Nitrite effecting corals?

[saltysailor]

Hey guys so I was just wondering what you guys are thinking. I have been reading some threads on R2R that say all that matters is a drop in ammonia and your nitrites can be higher it doesn’t mean the tank isn’t cycled. My next step would be to water change until nitrite and nitrate are at 0ppm right?

 

[tehmadreefer]

Don’t even pay attention to nitrites in sw.

 

[saltysailor]

Don’t even pay attention to nitrites in sw.

Won’t kill the corals if I add them into newly cycled tank w .25 ppm nitrites and 0ppm nitrate?

 

[tehmadreefer]

No, but putting corals into a newly cycled tank will for sure.

id wait a few months before adding any corals if your new and not any sps for at least 6 months or so

 

[Dalalen]

I agree with everyone above and putting corals in to early would have a high chance of failure.

I also would add that watching your nitrites can give you some clues on how well your nitrifying bacteria is working. If your six months in and you get a nitrite spike, you might need to do some investigation on your bio filter. One example is slime on your media will prevent your good bacteria from working effectively. I've also seen a high of a nitrite spike in my stall or slow down the cycle. Maybe not because of the lvl of nitrite in the tank, but something else being amiss.

 

[Spare time]

0 nitrate is terrible. Never aim for 0. 5-15 is a much safer range. Also nitrite will be removed by your bacteria as long as you added some.

 

[saltysailor]

No, but putting corals into a newly cycled tank will for sure.

id wait a few months before adding any corals if your new and not any sps for at least 6 months or so

The tank has been cycling for a month. Everything is done cycling this is the second round of testing. I think that it is ready. There is coraline and ammonia cycling thoroughly.

 

[tehmadreefer]

The tank has been cycling for a month. Everything is done cycling this is the second round of testing. I think that it is ready. There is coraline and ammonia cycling thoroughly.

doesn’t matter how long it was cycled for, you have little bacteria and still an unstable tank still and for the next few months at a minimum. You WILL go through several more stages of algae, diatoms and most likely cyano. If you don’t know what your doing your corals will most likely die.

It’s your tank and money however.