NITRITES

[MikeysReefs]

im having a problem with Nitrites
i have about 120/130lbs of live rock and 120 lbs of live sand
my nitrites r about 0.2
i do water changes and they dont come down any
my corals r stating to die off
i cant fig out y they r so hi
i have3 tangs in my tank 1 clown fish and 1 yellow tail and a lion fish
nothing has died in my tank
but i seem to have nitrites
i use 3 diff test kits all say the same
i dunno what else to do
if u have any sugestions please email me at mustang1967mike@aol.com

thanks Mike

 

[Jacob Morgan]

have3 tangs in my tank 1 clown fish and 1 yellow tail and a lion fish

omfg ure kidding? wat size tank I am gonna guess 55 or 75... if so thats ure problems.. 3 tangs and a lion fish.. a lion fish grows bout 12" or more full size.. ure over ure limit i guarentee it.... I imagine ure tangs will get ich soon and die from stress..


how old is this tank? wat kind of corals?



Jacob

 

[reefrunner69]

Seems that the fins are flying everywhere tonight. Mike, I think your second post was uncalled for, the questions asked by Jacob, were valid questions, as well as his assumption, given the lack of info provided. Let's keep it nice, I really don't like censorship, and I hate closing threads especially if the info desired hasn't been provided yet. Here at AquariumAdvice.com we are a friendly and happy community dedicated for the betterment of aquaria world wide. Differing opinions are welcome and even encouraged, but personal attacks, or posts that serve no purpose but to belittle another, are not tolerated.

im having a problem with Nitrites
i have about 120/130lbs of live rock and 120 lbs of live sand

In what size tank? How long have you had the rock and sand? Was it cured?

my nitrites r about 0.2

What is the ammonia, ph and nitrates? How long has the tank been set up? What type of filtration are you using, if any? Any auxillary filtration?

i do water changes and they dont come down any

How large a percentage are you changing? How often?

my corals r stating to die off

What are the symptoms/signs they are displaying? What type of corals?

i cant fig out y they r so hi
i have3 tangs in my tank 1 clown fish and 1 yellow tail and a lion fish

Depending on the size of the tank, and how long it's been set up, this could be the source of the problem.

nothing has died in my tank

How long have the nitrites been present?

i use 3 diff test kits all say the same

What brand kits? How old are the kits? Have you had the LFS verify the problem? Any possibility the test was done incorrectly?

i dunno what else to do

We'll get to the bottom of it, have you had any work done in the room the tank is in? Are there aerosol cleaners used in that room? Have you medicated that tank recently?

 

[Fishwick]

Finally...a needed reminder

Reefrunner,
Well ! It's appreciated to see the administrator make notice and comment of some unnecessary responses. You weren't censoring, but hopefully making some of you think "courtesy". It's not just what is said, but the way it's said.
There have been some definite attitiudes and brash response postings by certain members. When I joined this web site, I thought it would be a neat thing to find out what others do, have problems with, and most of all, how others support one another. However, it did not take long to realize the level of arrogance and immaturity apparently harboured by some of it's members. There seems to be some real axe grinding going on.
It doesn't matter if you know everything there is to know about "reefs", or saltwater tanks or whatever( which I seriously doubt in the first place), but you can give advice in a nice way. If you can't, then maybe you should refrain from commenting. I'm sure this is NOT the typical behavior of the majority of members, but only a small faction. It would truely be refreshing to try and help someone who has taken the time to write in for help ( this is supposed to do that, right?) and abolish the cyincal, chip-on-the-shoulder comments, which really are unnecessary, and too often inflammatory.
If you know how to help, then just include that. Please don't include script, abbreviations or comments that belittle or condemn. Correct me if i'm wrong, but EVERY SINGLE ONE of you started for the first time once. Try to remember that.

Thank You

 

[reefrunner69]

Yes Mike, please respond to my questions. .2 ppm nitrites are nothing to sneeze at, this is a considerable problem, and as I said, we will get to the bottom of it. I was unaware of any problems in the chat room, apparently there is more going on to this than I observed. All of our members are valued members of this community, that most definitely includes you. If you would feel more comfortable taking this to pm, feel free, I'll be online off and on today after about 1:30pm EST, I really want to help with your nitrite problem, that is what we are all here for, don't let this little thing stop us from fixing your tank problem.

 

[Alf]

MikeysReefs,

Give us more about your setup. Please. the questions That RR displayed are important to nailing down your problem.
Don't let some one Like Jacob get you down. as I feel his comments are not warrented.
Some of us are here to help you. Fish freek and Reefrunner are definatly here to help you. They are both trying very hard to make this a great place for you. Belive me I know how hard thier job Is as I am a Moderator on several BB and Assitant site Admin at another.






Fishwick,
I with you man!!

