WHY DO I HAVE 2PPM NITRITE WITH ZERO AMMONIA IN A FISH ONLY TANK.

[EASTERN INDIGO]

This is a 275 gallon system that has been up for 3 months. Today I found a dead fish, no apparent reason. Zero Ammonia. 2ppm Nitrite. 100 gallons of seawater changed one week ago.

How am I getting nitrite with no ammonia?

Seawater, originally cycled with Dr. Tim's. Never had any ammonia detected. This is my first test for Nitrites.

Also, this tank has always been white/cloudy. Tried Dr Tim's clear up with no results.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[Hincapiej4]

OK....Have you done any research on the nitrogen cycle? I would normally just tell you, but in this case I'd be doing you a disservice. Only thing I will say is it's normal, though you shouldn't have nitrite either when you are correctly cycled.....

 

[Hincapiej4]

And anytime your water is cloudy, you are getting a bacteria bloom. If it's always been cloudy, sounds like you never really finished your cycle..

 

[lapin]

Cloudy water can be a bacteria issue.
No idea on the dead fish. Could be natural causes or.....
High nitrite and "0" ammonia can mean lack of the bacteria needed to convert nitrite to nitrate

 

[nano_ryan]

Over feeding or new fish will start a mini cycle, raising the nitrites. Normally, it will pass after a couple days.

 

[JasonK84]

This is a 275 gallon system that has been up for 3 months. Today I found a dead fish, no apparent reason. Zero Ammonia. 2ppm Nitrite. 100 gallons of seawater changed one week ago.

How am I getting nitrite with no ammonia?

Seawater, originally cycled with Dr. Tim's. Never had any ammonia detected. This is my first test for Nitrites.

Also, this tank has always been white/cloudy. Tried Dr Tim's clear up with no results.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks.

Showing 2ppm nitrite means that you did have ammonia in the days leading up to this test. The dead fish if not found and removed right away could be the source of the ammonia or the ammonia could have killed the fish. Are there other fish in the tank? If so then I would lean toward the dead fish causing the ammonia which in turn the nitrite consumed. Cloudy water is a bacterial bloom as others have stated. When you have a bacterial bloom it consumes a lot of the oxygen from the water. This could have also caused the fish death if there was a lack of oxygen. Anything not seam normal to you over the past few days?

 

[brandon429]

in no way do I accept the test reading as accurate

add that possible factor

are we on hanna digital nitrite, or....

either way its inert, nitrite never factors in reefing. if a huge ammonia spike killed something that can happen, although I recall zero instances of that occurring this year as well. nitrite high v low does not matter at all in display tanks/uber surface area, its why cycling charts show compliance by day ~25


the # one thing to do is eliminate nitrite from any factor, don't buy anything to offset it.

find another causative/not nitrite.

 

[JasonK84]

OK....Have you done any research on the nitrogen cycle? I would normally just tell you, but in this case I'd be doing you a disservice. Only thing I will say is it's normal, though you shouldn't have nitrite either when you are correctly cycled.....

We are here to help new members succeed. Be open with information to help them out or just don’t reply.

 

[brandon429]

interesting fact in reefing:


we accept all api stated data as fully correct and attribute a tank malfunction cause.

after ten years of seeing the .25 stuck ammonia cycles, people have learned some skepticism. but not yet for nitrite its 100% accurate every time.


i like to study in stuck cycle threads the market impulses that come from that. its a very, very significant false driver of retail purchases ill estimate more than a hundred thousand dollars collectively or more a year are complete reactionary purchases having no basis in accurate measure.

by not owning a nitrite test kit, we save the potential loss of cash. might as well be testing for radon gas and reacting off that.

 

[JasonK84]

@EASTERN INDIGO what test kit was used?

Also, welcome to R2R! Most here are very helpful. You increased your chances of success by joining this amazing community with members that can help in every aspect of our hobby. Hope you enjoy.

 

[Hincapiej4]

We are here to help new members succeed. Be open with information to help them out or just don’t reply.

I gave him the key word he can google to read for himself. It's extremely basic information, I just didn't have the time in between tickets to explain. Least I explained his cloudy water since not everyone knows about that.

Also, if you can't take the time to google when you have an issue like his....I am a huge believer in can take the horse to water......
If I ever ask a question, I've done as much research as I can. Before you say how do you know he didn't...it's because the nitrogen cycle is so basic, there is no way he didn't find info. Done, since I guess I have to explain my train of thought. Jeeze people on here are so sensitive. I'm just trying to help, you learn better when you work at it yourself than being told the answer...

"You have an issue, how long do you work on the issue before you ask for help or escalate?" - This an important question......

 

[JasonK84]

I gave him the key word he can google to read for himself. It's extremely basic information, I just didn't have the time in between tickets to explain. Least I explained his cloudy water since not everyone knows about that.

