Suggestion how to deal with my cycling QT Nitrite

[boshk]

Basically I started my small 8G QT at the same time I started curing my Live rock and waiting for my DT to arrive.

 

My thinking was:

Cure rock

Start the fish less QT cycle

Once QT is cycled, get fish and quarantine for a month since rock curing takes 2-4 weeks.

 

DT is setup now (3 weeks since I got the live rocks) but I'm still having problems with my QT's nitrites being high (API reading 2+ purple)

 

I dosed Pure ammonia twice about 2 weeks ago.

QT has Fluval biomax rings, 2 sponges in an Aquaclear20 HOB filter and a heater, nothing else and Dr Tim's One and Only which is why I am getting Nitrites.

 

Parameters:

Ammonia=0 maybe 0.2

Nitrite=2+

Nitrate=20

pH=8

So far, I have done 3 water changes, 30%, 30%, 50%.

 

Any suggestion?

 

I can't really use 'seeded' material from DT since its new and it would take a while for any sponge or borings to 'get' the bacteria

[Newstead]

Try using a bacteria booster like Microbacter7, Biospira, etc.

[boshk]

Try using a bacteria booster like Microbacter7, Biospira, etc.

Hi Newstead, yea, I started with Dr Tim's One & Only saltwater version.

 

just edited my post.

[makingfilms]

was your qt set up 3 weeks ago as well?

 

did you dose prime or something similar? those can cause false positives.

 

I just cycled my tank as I upgraded from 5-17 gallons. I used biospira to start, and then i switched to microbactor7 with biofuel every other day. I was planning on not getting a cycle since i was just moving my 5 gallon tank into a larger volume of water and only added dry clean rock and new live sand, nothing that should have caused a cycle. I got a ammonia spike very quickly so I held off transferring my livestock and kept them in my old tank with just old sand my and my skimmer. While the ammonia died off very quickly, My nitrites hung super high on the api test for like a week. Which i thought was not normal since I transfer very cured live rock to my tank from my 5 gallon and dosed a lot of bacteria. Anyway after 2 weeks my test were still showing .50-1ppm nitrite but I needed to move my livestock as they were starting to decline in there old home. I was gonna just use prime and wcs to deal with the nitrites but everything was doing great after the transfer, so i held off and I took a water sample to my sister who is a marine biologist and asked her to test it at a lab with pro equipment. She said my water was great no nitrites or ammonia. I trust her over my test. My water still shows .5-1ppm nitrite on my api tests to this day and it is about two weeks later. you may want to try another test form a different company to see if that was causing the issue.

[boshk]

was your qt set up 3 weeks ago as well?

 

did you dose prime or something similar? those can cause false positives.

 

I just cycled my tank as I upgraded from 5-17 gallons. I used biospira to start, and then i switched to microbactor7 with biofuel every other day. I was planning on not getting a cycle since i was just moving my 5 gallon tank into a larger volume of water and only added dry clean rock and new live sand, nothing that should have caused a cycle. I got a ammonia spike very quickly so I held off transferring my livestock and kept them in my old tank with just old sand my and my skimmer. While the ammonia died off very quickly, My nitrites hung super high on the api test for like a week. Which i thought was not normal since I transfer very cured live rock to my tank from my 5 gallon and dosed a lot of bacteria. Anyway after 2 weeks my test were still showing .50-1ppm nitrite but I needed to move my livestock as they were starting to decline in there old home. I was gonna just use prime and wcs to deal with the nitrites but everything was doing great after the transfer, so i held off and I took a water sample to my sister who is a marine biologist and asked her to test it at a lab with pro equipment. She said my water was great no nitrites or ammonia. I trust her over my test. My water still shows .5-1ppm nitrite on my api tests to this day and it is about two weeks later. you may want to try another test form a different company to see if that was causing the issue.

 

I didn't dose Prime, just RODI water which I assume got rid of the chlorine etc.

 

Okay, maybe I'll try another test.

 

I started the QT about 19 days ago.

[brandon429]

You ignore the nitrite it doesn't factor.

 

Search out the article nitrite in the reef tank by Randy Holmes Farley

 

Your entire cycle is judged by the ability to digest 2 or so ppm of ammonia, using an accurate test kit, down to zero specifically in a 24 hour period. Not that ammonia goes to zero, but that it can do it a couple times from 2ppm to zero in 24 hours, that's cycle done.

