High nitrites

[Beyon]

I have a question for the collective. My nitrites have been high for 2 months now. I have the fluval Evo 13.5 and do weekly water changes of around 50%. My last says that something is dead but the only thing dieing is some LPS coral due to the nitrites. I siphon the sand bed and clean out the mechanical filteraton at every water change . The nitrites go down for a bit then spike back up. I do not overfeeding, I use tongs of a fork to feed myasis shrimp. Any help would be appreciated. I just need pointed in the right direction. Thank you in advance.

 

[ScionFRSguy]

You're doing too much water change. Unless you've had a crash recently, you should be doing about 15%, 20% or 25% max weekly if you feel like it's necessary but at 50% you're stripping away the nutrients. This is really important part of your water quality. If you strip away enough nutrients then the water will become sterile enough that your corals will take a dive. Maybe that explains why you're concerns about your corals stressing out due to high nitrites. It might be due to the lack of nutrients. Maybe there is something dying in the tank that you can't see. It's definitely possible. I had a dead peppermint shrimps stuck on my return pumps sucking the shrimp juice into my water for days.

 

[Beyon]

You're doing too much water change. Unless you've had a crash recently, you should be doing about 15%, 20% or 25% max weekly if you feel like it's necessary but at 50% you're stripping away the nutrients. This is really important part of your water quality. If you strip away enough nutrients then the water will become sterile enough that your corals will take a dive. Maybe that explains why you're concerns about your corals stressing out due to high nitrites. It might be due to the lack of nutrients. Maybe there is something dying in the tank that you can't see. It's definitely possible. I had a dead peppermint shrimps stuck on my return pumps sucking the shrimp juice into my water for days.

All tank inhabitants are accounted for but I was told to do those big water changes until the nitrites were gone. For ever I was only doing 20% bi weekly then the nitrites spiked and I had algea bad but now that's under control......

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

In case you are still tempted to believe the lfs, in this article I show the measured toxicity off all marine organisms that I could find when I wrote it. 2 ppm is not even close to toxic for the most sensitive tested:

Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

[Beyon]

In case you are still tempted to believe the lfs, in this article I show the measured toxicity off all marine organisms that I could find when I wrote it. 2 ppm is not even close to toxic for the most sensitive tested:

Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

So they are telling me my nitrites is why my LPS is dying. What do you think could be the problem then ? All my soft corals thrive but I know they aren't as picky to water conditions.

 

[brandon429]

Easy lps success formula:

Throw out the nitrite kit don't own the test, it causes you to take corrective measures that don't add coral mass.

Stop all gfo or biopellets or filter inserts that bind nitrate if any

Do not modulate phosphate either, quit testing for it and nitrate for months and focus on food+linked water changes if you want to add mass.

Use better more diverse food, apparently that you have isn't good enough. Blue up your lights reduce white input substantially, go heavy blue for eight weeks while you pump in better food and do 50% water changes a week to export the heavier quality feed. Sustain this for eight weeks, it's an exercise program for your reef clearly focusing on clean protein cycling and availability. In practically a fishbowl that trick was used to drive this lps growth below


Use reef nutrition roti feast and roe eggs plus your food. You need to pestle and grind up those shrimps into mush and then feed your lps. You need to actively change water above steady state: sustain this heavier quality feed boost once a week using those refrigerated feeds+ paired water change once a week sustained eight weeks then back off into lesser water changes. Don't consult that lfs again for coral advice.


Eight months ago:

Yesterday:

I'm using arctic pods currently in protein cycling.

 

[reefz]

Nitrite is not toxic in a marine system so I’d ignore it, but what levels are we talking about with which kit?

You mean nitrate right?

 

[brandon429]

No

nitrite isn't toxic in saltwater salinities we run in display, taken from the article on nitrite in the reef tank.

It specifically doesn't stall cycles, I don't know why there are youtube videos from macna speakers claiming it does, in my thread we've been tracking nitrite impact on any cycle and any organism in reefing and its zero, no impact.

Also
Why do we all rail on api for misreading ammonia and then automatically just accept its nitrite kit as infallible. It's a neutral impact parameter in reefing. It was pointed out by chemists that low/hypo salinity quarantine systems need to monitor nitrite, but not display reefs.

This system needs clean protein cycled in and out of the tank before it rots to produce algae waste
The busy and sustained feed+ change water will simply drive mass when the right feed is used

Reefs benefit from changing up stagnant habits. You can tell the current approach requires a change, and with a photo we show its not nitrite related at all

Post pics of this tank in question.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I have a question for the collective. My nitrites have been high for 2 months now. I have the fluval Evo 13.5 and do weekly water changes of around 50%. My last says that something is dead but the only thing dieing is some LPS coral due to the nitrites. I siphon the sand bed and clean out the mechanical filteraton at every water change . The nitrites go down for a bit then spike back up. I do not overfeeding, I use tongs of a fork to feed myasis shrimp. Any help would be appreciated. I just need pointed in the right direction. Thank you in advance.

Ignore it.

Nirites are part of an ammonia cycle, and are present in all aquariums.

In a marine tank you should not even test for it.

 

[Beyon]

No

nitrite isn't toxic in saltwater
It specifically doesn't stall cycles, I don't know why there are youtube videos from macna speakers claiming it does, in my thread we've been tracking nitrite impact on any cycle and any organism in reefing.

Also
Why do we all rail on api for misreading ammonia and then automatically just accept its nitrite kit as infallible

I've used api for all my tanks. I don't have much of an issue obviously I still bought the saltwater ones, we know why the ammonia is off with that kit as it measures all ammonia not just the bad one. That's why I'm confused as to why my nitrite test are always good with that kit but bad with salifert test kit done at my lfs

 

[brandon429]

I want to help you in that concern: I give you my word if you never test for ammonia and nitrite in reefing your headaches go away in this regard.


