Constant high no2

[3425675765]

So I have a 10g. And I yesterday just did a 50% water change and my water is still 0.3. And this is almoast every week again it's never normal. I keep changing water but it's getting expensive. Idk what goes wrong I have a nemo a damesol fish 2 snails a baby hermit crab and a sand shifting sea star. I also have kenya to get it down a skimmer (pic below) and a filter with carbomec ultra from jbl. So idk what could be wrong

 

[3425675765]

Damselfish*

 

[twilliard]

Nitrite
Second step of the nitrogen cycle.
How are you testing this?
Do you have ammonia?
Testing error?

 

[redfishbluefish]

If you are talking about nitrite, I wouldn't be overly concerned, unless you are seeing zero nitrate. That would suggest your cycle is not complete. For saltwater fish, nitrite isn't really problematic, as it is with freshwater. I won't even test for it.

Now if by chance you meant to say nitrate (NO3), a level of 0.3 is probably too low. You do want some there for your corals.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

In either case (nitrate or nitrite), 0.3 ppm is not any toxicity concern at all. Unlike freshwater aquariums, nitrite is not particularly toxic in marine systems.

 

[3425675765]

In either case (nitrate or nitrite), 0.3 ppm is not any toxicity concern at all. Unlike freshwater aquariums, nitrite is not particularly toxic in marine systems.

I was talking about nitrate but I will buy a nitrite tester then. But I think it is preventing my gsp from opening it's been a while and it never opened

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There's no need to test nitrite. It is never high enough to be a concern in an established reef tank.

Nitrate at 0.3 ppm is not likely impacting the green star polyps unless it might possibly be too low. They'd be happy at 100 times that level.

 

[brandon429]

I would also add that due to the quality of your live rock, your parameters haven't been poor. The lighting looks bright and with strong white tones these are the variables for each reef tank that can grow a little algae here or there; it doesn't mean the water was bad. It seemed to me the test reading took the concern while the tank and coral looked great and it should be the other way around. You can easily easily remain algae free in the presence of some nitrate and phosphate.

The sandbed constantly takes on mass that is not removed by most keepers, ever. Every daily feed, every fish and invert pellet, ad infinitum. Nitrate to a decent degree is indicated by keeping deep sand beds-- not low nitrate as it was once thought. Some attain zero to low nitrates off aged sandbeds but I think if sampled today, most don't. I don't. My dsb is there for looks but it adds an additional cleaning dimension to maintenance ( my dsb is cleaned, never waste full)

This is no slight to deep sand beds I've always had them... just saying the result of perpetual waste storage is specifically endpoint nitrate after all the sinked proteins are digested

What the life on that fine live rock want is feed and water change, feed and water change like reef cpr

Forget nutrient detailing wet skim you are already on track

 

[3425675765]

There's no need to test nitrite. It is never high enough to be a concern in an established reef tank.

Nitrate at 0.3 ppm is not likely impacting the green star polyps unless it might possibly be too low. They'd be happy at 100 times that level.

Thanks!

 

[3425675765]

I would also add that due to the quality of your live rock, your parameters haven't been poor. The lighting looks bright and with strong white tones these are the variables for each reef tank that can grow a little algae here or there; it doesn't mean the water was bad. It seemed to me the test reading took the concern while the tank and coral looked great and it should be the other way around. You can easily easily remain algae free in the presence of some nitrate and phosphate.

The sandbed constantly takes on mass that is not removed by most keepers, ever. Every daily feed, every fish and invert pellet, ad infinitum. Nitrate to a decent degree is indicated by keeping deep sand beds-- not low nitrate as it was once thought. Some attain zero to low nitrates off aged sandbeds but I think it was sampled today, most don't. I don't. My dsb is there for looks but it adds additional cleaning dimension to maintenance ( my dsb is cleaned, never waste full)

This is no slight to deep sand beds I've always had them... just saying the result of perpetual waste storage is specifically endpoint nitrate after all the sinked proteins are digested

What the life on that fine live rock want is feed and water change, feed and water change like reef cpr

Forget nutrient detailing wet skim you are already on track[/QUOTbut Okay thanks, But I am still breaking my head on what is keeping my gsp closed. Every one says I have to wait
.But it's been a while and in the beginning it did open a little . And so it's sure that no2 doesn't kill right? I am very scared to let it get out of control lol.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, the symbol for nitrate is NO3-. When you write NO2, people think of nitrite, NO2-.

