SOS - nitrite and nitrate levels going crazy

[TheReefSweetheart]

Okay so I just did a water change and tested my levels, and the ammonia levels are better, but the nitrite and nitrate levels are worse than they were before. Nitrite measured 1.0 ppm and nitrate measured 10 ppm. I have a filter purifier and I did the water change, exactly what I'd been told to do by several different sources. What on earth could be causing this?

 

[bavass]

what filter purifier? Filter Purifiers may only remove chlorine. I hope you mean RO/DI. How old is the tank? Are you still cycling? which can take up 6-8 weeks. Give us a run down on all equipment, etc... history of the tank

 

[TheReefSweetheart]

It's a ten gallon that's been up for about 3 weeks now. The people at my local fish place said it should be fine since the levels were okay. I also have live rock. I have two clowns and a royal gramma. The filter purifier lowers nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia levels. It seems to have worked for the ammonia but not the other two.

 

[bavass]

thats a lot of fish for a tank thats 3 weeks old. Cycle takes 6-8 weeks usually some times shorter, but a good rule of thumb is 6-8 weeks. Get away from the purifier and get an RO/DI unit. You don't want some that lowers you want something that removes them

 

[Ingy]

+1 on the cycle time.
Many fish stores will test your water and when everything is 0 say your good to go. Fact is if you had cycled your tank properly your nitrate level wouldve been much higher than 10 back then. As mentioned, a Virgin tank does take 6-8 weeks to cycle.

 

[Crystal A]

I agree that's a lot of fish for that tank. The bioload could be a wee bit high. Keep doing water changes till you levels come down give It a week and see if they shoot back up. If so to many fish might be the culprit.

 

[TheTodd]

What exactly is this "filter purifier"? If you can give an exact brand and model, maybe we could get a better idea of what that's doing.

I've gotta agree with the others. Three weeks is really a quick cycle time. Even if the tank had cycled properly, those three fish in a 10g is a big bio-load, especially for such a new tank. Small tanks like that are extremely difficult to maintain. Parameters can fluctuate quickly. Temperature can swing quickly. All that goes against the consistency that saltwater tanks need.