had a colleague at a pet store that I work at, tell me that nitrite (with an 'I') is nontoxic in a marine aquarium.  I know that in a freshwater aquarium, medicinal aquarium salt can be used to relieve nitrite poisoning, so it seems logical.  I found one website that stated due to the high pH and salinity of a marine aquarium that nitrite isn't toxic to fish, and they can be seen swimming in 25 ppm with no stress.  I can't find too many sources on google that say any more to confirm this, or WetWebMedia. <<Are you sure someone isn't confusing nitrite with nitrate? Nitrite at the level we're discussing is toxic>> Off course as a concerned hobbyist we should strive to ensure that the tank reads zero on the nitrite scale.  And having detectable nitrite in someone's aquarium concerns me that the have possibly had a surge of ammonia, or damaged their biological filter which could lead to ammonia poisoning. <<A increase in nitrite, especially in an established system would be a concern.>> In a practical sense, if nitrite was nontoxic to fish in a marine environment.  That means when someone cycles their tank the old fashioned way with damsels, they can breathe a sigh of relief when they've gotten past the ammonia part of it. (Though I would never recommend to add more fish until the cycle is complete with no nitrite and little bit of nitrate)<<And don't forget to quarantine before adding more livestock.>> And if for some reason they have it present in an established tank, I could address the problem as; trying to find out why they have it, advising daily water tests for ammonia and nitrite, and if ammonia becomes visible to do a good sized water change / and or apply SeaChem Prime<<Agreed>> If ammonia is 'nontoxic' to fish in a marine aquarium I wouldn't have to treat it as in freshwater, where a high nitrite level can kill, and is just as serious as ammonia.<<But we know that ammonia is toxic>> Which, as a follow up, would mean possibly the same in a brackish tank? Or a salted freshwater aquarium? (Which I dislike the practice of)<<I'm not sure what you mean here.>> Thank you for time and furtherment of the hobby, <<You're welcome.>> p.s. If possible could you pass this email around, I love second opinions, ha, regards, Jonathan <<Cheers - Ted>>

Re: Nitrite safe in a marine aquarium 8/18/05 Sorry to over-elaborate.  Let me rephrase. <<No worries.>> Someone told me that nitrite is nontoxic in a marine aquarium.  Is this correct?<<That is incorrect. Nitrite is less toxic than ammonia but it is still toxic.>> We know that nitrite in a freshwater aquarium is toxic, and high enough it can kill.  I suppose I assumed it's the same thing in marine, especially considering how sensitive marine fish are compared to fresh.<<Correct. Nitrite is toxic in marine aquaria and will kill when found in high enough concentrations.>> If Nitrite was nontoxic in a salt water aquarium, then when I test someone's water who hypothetically could have 0 ammonia high nitrite (4 ppm) low nitrate I could just advise them to do nothing, and let bacteria readjust, keeping a wary eye out for ammonia. <<What do you mean by 'low nitrate'? In a newly establishing system with an idealized nitrification cycle, 0 ammonia and nitrite of 4ppm might be found around 21 days into the cycle. At that point, nitrate would have an expected value of around 10ppm. If this scenario were a newly cycling tank, I would expect nitrate values of 10ppm or more and I would advise monitoring of the nitrite so verify that it has peaked and the nitrite level is diminishing. At the same time, monitor the nitrate level as it should continue to increase. If this were an established system, I would wonder what happened (what died?) to cause a spike in nitrites. You are right, eventually, the bacteria should readjust the nitrite levels.>> Where as a freshwater tank with those readings, I'd have to tell them to do a water change or prime stat or death could be the result.<<To be clear, an increase to 4ppm of nitrite in an established marine system is cause for concern, needs to be monitored and might require water changes also.>> Do you understand my line of reason?  If I explained well enough, I'm kinda jumbled.<<I think I understand you reasoning except the premise is wrong. Nitrite is harmful in marine systems. Please do a search here at WWM on "nitrification". There is a lot of information available on biological filtration, cycling, etc. Cheers - Ted>>