Unsolved Nitrite

Csanchez0799 · Aug 24, 2020

I have a jbj 45 thats been running for 2 months. For the past 3 days, I've had a nitrite spike between 0.2 - 0.5 ppm and I cannot figure out what I causing it. I have a low bio load and do to overfeed, change filter socks every 5 days, and do 10% water change weekly. Ive even added another bottle of turbo start 900 2 days ago. any help is greatly appreciated. Luckily no fish losses yet.

parameter:
ammonio - 0
nitrite - 0.2 -0.5
nitrate - 10
ph - 8.2
alk - 9.8
calcium - 450
temp - 78.5
salinity - 1.025
phosphate - 0.02

Flippers4pups · Aug 24, 2020

Either test kit error or the addition of bacteria is causing it.

Csanchez0799 · Aug 24, 2020

Flippers4pups said:
Either test kit error or the addition of bacteria is causing it.

Shouldn't it have turned to nitrate by now though? I'm going to bring my water to get tested tomorrow just to be sure.

JCTReefer · Aug 25, 2020

Nitrite honestly doesn’t matter in marine aquaria.
During my last cycle, it took a good month just for nitrites to come down to zero. This was a fishless cycle using Dr Tims. The cycle took about 47 days to complete. It definitely wasn’t Cycled in the timeframe on the bottle. Here’s a timeline of mine. You can see the trend.
Started cycle

Day 1 3-22-18 - added Dr tims and ammonia drops.

Day 2 tested ammonia .75ppm

Day 3 dosed 3ml ammonia

3-25-18 tested 2ppm ammonia

Day 5 3-26-18 tested 2ppm ammonia

Day 6 3-27-18 tested 1-2ppm

Day 7 3-28-18 tested 1-2ppm ammonia,8.1ph, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites, 6dkh,

Day 8 3-29-18 tested 1-2ppm ammonia

Day 9 3-30-18 tested 2ppm ammonia for

Day 10 3-31-18 tested 2 ppm łammonialyo

Day 11 4-1-18 tested 2-4ppm ammonia

Day 12 4-2-18 tested 2ppm ammonia

.25ppm nitrites

Day 13 4-3-18 tested 1ppm ammonia

.50 ppm nitrites 1.025spg 8.0 ph

Day 14 4-4-18 tested 1-2ppm ammonia 1ppm Nitrites.

Day 15 4-5-18 tested 1ppm ammonia 1ppm nitrites.

Day 16. 4-6-18 tested 1ppm ammonia 2-5ppm nitrites

Day 17. 4-7-18 tested

Day 18 4-8-18 tested .25 ppm ammonia 2-5ppm nitrites

Day 19. 4-9-18 tested 0-.25ppm ammonia

2-5ppm nitrites

Day 20. 4-10-18 tested 0-.25ppm ammonia

2-5ppm nitrites

Day 21. 4-11-18 tested 0-ppm ammonia

2-5ppm Nitrites

Day 22. 4-12-18 tested 2-5 ppm nitrite

Day 23. 4-13-18 tested 2-5 ppm nitrite

Day 24. 4-14-18 tested 2-5 ppm nitrite

Day 25. 4-15-18 tested 2-5 ppm nitrite

Day 26. 4-16-18 tested 2-5ppm nitrite

20ppm nitrates

Day 27. 4-17-18 tested 2ppm nitrites

Day 28. 4-18-18 tested 2ppm nitrites

Day 29. 4-19-18 tested 2ppm nitrites

Day 30. 4-20-18 tested 2ppm nitrites

20ppm nitrates

Day 31. 4-21-18 tested 2ppm nitrites

Day 32. 4-22-18 tested 2ppm nitrites

Day 33. 4-23-18 tested 2ppm nitrites

Day 33. 4-24-18 tested 2ppm nitrites

Day 35. 4-25-18 tested 2ppm nitrites

Day 36 4-26-18 tested 5ppm nitrites

Day 37 4-27-18 tested 5ppm nitrites

Day 38 4-28-18 tested 5ppm nitrites

Day 39 4-29-18 tested

Day 40 4-30-18 tested

Day 41 5-1-18 tested

Day 42 5-2-18 tested .50ppm nitrites

Day 43 5-3-18 tested 0ppm nitrites

Dosed 2ppm ammonia

Day 44 5-4-18 ammonia .25-.50ppm

Nitrites 0

Day 45 5-5-18 ammonia .25-.50ppm nitrites .25ppm

Day 46 5-6-18 ammonia 0-.25ppm nitrites 0-.25ppm

Day 47 5-7-18 ammonia 0ppm

Nitrites 0ppm.

brandon429 · Aug 25, 2020

Nitrite does not factor in marine tanks, stop testing for it, your tester is misreading. Easy fix here, ignore the param always in marine setups. The impact of bottle bac sellers telling us nitrite can stall a cycle when indeed it cannot is that we buy more bottle bacteria for a false condition.