Nitrites are high!

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siggy said:
What he or she said.
Yes add bacteria to tank daily. I can tell you have some homework to do. 52 weeks of reefing series @BRS will get you started, also get an rodi setup instead of using prime, this will help to prevent algea blooms.
Since you have a nano you can buy distilled or reverse osmosis water at the grocery store... youtube brs videos on these
subjects. Best of luck
Click to expand...
I use RO water from culligan
 
siggy said:
What he or she said.
Yes add bacteria to tank daily. I can tell you have some homework to do. 52 weeks of reefing series @BRS will get you started, also get an rodi setup instead of using prime, this will help to prevent algea blooms.
Since you have a nano you can buy distilled or reverse osmosis water at the grocery store... youtube brs videos on these
subjects. Best of luck
Click to expand...
I also added bacteria to tank before adding any livestock and it was fritz aquatic turbo start 900 and it said on bottle fish can be added after 4-5 days. So that’s what I did and haven’t added any more bacteria since. I’m now doing a 10 gallon water change and then adding bio spira to entire tank after new water is added. Hopefully in a week the nitrites and ammonia will level out
 
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Before I get pounced on :p Treat tank as directed and then add an ounce or two daily for a week. Should be fine after that
 
siggy said:
Before I get pounced on :p Treat tank as directed and then add an ounce or two daily for a week. Should be fine after that
Click to expand...
So on the bottle I got it says add whole bottle to up to 30 gallons. So I’ll do that then buy another bottle and slowly add an ounce of the new bottle a day for a week?
 
@Hetts, I think you've gotten some great advice in this thread, so I won't muddy it, but you're on the right track. In the future, please note you didn't do anything wrong per se- you just happened to be new and listened to some bad advice without knowing any better. Unfortunately, this site, like others is rampant with really bad advice concerning new tanks and "cycling"- it usually takes the form of "here's how to cycle the fastest". Unfortunately, you have seen first hand that the goal shouldn't be some type of nascar race where you can shave off hours or days, but long term stability so your animals are protected. Once this emergency is dealt with, I'd be more than happy to point you in the direction of some great articles about reefkeeping that are based on science and will protect your livestock. They might not be the sexiest or even the most "cutting edge", but they also won't risk your tank or its inhabitants. Best of luck and I hope everything gets a bit smoother from here on out :)
 
Okay I hate the forms because of the common respone. Listen it was cycled but there were not enough bacteria to take the bioload of what you put in simple do water changes use prime keep it under 0.5 ppm of ammonia it happens to everyone don't stress out.
 
I a
andrewey said:
@Hetts, I think you've gotten some great advice in this thread, so I won't muddy it, but you're on the right track. In the future, please note you didn't do anything wrong per se- you just happened to be new and listened to some bad advice without knowing any better. Unfortunately, this site, like others is rampant with really bad advice concerning new tanks and "cycling"- it usually takes the form of "here's how to cycle the fastest". Unfortunately, you have seen first hand that the goal shouldn't be some type of nascar race where you can shave off hours or days, but long term stability so your animals are protected. Once this emergency is dealt with, I'd be more than happy to point you in the direction of some great articles about reefkeeping that are based on science and will protect your livestock. They might not be the sexiest or even the most "cutting edge", but they also won't risk your tank or its inhabitants. Best of luck and I hope everything gets a bit smoother from here on out :)
Click to expand...
I appreciate that man!
 
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AS
tehmadreefer said:
@Randy Holmes-Farley has shown that they are not toxic as once thought, that is old outdated info. And your source is spruce pets?????? lol!
Click to expand...
So I’m confused lol most sources say they are but then your one source says they’re not? So what should my ppm of nitrites be at? Right now I’m almost at 1 I think
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
Also keep an eye on the fish for rapid breathing, not swimming as this would indicate a larger issue. If everything looks fine and fish are happy i doubt theres an issue.
Ive done a few cycles using fish and they always pulled thru.
 
I'll try and simplify this issue, although it's extremely complicated.

Nitrites are pretty toxic in freshwater. They are not as toxic in marine aquariums- it is unknown their exact toxicity and their toxicity has only been tested on a handful of species, so we can't make any sweeping statements. In addition, the toxicity has been largely assessed via mortality- limited data exists concerning non-lethal endpoints. Therefore, you may hear statements such as "nitrites don't matter". This is really a gross oversimplification and is ususally made either in ignorance or they are really trying to say something different- namely that nitrite toxicity is not as large of an issue as ammonia toxicity (which should be your primary concern).

However, their presence in your tank right now, in tandem with the ammonia suggest your biological filter is not ready for the ammonia being produced by your fish. In this case, their presence is more important than their direct effects at this concentration.

In addition, you might hear people suggest that if the fish doesn't die or you don't have dead critters, then your cycle is done/your tank is ready/or the ammonia doesn't matter. Unfortunately, this is once again a gross oversimplification and really does a disservice to our pets. There are toxic effects associated with ammonia toxicity that can harm the animals long term. Often, these hobbyists are unaware of the long term consequences ammonia toxicity can have on their animals longevity and quality of life.
 
Hi, I used Seachem Stability from Petco to start my tank. It is a bacteria starter product too like Dr. Tim's. If you know any other nearby reefers in your area's reef club, they might be able to keep your fish for you in the meantime. But like others have said, you can use Prime every couple of days to get thru this.
Good luck!
 
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Elaine123 said:
Hi, I used Seachem Stability from Petco to start my tank. It is a bacteria starter product too like Dr. Tim's. If you know any other nearby reefers in your area's reef club, they might be able to keep your fish for you in the meantime. But like others have said, you can use Prime every couple of days to get thru this.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
I plan on using bio-spira from instant ocean for a week and I’m using prime in my RO water for this next water change jsut to be safe. I used fritz aquatic turbo start 900 bacteria the first time but I used it too soon and the bacteria had no ammonia to feed on which is why I’m having issues I think
 
That would explain it. Oh gee, that means you are probably really burning the fish. If you can get someone else to hold them, even the LFS, that would be what I would do. Seachem suggested I put a pinch of fish food every day. I did this for two weeks with no fish in the tank.

On the RO DI water, suggest you consider a system to save money in the long run. I have a 29 gal and recently bought a Dual Reef/Drinking water system. Check out Bulk Reef Supply, Buckeye Hydro, AirWaterIce, Spectrapure etc. I ended up with AirWaterIce because they were a reasonable price and had a lifetime warranty. But you don't have to buy the dual system. I just wanted more bang for the buck. The instructions need improvement!
You can also get an Buddie RO DI but the cartridges are not standard and it has slower output and more waste water.
 
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