Suggestions to lower nitrates/nitrites

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You’re not rude at all, the information you gave me was helpful and you went about it in a much less condescending way than another person on here. Thank you

Wow, cell gave good advice and all you can do is bash him. You can be sure that’s not the way to get future advice.

Frankly, I think you should be apologizing to him. He gave a perfect answer, taking his own precious time to try to help you.

 

[riteblazed420]

That's what I figured.

Your tank is still cycling most likely. Keep up on the water changes until your tank has no ammonia showing up on your tests.

I'm concerned about your urchin and starfish. Not much in your tank for them to eat and they will probably starve.

What can I add in for them to eat until the cycling is done?

 

[Gill the 3rd]

Nitrites don't matter to us except when cycling and you cannot accurately measure nitrate if nitrite is present. Is your tank having issues or are you just trying to conform to some stated ideal parameters?

I don’t see what was even remotely offensive or rude about this post lol. I just saw the OP was complaining in his welcome thread about how someone was being already rude to him, assuming he was referencing this.

Someone taking the time to answer a question or give their opinion to help you out on something you asked is not being rude, whether you agree with it or not.

 

[Cell]

I think maybe my question was a bit too direct or blunt and taken as either mocking or aggression. No worries.

 

[Gill the 3rd]

If that was too direct or blunt for the op then they are not going to fare well on this forum.

 

[riteblazed420]

I don’t see what was even remotely offensive or rude about this post lol. I just saw the OP was complaining in his welcome thread about how someone was being already rude to him, assuming he was referencing this.

Someone taking the time to answer a question or give their opinion to help you out on something you asked is not being rude, whether you agree with it or not.

I’m a woman not a man…

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Back to the topic, my suggestion is to be sure you actually have elevated nitrate, if that is the reason to do water changes. It is likely you do not, if the 0.5 ppm nitrite value is accurate (though it may not be).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have added purple up to my tank to get some beneficial bacteria growing to help the tank cycle quicker and nutrafin cycle (I’ve had it for about a month now). I’ve also added prime by sea chem. I’ve done multiple 1/3 water changes and removed any ornaments from the tank, I now have two live rocks in there only.

This product?

CaribSea Purple Up

Purple-Up™ is a new pink and purple coralline algae accelerator.

www.aquariumspecialty.com

I don't believe it contains bacteria. Some of its ingredients (the fine aragonite) are not useful to boost alk or calcium and may lead to false high test values for alk and calcium if any of the suspended particles (that cannot dissolve in normal seawater) actually make it into the test (where they will dissolve).

You added Prime. Do you have elevated ammonia? I expect the Prime is actually not doing anything useful in relation to ammonia, despite Seachem claims otherwise. Folks here tested it in many ways, including the way Seachem suggested, and found no reduction in free ammonia.

 

[Devisissy]

I’m a woman not a man…

Honey, we are all men on this site. I get misgendered ALL DAY LONG. You are really gunna have to put on some big girl panties. I suggest Fifi's down the street. She works at bimart and gets an employee discount. She can get you some 5L's for about $6 for 6. That's cheaper than the DollarGeneral since they raised all their prices by 15 cents on the dollar.

 

[mike89t]

What can I add in for them to eat until the cycling is done?

The urchin eats algae off the rocks/glass and because your tank is new there probably won't be any algae in there for it to eat. I've never fed an urchin directly but you might be able to feed it nori. You can try searching this site for feeding urchins to see if anyone has done it before.

The sand sifting starfish might need target feeding as well. I've never kept one but this might help.

Starfish supplement feeding

I recently got a sand sifting starfish. The lady at the LFS told me that they feed on detritus and other things in the tank. I kinda knew from reading before I got one for my tank that they don’t eat to much detritus and more the stuff inside the sand. Here is where my question is. I have a 13.5...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[mike89t]

This product?

CaribSea Purple Up

Purple-Up™ is a new pink and purple coralline algae accelerator.

www.aquariumspecialty.com

I don't believe it contains bacteria. Some of its ingredients (the fine aragonite) are not useful to boost alk or calcium and may lead to false high test values for alk and calcium if any of the suspended particles (that cannot dissolve in normal seawater) actually make it into the test (where they will dissolve).

You added Prime. Do you have elevated ammonia? I expect the Prime is actually not doing anything useful in relation to ammonia, despite Seachem claims otherwise. Folks here tested it in many ways, including the way Seachem suggested, and found no reduction in free ammonia.

