No Ammonia or Nitrate but high Nitrite

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Heath62

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Messages
11
I am puzzled i have no ammonia or nitrates but have high nitrites. Im kinda new to this but my salt level is 1.024 and amm 0 no2 5 and no3 0. How is this possible nitrites break down into nitrates correct? If so how is this possible? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
 
I am puzzled i have no ammonia or nitrates but have high nitrites. Im kinda new to this but my salt level is 1.024 and amm 0 no2 5 and no3 0. How is this possible nitrites break down into nitrates correct? If so how is this possible? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

This means your aquarium is not cycled. You have to build up on bacteria that converts nitrite to nitrate. I hope you don't have fish yet.
 
I understand that but i did have nitrate at once it spiked to 160 then went down to 80 then gradually down until 0 but i still have nitrite thats why im puzzled.
 
I understand that but i did have nitrate at once it spiked to 160 then went down to 80 then gradually down until 0 but i still have nitrite thats why im puzzled.
You probably haven't built up enough bacteria or somehow you killed all your bacteria.
 
I understand that but i did have nitrate at once it spiked to 160 then went down to 80 then gradually down until 0 but i still have nitrite thats why im puzzled.


That's impossible, it doesn't work that way. Ammonia and nitrite are converted into nitrates which are removed by you via water changes.
 
That's impossible, it doesn't work that way. Ammonia and nitrite are converted into nitrates which are removed by you via water changes.
Nitrates can be removed via macroalgae, live rock, and in your sand bed. I'm sure you know that though. I'm willing to bet you just killed your bacteria somehow.
 
so then what do I do from here like i said im kinda new to this
 
well its not impossible i tested it twice with two different test kits
 
Heath I am following along here because I had the same issue. Did you by chance start your tank with tap water? That is what I did when I first started ( that is what my LFS said was the best) and boy was that a mistake. I started off with really high nitrates added a raw shrimp and thought all was going great when my ammonia spiked, then lowered...still had some nitrates though, then nitrite spiked and nitrates were at 0. Nitrites were still high and then all of a sudden my ammonia started appearing again after weeks of cycling. Now I am back to square 1. Been doing water changes with RO/DI water added a new shrimp and letting it do it's thing. Hopefully I am doing it right this time still not sure :)...noob move on my part, but hey it's all about learning from your mistakes right?
 
Nitrates can be removed via macroalgae, live rock, and in your sand bed. I'm sure you know that though. I'm willing to bet you just killed your bacteria somehow.


Macro will use nitrates but you need a lot for it to be really effective and there is a small amount of bacteria deep in the rocks that convert nitrates to co2 but not in the amount the op suggests. The majority of the bb in the tank convert ammo and nitrite to nitrates, which do not drop on their own (that's why we do wc's right?) at least not from 160ppm to 0 that would take a 100%wc.
 
yes i started tank with tap water but and now using distilled water for water changes and also to top off when tank is low.I started off doing weekly wc but guy a lfs said not to do them bc itll only slow down the cycle so i stopped and everything was going great level wise until this happened i know this is weird but it is what it is and dont know where to go from here
 
yes i started tank with tap water but and now using distilled water for water changes and also to top off when tank is low.I started off doing weekly wc but guy a lfs said not to do them bc itll only slow down the cycle so i stopped and everything was going great level wise until this happened i know this is weird but it is what it is and dont know where to go from here


Your initial nitrate reading was probably coming from you tap water source, at least that's how it was in my situation. So it was a reading that dropped off as your water circulated. I may be wrong on this and if so hopefully someone will correct me. Hopefully I am back on the right path too. Then you added your ammonia source I presume. Either a raw shrimp or some kind of ammonia and not fish. That is what started to actually cycle your tank. Your ammonia spiked then came back down to 0. Then your nitrites spiked and still holding steady correct? Don't worry about your nitrates until your nitrites start to lower. That is when you should see your nitrates come back up again. You are on the right path IMO you just need to wait it out a little longer. Everyone always says patience is key to this hobby, but I also know that feeling of anxiety that is screaming COME ON ALREADY!!!! :banghead:

Good luck!!!
 
thats pretty much what was going on but so many people telling you different things i know this didnt seem right but that what the readings are so its still a waiting game then.. i was also told the only way to remove nitrates was to do wc and thats wat i thought but i only topped off the tank with 5 gallons of distilled water and it went down to zero
 
thats pretty much what was going on but so many people telling you different things i know this didnt seem right but that what the readings are so its still a waiting game then.. i was also told the only way to remove nitrates was to do wc and thats wat i thought but i only topped off the tank with 5 gallons of distilled water and it went down to zero


Not sure if it's right or not, but I was also told not to do any water changes until my cycle was complete. I do know that macroalgae, live rock, and live sand will filter out your nitrates, but so does circulation. Try it if you want the proof...I had to LOL. I took a 5 gallon bucket and filled it with my tap water that reads 180ppm nitrates. I added a powerhead to the bucket and let it aerate for 24-48 hours and my nitrates started dropping. That is how I figure out what was going on with my tank. Like you, I also was puzzled by my readings until I did a little experimenting myself. I wish you lots of luck! We are both learning a lot and that is not a bad thing at all.
 
no not at all and thanks for the help as we are learning ill wait another week or so and see where its at crossing fingers and ill keep you posted
 
no not at all and thanks for the help as we are learning ill wait another week or so and see where its at crossing fingers and ill keep you posted


You are welcome and yes please keep me posted because I am still waiting too! My fingers are crossed for the both us us.
 
Regarding water changes during cycling, it is often said that nitrite over 1.0 ppm inhibits the development of beneficial bacteria. I do not know if this is true since logically you would think higher nitrite would mean more food for bacteria that consume nitrite. However this logic is apparently wrong. Maybe an expert here can explain why...
 
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