Also, if you can't take the time to google when you have an issue like his....I am a huge believer in can take the horse to water......
If I ever ask a question, I've done as much research as I can. Before you say how do you know he didn't...it's because the nitrogen cycle is so basic, there is no way he didn't find info. Done, since I guess I have to explain my train of thought. Jeeze people on here are so sensitive. I'm just trying to help, you learn better when you work at it yourself than being told the answer...

"You have an issue, how long do you work on the issue before you ask for help or escalate?" - This an important question......

Right, so he says he was cycled. But maybe not understanding what a bacterial bloom can do by causing the depletion of oxygen. No oxygen means bacteria dies. Mass bacterial die off will cause the ammonia to spike. If the fish survived the depletion of oxygen then it gets hit again with ammonia burns to the lungs.

 

[Hincapiej4]

Not to mention PH goes completely nuts too with all that CO2

 

[Hincapiej4]

Not to mention PH goes completely nuts too with all that CO2

But if he was cycled, why would he even have a bacterial bloom in the first place?

OP, have you been adding alot of fish at once etc? Have you lost or added alot of rock? What about surface agitation?

 

[brandon429]

Here’s a cloudy tank long after cycle, shows possible


also OP post a pic of the + nitrite tank, let’s see how much it matches Daniels example: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cycling-a-new-biocube-32.687123/

 

[EASTERN INDIGO]

OK....Have you done any research on the nitrogen cycle? I would normally just tell you, but in this case I'd be doing you a disservice. Only thing I will say is it's normal, though you shouldn't have nitrite either when you are correctly cycled.....First

This is a 275 gallon system that has been up for 3 months. Today I found a dead fish, no apparent reason. Zero Ammonia. 2ppm Nitrite. 100 gallons of seawater changed one week ago.

How am I getting nitrite with no ammonia?

Seawater, originally cycled with Dr. Tim's. Never had any ammonia detected. This is my first test for Nitrites.

Also, this tank has always been white/cloudy. Tried Dr Tim's clear up with no results.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks.

First, I want to thank all of you who replied. That was very nice of you all. This will be a composite reply. I have studied the nitrogen cycle. THIS IS A COMPOSITE REPLY TO ALL. I have always been under the impression that the fish do not make nitrite. The cycle is ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. I am under the impression that the end product of bacterial ammonia conversion is nitrite, and then from nitrite to nitrate. I never knew, and still don't, that fish create nitrite directly. i have tested the water for ammonia regularly and have never detected any. API test (for both ammonia and nitrite). I don't know what the nitrite reading as been for the past week, but the fish was dead less than 12 hours and was 98% intact. I have eight other fish, smallest 3 inches, largest 6 inches. Total maybe 40 inches. The ammonia yesterday was zero, nitrite not measured. Today, zero ammonia and 2 nitrite, but the dead fish didn't have time to make ammonia and then for it to be converted to 2ppm in 300 gallons of water (sump included). Normal feeding routine, same as all along with zero Ammonia. About the cloudy water, I agree that that is probably an algea bloom, and that brings up several questions. If it is a bloom of beneficial bacteria, isn't that a good thin; or can it be some other kind of bacteria? Okay. I don't mean to sound like I think I know everything. I'm just confused and confounded. I look forward to some clarification, which will be greatly appreciated.

th

OK....Have you done any research on the nitrogen cycle? I would normally just tell you, but in this case I'd be doing you a disservice. Only thing I will say is it's normal, though you shouldn't have nitrite either when you are correctly cycled.....

 

[EASTERN INDIGO]

But if he was cycled, why would he even have a bacterial bloom in the first place?

OP, have you been adding alot of fish at once etc? Have you lost or added alot of rock? What about surface agitation?

plenty of surface agitation, not new fish or rock. no hands in the tank. By the way, this is a fish only tank, I knew the nitrogen cycle in 1997.

 

[Hincapiej4]

Ok, so it takes a while for bacteria to establish. You are running a 300 gallon system, with we have no idea how much rock. So we don't know how strong your bio filter is. I wish I could just speak...it's alot to type.

Fish give off ammonia, all day every day. Your bio filter only grows according to how much food (ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrate) So, fish dies, bio filter not strong enough, creates all types of havoc. I hope that clarifies...we can def expand on it more...

 

[brandon429]

The link posted shows opposite of your cycling info. See how no two sources agree lol, op stood no chance


go where the links are, for proof.

 

[brandon429]

in no way possible is this cycle stalled. Simple fish disease did kill a fish


reasons for the cloudy water: we need to see some getting fixed first, to know if you had the cause all along. a fix is above, we cheat blasted with uv.

installing uv does not boost a cycle meaning cycling isn’t the locus


we collect false nitrite read work threads, this is one.