This is why I was concerned that her cycle may not be complete. Brand new tank with Dry Rock. Purple up probably won't do anything. I don't think Prime will help with cycling.

I've typically used a cycling product like this to help speed up the process with dry rock:

Fritz-Zyme TurboStart 900 - Fritz

Rapidly cycle your aquarium in as little as 5 days! Start your aquarium's nitrogen cycle the right way by using only the best live nitrifying bacteria. TurboStart 900 contains proven strains of effective, live nitrifying bacteria in a highly concentrated form. TurboStart 900 reduces fish loss...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Dburr1014]

Rude much? Don’t comment if you don’t have any help *******

Rude? I'm confused.

I think he was starting facts and asking a question back.

 

[riteblazed420]

Back to the topic, my suggestion is to be sure you actually have elevated nitrate, if that is the reason to do water changes. It is likely you do not, if the 0.5 ppm nitrite value is accurate (though it may not be).

Hey I tested again after a 25% water change and my tank is now at 40ppm, it’s decreasing now and I believe I was in the cycling stage, that’s why the nitrates were spiking

 

[riteblazed420]

The urchin eats algae off the rocks/glass and because your tank is new there probably won't be any algae in there for it to eat. I've never fed an urchin directly but you might be able to feed it nori. You can try searching this site for feeding urchins to see if anyone has done it before.

The sand sifting starfish might need target feeding as well. I've never kept one but this might help.

Starfish supplement feeding

I recently got a sand sifting starfish. The lady at the LFS told me that they feed on detritus and other things in the tank. I kinda knew from reading before I got one for my tank that they don’t eat to much detritus and more the stuff inside the sand. Here is where my question is. I have a 13.5...

www.reef2reef.com

Does it look like there’s enough algae for the little guy?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hey I tested again after a 25% water change and my tank is now at 40ppm, it’s decreasing now and I believe I was in the cycling stage, that’s why the nitrates were spiking

What test kit? You still seem to be glossing over the nitrite issue on nitrate testing. I don't think one can even know if you have or had elevated nitrate. You'd see the same thing if nitrite was interfering.

In case you think this is some red herring, its not. It's a well understood issue with most nitrate testing. They can have different degrees of interference based on the specific design of the kit, but, for example, with the Tropic Marin nitrate/nitrite kit, 0.5 ppm nitrite will falsely read as 25 ppm nitrate. Depending on how you cycled, 50 ppm nitrate may not be likely to attain, but 0.5=1 ppm nitrite is.

Nitrit/Nitrat Test | Produktinformationen

www.tropic-marin-smartinfo.com

 

[mike89t]

Does it look like there’s enough algae for the little guy?

That rock still looks pretty barren. Not sure there is enough food for it to survive.

 

[LeDart]

Does it look like there’s enough algae for the little guy?

Not enough algae, he will die soon if you don't feed nori sheets

 

[riteblazed420]

Not enough algae, he will die soon if you don't feed nori sheets

Grabbing some today, thank you

 

[riteblazed420]

What test kit? You still seem to be glossing over the nitrite issue on nitrate testing. I don't think one can even know if you have or had elevated nitrate. You'd see the same thing if nitrite was interfering.

In case you think this is some red herring, its not. It's a well understood issue with most nitrate testing. They can have different degrees of interference based on the specific design of the kit, but, for example, with the Tropic Marin nitrate/nitrite kit, 0.5 ppm nitrite will falsely read as 25 ppm nitrate. Depending on how you cycled, 50 ppm nitrate may not be likely to attain, but 0.5=1 ppm nitrite is.

Nitrit/Nitrat Test | Produktinformationen

www.tropic-marin-smartinfo.com

Thanks for the chart, I see now what you’re saying. I have the API reef master test kit.

 

[littlefoxx]

The urchin eats algae off the rocks/glass and because your tank is new there probably won't be any algae in there for it to eat. I've never fed an urchin directly but you might be able to feed it nori. You can try searching this site for feeding urchins to see if anyone has done it before.

The sand sifting starfish might need target feeding as well. I've never kept one but this might help.

Starfish supplement feeding

I recently got a sand sifting starfish. The lady at the LFS told me that they feed on detritus and other things in the tank. I kinda knew from reading before I got one for my tank that they don’t eat to much detritus and more the stuff inside the sand. Here is where my question is. I have a 13.5...

www.reef2reef.com

I would not add any stars or urchins until the tank is mature, they likely will die, especially with fluctuating parameters like OP is having since the tank still appears to be cycling