I got my water tested today at my LFS for my reef tank and saw that my nitrite levels really shot up. A little about my tank, I have a 30 gallon biocube that I inherited from a friend that lives close to me. They have had the tank for 2 years and the current fish for 8 months. I brought all of the original live rock, water and livestock and transported it in buckets and then set it back up at my house. Their levels were crazy but I managed to get everything in a good spot, except for the nitrites. My fish are all healthy and the majority of my corals are as well, except for my dragon soul favia that has been sliming and losing very small bits of flesh on the edges. My LFS said this is because of the nitrites… I also want to add that I do 5gallon water changes weekly, and this test was taken before my water change. I also think it’s important to add that I have little to no algae growth. This is what it is currently stocked with:
4 Mexican turbo snails, a pair of mocha clowns, a Diamond goby, a purple dottyback, and a young foxface rabbitfish (He is going to a new home soon).
Here’s everything between the dates of my water tests that I think could have caused this spike;
*I added copepods and chaeto algae to the tank. My foxface destroyed the chaeto algae and it broke apart and disappeared into the substrate.
*I feed my fish pellets daily. The Diamond goby gets fed brine shrimp every other day, and my corals get fed phytoplankton and reef roids twice a week.
*I added new dry rock to the tank, but kept all the established live rock.
* I added a pouch of fluval clear max phosphate remover in my sump.
Did I ‘break’ my cycle or harm my beneficial bacteria population? What should I do next to help the nitrites? Thanks for any advice and tips
4 Mexican turbo snails, a pair of mocha clowns, a Diamond goby, a purple dottyback, and a young foxface rabbitfish (He is going to a new home soon).
Here’s everything between the dates of my water tests that I think could have caused this spike;
*I added copepods and chaeto algae to the tank. My foxface destroyed the chaeto algae and it broke apart and disappeared into the substrate.
*I feed my fish pellets daily. The Diamond goby gets fed brine shrimp every other day, and my corals get fed phytoplankton and reef roids twice a week.
*I added new dry rock to the tank, but kept all the established live rock.
* I added a pouch of fluval clear max phosphate remover in my sump.
Did I ‘break’ my cycle or harm my beneficial bacteria population? What should I do next to help the nitrites? Thanks for any advice and tips