 

Ammonia is the only reading required to cycle a tank not the other two

 

I didn't say the other two measures aren't there, or don't have specific time frames they comply with...just that to complete any reef cycle you only need to know what the ammonia does. Eases cycling problems to have only one param to concern about. almost every reading ever posted for cycling any param is an API reading, that factors in the recommend as well

 

Depending on the live rock you had it may not even require curing

 

Curious to know which test kit is reading .2 and is that a graduated marker reading off a test or is it a color match reading. There is a high likelihood you have neither free ammonia or nitrites, even though the tests seem to indicate that.

[boshk]

You ignore the nitrite it doesn't factor.

 

Search out the article nitrite in the reef tank by Randy Holmes Farley

 

Your entire cycle is judged by the ability to digest 2 or so ppm of ammonia, using an accurate test kit, down to zero specifically in a 24 hour period. Not that ammonia goes to zero, but that it can do it a couple times from 2ppm to zero in 24 hours, that's cycle done.

 

Ammonia is the only reading required to cycle a tank not the other two

 

I didn't say the other two measures aren't there, or don't have specific time frames they comply with...just that to complete any reef cycle you only need to know what the ammonia does. Eases cycling problems to have only one param to concern about. almost every reading ever posted for cycling any param is an API reading, that factors in the recommend as well

 

Depending on the live rock you had it may not even require curing

 

Curious to know which test kit is reading .2 and is that a graduated marker reading off a test or is it a color match reading. There is a high likelihood you have neither free ammonia or nitrites, even though the tests seem to indicate that.

 

Most of my test kits are API except for Salifert Phos, Cal and Alk.

 

The ammonia 0.2, I interpolated, its wasn't exactly 0 but not 0.25 either. Maybe it was zero since there's nothing to produce ammonia.

[boshk]

I know this is an old thread but still reading 0.25 on the Nitrite in my QT.

I did a Nitrite test on DT and its 0

 

Ammonia in QT is 0

Nitrate is 0

pH=8

 

I have a YWB in there (1 week now). Had a Dottyback but he died like 2 days after I got him. No idea why.

 

Doing a 90% wc.

 

Guess my only option now is monitor Nitrite every 2 days and if it goes up, I do 50-80% wc?

 

Freshwater Dr Tim's One and Only works great.

Saltwater Dr Tim's is a failure.

 

Don't have 2 QT for TTM.

Don't have access to BioSpira in Hong Kong

I could try Biodigest Prodibio.

[dandelion]

Maybe the bacteria are still building up?

 

What about simply dosing prime. Seachem says it also binds to nitrite if you're worried. I've read somewhere nitrite is far less toxic in SW than FW.

 

You have access to microbacter7 in Hong Kong? Or seachem stability? Oh and hi. I'm originally from Hong Kong too.

 

I know this is an old thread but still reading 0.25 on the Nitrite in my QT.

I did a Nitrite test on DT and its 0

 

Ammonia in QT is 0

Nitrate is 0

pH=8

 

I have a YWB in there (1 week now). Had a Dottyback but he died like 2 days after I got him. No idea why.

 

Doing a 90% wc.

 

Guess my only option now is monitor Nitrite every 2 days and if it goes up, I do 50-80% wc?

 

Freshwater Dr Tim's One and Only works great.

Saltwater Dr Tim's is a failure.

 

Don't have 2 QT for TTM.

Don't have access to BioSpira in Hong Kong

I could try Biodigest Prodibio.

[boshk]

Maybe the bacteria are still building up?

 

What about simply dosing prime. Seachem says it also binds to nitrite if you're worried. I've read somewhere nitrite is far less toxic in SW than FW.

 

You have access to microbacter7 in Hong Kong? Or seachem stability? Oh and hi. I'm originally from Hong Kong too.

 

Hi! You are the 2nd person on this site from HK.

 

I have Stability.

I'll use that if the reading gets more than 0.25

 

Maybe to the bacteria building up, hope so.

