nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, all WAY high

[churnee]

hello all...
I have a 29 gal QT with a BB and some PVC elbows for fish to hide in. I have a marineland penguin 200 with bio-wheel and a whisper 4, and a 150 watt heater.

I, for the life of me, cannot get the -ites, -ates, or ammonia to drop. Ph is okay and the SG is 1.020.

I have 2 domino damsels and 1 green chromis in there along with a clown trigger(so far he has left the damsels alone). I feed the clown and the others once a day. I have been doing 10 gal of water change a week for the last two weeks to no avail!

Nitrates: 20-40ppm
Nitrites: Off the scale
Ammonia: .50-1.0
Ph: 8.3

The tank has been up and running for about 4 weeks with just the damsels in it, the trigger was added last thursday. I also noticed some ick on the trigger so i will be treating the tank with copper as soon as i get these water issues under control. I do use tap water for top off water and have no problems in my 55 gal. I am at witts end. Please someone HELP!!

 

[DeNero1331]

I'm not sure but I think the trigger might be a bit much for your tank. It's a 55 gallon, right? I think a clown trigger needs at least 125.

Your qt tank being 29g might have too much of a bio load to it. How big are the fish? If your nitrites are off the scale then your nitrates will definitely follow soon enough. And the fact that your ammonia isn't at at 0 isn't good either. I would cut back on the feedings a little and do some water changes.

I would also recommend you double check that trigger for your tank....just a suggestion.

 

[churnee]

sorry...haven't updated my sig. i now have a 125 FO tank that the clown trigger will be going into. the 55 is now my reef tank. thanks for the concern though!! Maybe i should take the damsels and the chromis out and return them to the fish store?!?!

 

[quarryshark]

How big is the Trigger? Sounds like your qt is overstocked with his addition.
Do daily 20% water changes, they will serve you better than two big ones a week and siphon all uneaten food ASAP after feeding.
we are talking about the qt, right?

 

[churnee]

yes we are talking about the QT. the trigger is roughly 5 in long. there is no left over food when the trigger is done eating. do you think that i should remove the damsels? i just did a 10 gal water change tonight. hopefully that will help a little bit. thanks for all your guys help. keep the solutions coming please!

 

[quarryshark]

5" Trigger along with 3 other fish, yes thats a lot for a 20 gallon. Taking back the damsels may help some and so will daily water changes and light feeding.