High Nitrate levels, help?

[curiousgeorge]

I've had my new 29 g marine tank for 6 weeks, hoping the cyle is almost over. I was given the go ahead for fish by my local store who set me up, and I've got 1 clarkii clown, and a blue damsel and 1 midadlantic blue tang. I've got about 30 lbs of figi live rock and live sand. They are happy.
I'm anxious to finish cycling so I can add anenome, but with nitrates that high, I'm not ready. I've got a protein skimmer and flugal filter running. Should I change my water yet?
thanks

[sango]

It sounds like you put too many fish at one time. Plus I dont think the 30 gal is big enough for the tang

[Thumper]

Way to many fish way to soon, man I cant believe the lfs sold you that, even if it was ready for fish thats too many fish all together, take all the fish back but the clown or damsel. Tank is way to immature to handle all the bio load of that many fish this soon, Do a 20-30% water change daily untill you get them down, I would bet that your amonia and no2 is rising as well. Just take the fish back and start slowly. I have a 150 and wouldt drop that many fish it at once, that blue tang needs to be in a 75 or better tank min. That fish gets up to a foot in length, Research before you buy to avoid this in the future.

[electrikat]

Also I would keep the clown and ditch the damsel. They are a nuisance and aggressive. they will cause trouble in the long run and once you are completely setup he will be near impossible to catch without breaking down the tank/.

[midiman]

High nitrates doesn't mean that the "cycle isn't over". Nitrates are the end product of a MATURE cycle, and will always tend to accumulate. They need to be ACTIVELY reduced in some manner - either by living things in the tank/sump (probably the best way), chemical treatments of the water ( ), and/or partial water changes.

To see if your cycle has resumed as a result of too-many-fish-too-fast, you need to test for ammonia and nitrites.

With high nitrates (you didn't indicate a level), you'll do yourself and your fish some good if you do some water changes, as others have suggested.

You also didn't mention if you had any inverts, which aren't big fans of high nitrates.

[curiousgeorge]

My nitrates are at 80ppm, my nitrites at 0.5 ppm.ammonia read at almost nil.
No inverts at this time, I'm worried its too early. I've done only one water change, and that at only 20%. I understood that tang would stay small, not true?

[Thumper]

Heck no, that tang will get huge, 80ppm is WAY to high, you are approaching a 50% water change imo but your wasting your time doing anything with the fish still in the tank, get them out asap.

[lando]

First off...Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com!!!
I have to agree, too many fish too fast. If you have any detectable ammonia and nitrite your tank is not done cycling. I would take back all of the fish. Sound like you need to find a new LFS. They gave you very bad advice. Unfortunatly, there is no tang that would be a good choice for a 30gal. Like mentioned, they need at least a 75gal, even small ones. Another LFS mis-direction. Let your tank sit for another couple of week and add just one fish, wait 3-4 weeks before adding another. I would also caution you about the anemone. These are very sensitive creatures and require a very stable tank. They do best in mature sytems of several months (8-12months minimum) before you should consider adding one. Sorry you are having all of these problems in the begining. YOu found the best spot on the web for accurate and friendly advie. Keep stopping back and take everything the LFS tells you with a grain of salt...Lando

[Edmonton Eskimo]

I agree with Lando- take your fish back and seriously give the guy heck who sold them to you. In the future save yourself some hassle and post on here before you do anything else as there are a lot of knowledgable people on this site. I find you really have to look to find someone at an lfs you can trust. I have found the people who are most honest with me and who's advice has actually helped and I deal strictly with them. Welcome to AA and please stop here first

[midiman]

My nitrates are at 80ppm, my nitrites at 0.5 ppm.ammonia read at almost nil.

Sounds like the conditions near the end of a cycle, don't you think? Time for a water change. Remember that even if you take MOST of the fish back, yu'll still need an ammonia source to feed the cycle. If it were my situation, I'd leave a hardy fish in there (or take them all back and continue to feed the tank) and reduce the nitrates by water changes, which I would start doing immediately.

[austinsdad]

I'm anxious to finish cycling so I can add anenome

I also believe you did finish cycling, but like all else said, too many fish. Too much too soon. The bacteria created by the cycle is only smaller numbers this early, As you slowly add fish, you increase the load on that bacteria. Te bacteria will catch up and increase in time, but not enuf for that many new fish at once.

I've got 1 clarkii clown, and a blue damsel and 1 midadlantic blue tang. I've got about 30 lbs of figi live rock and live sand. They are happy.

They'll all be seriously infected with something or die soon though IMO. Sorry to sound like that, but 20ppm on the nitrates is an accepted high range, and you've got 4 x that much. 4 or 5 inches of fish in that tank may be your max anyway, and that's considering the slow increase of the good bacteria along with the slow increase of inhabitants. You've probably got that 5 inches in in a 6 week old tank.

You gonna take the fish back right? I'd recommend the clowns and maybe another small fish ulitmately in the 29g, but still not all at one. The anenome may come along after some months, depending on how you stock your tank and the overall stability of it.

Good luck. Hope yu do this right. You'll enjoy it so much more.

Oh yeah, welcome to AA! Hopefully you'll do the right thing and stay around. We'll help you - if you let us.