New cycling science knows that nitrite is neutral, ammonia is fully predictable and already charted on any cycling chart as dropping on day ten and not ever rising back up for a reason.

This leaves only nitrate

Get a digital nitrate meter, a quality one that forum posts show to be reliable. Api nitrate compared to red sea compared to salifert all read different nitrate levels on a given sample, see comparison threads.


Ammonia is so predictable I run large cycling threads where we specifically don't want non digital test kit readings posted (because they're wrong usually)

We use strictly # of days underwater to produce hundreds and hundreds of logged completed cycles.

 

[brandon429]

Updated cycling science knows ammonia will never creep up on its own for any cause in a normally- running display. The circulation and contact surface area don't permit ammonia noncontrol. Only a full fish kill left to rot can overcome display tank ammonia control and when that happens, ammonia didn't rise to kill the fish_/ the fish were killed by disease or hardware issues and their collective rot overpowered filtration bacteria briefly.

I don't test for ammonia in reef cycling because # of days underwater and looking at a cycling chart works in its place. Then we don't have fifty people debating a stall or not, the misread factor is gone.

We don't test for ammonia after cycling, because of the rule of inherent ammonia control anytime you pass water swiftly across this much concentrated surface area + organism direct command for ammonia before bacteria oxidize it all.


We don't test for nitrite in display cycling at any phase, useless test to run.

The fact all this works for every reefer in total consistency is the basis of updated cycling science.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I've used api for all my tanks. I don't have much of an issue obviously I still bought the saltwater ones, we know why the ammonia is off with that kit as it measures all ammonia not just the bad one. That's why I'm confused as to why my nitrite test are always good with that kit but bad with salifert test kit done at my lfs

Take that Nitrite test kit and throw it out the window.

it, and your LFS are giving bad advice.

Find a better LFS too.

 

[brandon429]

They mean well. These rules are 100% against the grain

That's what makes it all so fun. We have the secrets that prevent us from being sold the incorrect item at a lfs. I guarantee you more bottle bac was about to be sold based on this collective relay from all pet stores. I bet if polled, 1% of pet store employees know nitrite doesn't matter in display tank reefing at any stage. That's inside info. I wouldn't know it were it not for r2r telling me in chemistry posts

 

[Beyon]

Take that Nitrite test kit and throw it out the window.

it, and your LFS are giving bad advice.

Find a better LFS too.

There aren't any that would give different advice in my area. I don't use petco or petsmart for advice. The guy I go to is usually spot on at least he always has been for fresh water. He never tries to up sale on any products .

 

[gbroadbridge]

There aren't any that would give different advice in my area. I don't use petco or petsmart for advice. The guy I go to is usually spot on at least he always has been for fresh water. He never tries to up sale on any products .

Okay, many folks here have told you the same thing.

Nitrite is unimportant, just a waste of money for test kits.

if you have problems Nitrite is not the the issue

You can either trust your LFS, or the many scientists and hobbyists here who are trying to help. I'd take the word of authors here well before over the counter advice from an LFS.

 

[brandon429]

I honestly believe pet store employees 99.999% are telling you a sincere offer to help, it's their best approach. No malice involved yep. But the evolution rate for procedural change is just fast in forums. We find new rules and challenge old rules in these forums by pooling peoples specialties so fast the collective lfs group can't modify and streamline procedure as fast

For example

Only rtr knows the additive prime isn't helping in display tank reefing.

If polled and under federal oath and in front of all peers any lfs owner would say prime saves reef tanks from loss daily. They haven't seen the unique chemistry testing done here. They'd never believe what has been convincingly posted here about the additive they sell daily.

 

[Beyon]

Okay, many folks here have told you the same thing.

Nitrite is unimportant, just a waste of money for test kits.

if you have problems Nitrite is not the the issue

You can either trust your LFS, or the many scientists and hobbyists here who are trying to help. I'd take the word of authors here well before over the counter advice from an LFS.

Oh I haven't dismissed what anyone here has said. I'm just trying to figure out why I can't keep any LPS alive for more than a couple months. I dose every other day coral life a +b. That's what is at the root of all of this

 

[brandon429]

Your reef landing here was specific lucky natural selection that will put on organism mass better than any other method you could try in a small tank. Options from the lfs aren't panning out as well but they mean well.

 

[Beyon]

In other words your reef got lucky it landed here lol

I'm all about it !!! I'm glad I found you guys !!!

 

[brandon429]

That reef energy is good stuff too

but add in these feeds covered prior if you can find them and implement the feed and water change and lighting adjust and sustain it eight weeks like a workout program for your reef. We have done this countless times in nano reefs to grow mass. I never ever ever ask for an ICP test or any parameter because the degree of upcoming water changes paired with quality feeding is going to balance out the water table to match new change water soon anyway.


if you just add in a bunch of new feed without stepped up export you’ll get an algae outbreak. You might still get one, this is a new tank?

the increased water changes make it less likely to get invaded and besides when the algae does come you don’t react to misreading nitrate and phosphate kits, you simply lift out the bad rocks and clean them externally and set them back into the reef. Don’t alter your water params just keep up CPR reef strokes feed + water change. Feed the corals when feeders are out, at night. put in one drop of reef energy first and wait twenty minutes for feeders to come out strong, then feed the good stuff mix. Next morning do a 50-75% water change and keep it clean, this is how you grow out lps in any nano. we could grow brain corals in Mason jars with this technique, it’ll work in a larger tank just fine. Then just feed fish normally and lightly during most of the week until the blast feed run comes up.