 

Thanks

[brandon429]

after reading the online sources about nitrite it's clear you don't have to add anything in reaction. Post number 4 above shows your readings mean nothing


We can get nitrite readings in years established systems, doesn't make them accurate, it means nothing. It's also harmless to chase neutral params, dose bacteria, and have a seemingly stalled cycle, most people using API undergo that choice meanwhile all the animals look fine, feed, move around, unharmed while only the tester is left concerned

Post pics of your rock, that's all we need to discern your cycle if the rocks were live, has coralline etc

 

Having ongoing concern about nitrite is well founded

 

every book, article and most formal sources cite it as something you have to measure and wait

 

but new pushes always emerge here

 

I can assure you in 2003 even 1 gallon reefs were 'impossible'

 

there is a 6 page argument on here, quite fun w me and a marine biologist article writer who was saying my old 1 gallon pico had to be trick plumbed under the counter to more gallons, because it was impossible for that many corals to not sting each other to death in a true single gallon, much less for 4+ yrs age at the time of the tango

 

changes in approach are not received well for good reason in the hobby...snake oil prevention.

 

Everyone should be critical of new recommends, but also consider testing them too.

 

Here's some further rationale about your nitrite:

-its shown in post 4 your readings can be off regardless of how it compares to another test tank, for many reasons

-every cycling chart online shows that by day 30-40 the nitrite always complies, it doesn't take longer *when ammonia can digest a few ppm to zero in 24 hours

-all chem articles show it inert anyway

 

If you will post shots of your rock, and they have any living animals accreted to them, such as coralline or a tubeworm, we can do wonders with that pic in telling you about all your core params, no test kits involved.

[makingfilms]

I agree with Brandon That visual inspection of your tank/rocks will get you farther than testing. I have stopped testing after my sister showed how inaccurate api tests can be. I also want to point out Brandon also told me not to worry in a separate post before I got my sister involved. I now only test my salinity.

 

My 2 cents with constant testing of params like ammonia nitrites and nitrates in a visually healthy tank, is that at any given moment we test, we will inevitably get a result that are not satisfactory to us, and we will take certain steps to correct that specific issue, regardless of the overall health of the tank. In a small tank If a fish dies and you quickly test your water, generally your ammonia will spike some. now we can take measures to neutralize the ammonia, which I would do. But we also need to take a step back and look at the entirety of our tank and see if there is a actual tank wide problem causing the death that we need to correct or was it an isolated incident like an old fish.

[boshk]

after reading the online sources about nitrite it's clear you don't have to add anything in reaction. Post number 4 above shows your readings mean nothing

We can get nitrite readings in years established systems, doesn't make them accurate, it means nothing. It's also harmless to chase neutral params, dose bacteria, and have a seemingly stalled cycle, most people using API undergo that choice meanwhile all the animals look fine, feed, move around, unharmed while only the tester is left concerned

Post pics of your rock, that's all we need to discern your cycle if the rocks were live, has coralline etc

 

Having ongoing concern about nitrite is well founded

 

every book, article and most formal sources cite it as something you have to measure and wait

 

but new pushes always emerge here

 

I can assure you in 2003 even 1 gallon reefs were 'impossible'

 

there is a 6 page argument on here, quite fun w me and a marine biologist article writer who was saying my old 1 gallon pico had to be trick plumbed under the counter to more gallons, because it was impossible for that many corals to not sting each other to death in a true single gallon, much less for 4+ yrs age at the time of the tango

 

changes in approach are not received well for good reason in the hobby...snake oil prevention.

 

Everyone should be critical of new recommends, but also consider testing them too.

 

Here's some further rationale about your nitrite:

-its shown in post 4 your readings can be off regardless of how it compares to another test tank, for many reasons

-every cycling chart online shows that by day 30-40 the nitrite always complies, it doesn't take longer *when ammonia can digest a few ppm to zero in 24 hours

-all chem articles show it inert anyway

 

If you will post shots of your rock, and they have any living animals accreted to them, such as coralline or a tubeworm, we can do wonders with that pic in telling you about all your core params, no test kits involved.

Hi Brandon, thanks for the info too. I've been reading a fair bit on it too and as you rightly say, there's still a lot of debate on it.

 

For the moment, I'll not worry about it too much.

As for photos, it's my QT, not display tank.

I have an ammonia alert badge and I'll do the nitrite test every few days of my QT. if it gets high, I'll do water change.

 

Hopefully I can get my fishes through quarantine without any complications......namely...ich

[brandon429]

can you post the rock pics just to see if any of the maturity proofs can be seen, such as coralline etc. not required, but just to shore up the prediction side gotta see pics! if you posted bone white rocks not a single benthic growth id be concerned with my predictions.