6 week old tank, VERY low PH, and nitrite????? Help please!

[IkeLightner]

Hello all, and thanks for reading my post. I will do my best to keep it short and still explain whats going on. Bear with me please!

I have a 28 gallon nanocube quad-CF that I bought brand new January 1st. Started my cycle with 50 pounds of good quality live rock (1/2 of which came from an established and healthy reef tank) and 20 pounds of CaribSea Ocean Direct Caribbean Live Sand.

I have used only RO/DI water and Istant Ocean salt.

Upgraded to the InTank media Basket and have added filter floss in chamber 1, purigen chamber 2, and chemi-pure elite in chamber 3.

Using one MP10 on reef crest mode during the day and dialed down to about 25% continuous flow at night. Stock return pumps run 24-7.

Water temp is 80 degrees, SG is at 1.025.

Initially cycled my tank and as of Week 3, my LFS tested me out at ~0 nitrate, 0 nitrite, and 0 ammonia. PH was not tested at this time. At this point I added a cleanup crew from reefcleaners.org including a couple serpent stars.

I added fish at week 4 and put in a pair of False Percula Clownfish that are about 75% full grown.

Week 4 I also added about 5 or 6 different small frags of zoas (bam bam, blue tubs, eagle eyes, radioactive green, and a few others) a couple random mushrooms.

Week 5 I added 2 peppermint shrimp and 2 heads of frog spawn.

That is all I have added to the tank and I am now sitting at the end of week 6. Took my water in to my LFS today and they test my PH at 7.2, nitrite .5 ppm, and nitrate 20 ppm. Ammonia showed to be close to 0.0-0.25 ppm.

So, what do you recommend I do? So far, I have done two small water changes in my tank, one was after week 4 and one after week 5 (about 4 gallons each time (about 15% volume)).

I don't understand what is going on here. It seems like my tank is going through another cycle or something? Please let me know what you would recommend. My LFS didn't have anyhting to tell me to do other than try some Seachem Stability and PH buffer. I really don't want to lose any of my zoa frags, mushrooms, or frogspawn not to metion my fish, clean up crew etc.

Thanks for any and all help, I really appreciate it!!!!!

 

[vamaro]

You may have added to much to soon. Ammonia is less lethal with low ph. Be careful raising your ph with the ammonia in your tank.

 

[IkeLightner]

thanks, adding too much too soon is probably totally my problem. Guess I got excited and moved a little quick. I just thought my tank was fully cycled and didn't think much of it. STUPID ME!!!

So, if that is the case though, what do you recommend I do, Vince?

 

[redfishbluefish]

I would suggest you buy your own test kits. Only need ammonia and nitrate test kits. Nitrite really isn't an issue with saltwater fish.


You're pH is a real puzzle....not sure why it would be that low??? I see you're using Instant Ocean. If you have hard corals, you'll want to supplement alk and calc (and mag) or consider changing salts for a reef tank (i.e. Reef Crystals)

 

[byronious]

What is your Alkalinity? I would have the LFS check Alk. Before you head back to LFS try this experiment.

Take some of your tank water and put it in a container with an air stone for a few hours. Take a sample of this and label it Container 2.
Take a sample from your tank and just put it in a container and label it Container 1. At the LFS have them test both for Ph. I am guessing #2 will have a higher Ph. If it is acceptable, then your problem is a lack of aeration. Maybe point your power head more toward the surface. Also I run a pump for several days in my mixing container at the proper salinity before I use it for a water change.

 

[Planedoc]

Buy a master test Kit. That way you will know what your water parameters are at all times and not have to trust someone who wants to sell you more things. You just need to do regular water changes until the good bacteria builds up in your system. The quote "cycle" has to be balanced, by that I mean you have to have enough good bacteria to break down the waste and turn it into nitrates. You then need a way to export the nitrate. It takes time to have a balanced system. That is why it is recommended to go slow. You need to give your tank/system time to adjust for each new bioload increasing creature you add to it.

Sent from my galaxy s3

 

[vamaro]

Just do some water changes as needed and try not to over feed. Your tank will adjust to the new bio load.

 

[beaslbob]

Add some macro algae.

Low pH and nitrItes (or ammonia or nitrates) are symptoms of a tank that has high carbon dioxide, is still cycling, and the aerobic cycle is not established.

Adding plant life like macro algae corrects all those.

my .02

 

[Davinci]

first try to get your ammonia, nitrite, an nitrates to 0 then focus on ph. do you think anything died in your tank?? maybe some of the dead clean up crew created the ammonia. and use microbacter from brightwell, it will definitely help. Dont put anything else into your tank right now. I think you might have to take out the chemipure becasue its taking out your ammonia before it can be converte into other things. once everything is at 0, then you can add it again.