Cycling with Red Sea kit nitrite issue

[skreiselman]

Hey guys,

I am new on here but I've been lurking for a while. I am currently cycling 45g tank with a sump (approx 10g of water in there) and bh1000 hob skimmer in sump due to limited space.

After researching I settled on using the Red Sea mature pro kit to cycle the tank. I started with dry rock and dry sand.

For those familiar, on day 10 the kit says your readings should be 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 10 nitrate and instructs you to add inverts. My levels were ammonia 0, nitrites .5, and about 15 nitrates on day 10, so I did a small water change (10%) and waited a few more days. Now I'm on day 13 and my readings are exactly the same. I tested pH which was about 8.2 and alk which was about 8.5dKh. My tank is getting some algae growth and I think I should be getting a cleaner crew in there.

I took a water sample to LFS thinking maybe my own readings were off but they ended up being exactly the same. They said my salinity was a little low so I topped it off with saltwater until it was corrected.

I would've though my nitrites would've gone down by now but they haven't. So, I'm hoping to get some advice on what I should do next..

1. Any thoughts on why my nitrites aren't going down? Is there something I am missing maybe?
2. Should I go ahead and add inverts even those my nitrites are still showing .5ppm? Will this harm them?
3. Should I just wait it out longer?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Brew12]

Hey guys,

I am new on here but I've been lurking for a while. I am currently cycling 45g tank with a sump (approx 10g of water in there) and bh1000 hob skimmer in sump due to limited space.

After researching I settled on using the Red Sea mature pro kit to cycle the tank. I started with dry rock and dry sand.

For those familiar, on day 10 the kit says your readings should be 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 10 nitrate and instructs you to add inverts. My levels were ammonia 0, nitrites .5, and about 15 nitrates on day 10, so I did a small water change (10%) and waited a few more days. Now I'm on day 13 and my readings are exactly the same. I tested pH which was about 8.2 and alk which was about 8.5dKh. My tank is getting some algae growth and I think I should be getting a cleaner crew in there.

I took a water sample to LFS thinking maybe my own readings were off but they ended up being exactly the same. They said my salinity was a little low so I topped it off with saltwater until it was corrected.

I would've though my nitrites would've gone down by now but they haven't. So, I'm hoping to get some advice on what I should do next..

1. Any thoughts on why my nitrites aren't going down? Is there something I am missing maybe?
2. Should I go ahead and add inverts even those my nitrites are still showing .5ppm? Will this harm them?
3. Should I just wait it out longer?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

There are quite a few things that can cause false positive nitrite readings. I wouldn't be overly concerned since this is a salt water tank. Nitrites can be devastating in fresh water but the chlorides actually help protect marine fish. I would think you should be fine to add a clean up crew.