 

[Alf]

After checking out his web Site. I have come up with an 80 gal system. Judging from his pic's the Fish are with in size limits of the tank at this time. But may be a problem as they grow bigger.

MikeysReefs,
Hey are you Jeff Or Mike?? I assume Mike by the details in the web site. If so I bet my guess on the tank is correct. NIce tank By the way!! I am sure we can help you with more info. Come on give us a chance to help! It's not about us any way It's about the critters.

Jacob,
I am here to help MickeysReefs! Not argue with you. If you want me to point out your problems PM or E-mail me. Please stay on the topic at hand! he needs Our help, not negative comments.

 

[fishfreek]

Ok. I think we are getting back on track here so I did a little house work and split some of the 'off-topic' discussions over to another post so as to keep this most 'on track'.

If you see your post missing then you can bet its over here in this thread.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=786

Sorry for any confussion.

 

[MikeysReefs]

i have a 80 gal tank with 30 gal sump
i have 120 lbs of live sand
120/130lbs of live rock cured
the tank ben running for 1 1/2 years
i had a skimme in te sump with live sad and went to the miracle Mud
but i was having nitrite problems befor i did this
i have grape algae growing in my sump with 110 watts of light on the sump
i have 542 watts of light on my 80 gal tank
my nitrates r at 10
ammonia is alk is 3.4
ph is 8.4
cal is at 450
corals dieing r my open brain coral plate coral
i do have a mag350 canister filteron my tank
and i did a 30 gal water change last weekend and i do 5 gal every other week
i have a uv on my tank but i turned it off this week to see if anything else changed
i hope i got every thing
and by the way im Mike
thanks for trying to help me out
and im sorry for all teh fussing that was going on it just bothered me that a 15 year old would do that but im over it now
thansk Mike

 

[MikeysReefs]

i us red sea test kits
and i ben having this problem now for about 4 months now

 

[fishfreek]

ammonia is alk is 3.4
i do have a mag350 canister filteron my tank
and i did a 30 gal water change last weekend and i do 5 gal every other week

What you say above confuses me. Are you saying both your ammonia and your alk is at 3.4? Or did you mean ammoinia is ?? and alk is 3.4 I am guessing the later.

Have you cleaned the 350 mag? Do you run carbon in the mag? if so when is the last time you replaced that?

Do you recall anything that you would have added to the tank lets say in the last 6 months? Any change in cleaning habits in that specific room?

This is a great mystery.

 

[reefrunner69]

Do you use any of the Marc Weis products? When was the last fish added?

Red Sea Kits tend to be low end product line, I would first see if there was a problem with the kits (I know, I know...4 months, but humor me). I believe running a low level of nitrite for 4 months would have caused all ick hell to break loose in that tank, if not just outright burned the gills off the fish. I do not think your nitrite level is as high as you think it is. I think your corals are having other difficulties. The plate coral (heliofungia) is not real surprising, they tend to have a track record similar to gonipora. The open brain...what is near it? How close? Where is it located in the tank? I'm gonna take a look at your site, after dinner, maybe I'll have some more ideas. I'm sorry about all the questions, but that's kinda the way it works, one of us will end up asking the right question and then one of us will have an epiphiny and then your problem will be fixed

 

[Jacob Morgan]

was the 30 gal water change levels same as the tank.. i mean exact? If not that could affect corals if there was a salinity or temp change.. Just a thought..


Jacob

 

[MikeysReefs]

my ammonia is 0
and alk is 3.4 sorry about that 1
and my last thing i added in the last 6 months is my lion fish
hes about 4 to 5 in long

my corals where dieing befor the water change
i used 3 diff test kits 2 of my own and 1 at the lfs and they all tested the same
they all r red sea test kits
Mike

 

[MikeysReefs]

i replaced the carbon a few weeks ago and clean it out every 2 weeks dont look bad when i clean it

 

[Jacob Morgan]

You know...

It could be simply the fact that your selection of fish are growing. when they were smaller they produced less waste but as they have grown (haven't they ?) they are producing more waste and in result simply overloading your tank?


its a possibility.


Jacob

 

[reefrunner69]

What, How much and how often are you feeding the lionfish?

 

[MikeysReefs]

i feed him 3 times a week frozen salad shrimp and freeze dryed krill
about 4 to 5 pieces each time
Mike

 

[MikeysReefs]

i feed him 3 times a week frozen salad shrimp and freeze dryed krill
about 4 to 5 pieces each time
Mike

 

[reefrunner69]

That could be your problem, but I doubt it. I wouldn't feed a lion, more than twice per week, and I'd probably only feed him once. That is alot of food at one time as well.

I think you might be getting a false reading. Please tell me what you dose in the tank, and how ofte. Include brand names too please.