 

[3425675765]

FWIW, the symbol for nitrate is NO3-. When you write NO2, people think of nitrite, NO2-.

But I am really talking about no2-. In the store they said. I can't let that get over 0.3 ppm. Because it will kill my fish. So that's why I am so worried to stop testing my no2-. And stop caring about that. And star testing no3-.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

But I am really talking about no2-. In the store they said. I can't let that get over 0.3 ppm. Because it will kill my fish. So that's why I am so worried to stop testing my no2-. And stop caring about that. And star testing no3-.

They are wrong that 0.3 ppm nitrite will kill reef fish. They are incorrectly extrapolating from a freshwater system where it will.

I discuss nitrite and show data on what concentrations it takes to kill fish here:

Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.htm

As you can see in table 2, it takes hundreds to thousands of ppm nitrite to kill fish.

Table 1 shows the data they are worried about for freshwater fish where some are killed at less than 1 ppm.

 

[3425675765]

They are wrong that 0.3 ppm nitrite will kill reef fish. They are incorrectly extrapolating from a freshwater system where it will.

I discuss nitrite and show data on what concentrations it takes to kill fish here:

Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.htm

As you can see in table 2, it takes hundreds to thousands of ppm nitrite to kill fish.

Table 1 shows the data they are worried about for freshwater fish where some are killed at less than 1 ppm.

Okay thanks I will step over to testing no3 instead of no2!

 

[brandon429]

Since you have a deep sand bed, what levels are you accepting for your tank? (5-20 nitrate typical for a deep sand bed with detritus in it, the dark spots in the bed)

I thought this would be handy to discuss, so you won't worry over nitrate, the way your tank is setup produces not lowers it and 5-20 is common here among tanks with deep sand beds)

 

[3425675765]

Since you have a deep sand bed, what levels are you accepting for your tank? (5-20 nitrate typical for a deep sand bed with detritus in it, the dark spots in the bed)

I thought this would be handy to discuss, so you won't worry over nitrate, the way your tank is setup produces not lowers it and 5-20 is common here among tanks with deep sand beds)

Well I actually haven't tested my no3 ever before because I have always heard that I need to test no2 and not no3. So I don't actually know what to accepted. So yeah I'll be accepting 5-20 too then.

 

[brandon429]

That is what my tank runs, I have a deep sandbed too and it all balances out in time. Many times people will employ various techniques to lower nitrate a bit if desired even if they have a dsb that produces a little extra, but those measures aren't harmful to nearly all corals we would keep in a tank your size at least as a starting measure. Hooking up a refugium or algae filter is probably in the top three ways of lowering nitrate should that be desired. In my tank 5-20 is fine and I hooked up nothing.

 

[3425675765]

That is what my tank runs, I have a deep sandbed too and it all balances out in time. Many times people will employ various techniques to lower nitrate a bit if desired even if they have a dsb that produces a little extra, but those measures aren't harmful to nearly all corals we would keep in a tank your size at least as a starting measure. Hooking up a refugium or algae filter is probably in the top three ways of lowering nitrate should that be desired. In my tank 5-20 is fine and I hooked up nothing.

Thanks I'll do that too. Chemistry is so complicated , and can I see your tank?

 

[brandon429]

Ok but don't laugh. It's a weird little tank. Oftentimes, the square shaped reefs kick him off the playground, pick him last for dodgeball, your basic joe dirt plot line



I find chemistry bizarrely complicated but Randy does not heh

 

[3425675765]

Ok but don't laugh. It's a weird little tank. Oftentimes, the square shaped reefs kick him off the playground, pick him last for dodgeball, your basic joe dirt plot line



I find chemistry bizarrely complicated but Randy does not heh

Okay hahahaha