Nitrite Not Dropping for 2 Weeks

[lim3874]

Tank Size and Volume:

• Display Tank: ADA 600 x 450 x 360 mm
• Sump: AquaPlanner 500 x 300 x 450 mm

Days Since Setup:

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• Day 49

Equipment & Operation:

• 
  
• Stand: 600 x 450 x 850 mm
• 
  
• Skimmer: Bubble King Double Cone 130
• 
  
• Chiller: TECO ZTK-500 (with built-in 320W heater)
• 
  
• Chiller Circulation Pump: Eheim compactON 1000 NEW 60hz
• 
  
• Lighting: Ecotech Marine Radion XR30 G6 Blue + diffuser, Ara Works Radion shade
• 
  
• Return Pump: Neptune COR-15
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• Powerheads: Ecotech Marine Vortech MP10mQD (x2)
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• Controller: Neptune Apex A3 Pro
• 
  
• Modules: Neptune MXM (planned)
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• Power: Neptune Energy Bar 832
• 
  
• Sensors: Neptune LLS 15", Neptune LD-3 (leak), Neptune ATKv2 ATO, Neptune SV-1 (planned)
• 
  
• Test Equipment: Neptune Trident, Trident NP (planned)
• 
  
• Dosers: Neptune DOS QuietDrive + DDR reservoir (planned)
• 
  
• Probes: Neptune Salinity (planned), Temp, pH, ORP (with MPR probe rack)
• 
  
• Feeder: Neptune AFS (planned) + MagFeeder Ring
• 
  
• Filter: Red Sea ReefMat 250
• 
  
• RODI: AJ Aqua 9.0ver
• 
  
• ATO Reservoir: AquaPlanner 30L (15 x 45 x 45 cm, planned)
• 
  
• Mount: SLM Radion mount (25 cm height)
• 
  
• Substrate: Preis Bora Bora Sand 2.5–4.5mm
• 
  
• Media: Lotus Root Gen 3 (S-size, 6 pieces)
• 
  
• Salt: Preis Marine Salt

Current Parameters:

• 
  
• ORP: 168–188
• 
  
• pH: 7.6–7.9
• 
  
• Temp: 25.5°C
• 
  
• Salinity: 1.025

Details:
Today is day 53. Lighting runs for about 9 hours per day. I haven’t done any water changes yet. Both the skimmer and filter are running. Around early August, ammonia reached 0, so I have been waiting for nitrite to hit 0. However, nitrite has stayed at 2.5 mg/L for about two weeks without dropping.
Question:
Am I doing something wrong? Or is this just a matter of time and I should wait it out?

 

[Fish Fan]

Hello!

Waiting for nitrite to go to zero is a freshwater thing, and unnecessary in marine tanks because nitrite is non toxic in marine aquaria. If your ammonia went up and has now come down, you are good to start slowly adding some hardy livestock.

Here's a post with a link where you can read more about nitrite toxicity in marine tanks:

Nitrite Toxicity

Hey guys I have an aquarium system that has about 45gallons of water cycling so I Let it cycle for about week and I added seeded marine pure ceramic balls and the bacteria in a bottle. I had no choice but to add my 2 clownfish from my quarantine into the tank.. because I needed to put a sick...

www.reef2reef.com

Good luck!

 

[lim3874]

Hello!

Waiting for nitrite to go to zero is a freshwater thing, and unnecessary in marine tanks because nitrite is non toxic in marine aquaria. If your ammonia went up and has now come down, you are good to start slowly adding some hardy livestock.

Here a post with a link where you can read more about nitrite toxicity in marine tanks:

Nitrite Toxicity

Hey guys I have an aquarium system that has about 45gallons of water cycling so I Let it cycle for about week and I added seeded marine pure ceramic balls and the bacteria in a bottle. I had no choice but to add my 2 clownfish from my quarantine into the tank.. because I needed to put a sick...

www.reef2reef.com

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your reply, it really means a lot to me.
It took me almost a year to collect all the equipment and finish all the plumbing work,
and then nearly two months just to get through the cycling process.
It has been tough and sometimes discouraging, but your comment was a big help and encouragement.
I really appreciate it!

 

[Fish Fan]

Thank you so much for your reply, it really means a lot to me.
It took me almost a year to collect all the equipment and finish all the plumbing work,
and then nearly two months just to get through the cycling process.
It has been tough and sometimes discouraging, but your comment was a big help and encouragement.
I really appreciate it!

I hope I've helped!

What are you using for test kits to measure these values? Many hobby-level test kits are not very accurate, and you need to look for trends, such as, ammonia was up and has now come down. You shouldn't expect lab-grade results with hobby-level test kits

I hope that helps, let us know if you still have further questions!