Please help

[Resendes Reef]

my tank is about 6 months old.
For the past week or two I've lost a couple inverts, torch coral looks like it's dieing, zoas are closed up, and have an algae outbreak.
I've been doing one water change a week. 5 gallons in my 32 biocube.
Just got more test kits and here are my parameters I can test
Alkilinty 7.0
Nitrite 9 ppb
Nitrate 25 ppm
Phosphate .48 ppm
Salinity 1.026
Wasnt happy to see I have nitrites.
Any suggestions on how to get my tank in check?

 

[bios]

If you have no2 test also for ammonia probably is culprit

 

[jenreefer]

If you have nitrites, your tank is not fully cycled. I would recommend bottled bacteria ASAP to control ammonia and nitrites.
Your alkalinity is a bit low. My recommendation is between 8-9. Especially with your higher nutrients.
Your phosphate needs to come down a bit.
slowly raise your alk while dealing with the high nutrients as quickly as possible.
What type of skimmer?
how many fish?
how are you dosing alk and ca?
how heavy are you feeding?
all of these will affect tank nutrient levels and stability

Your tank is quite young and keeping corals in a tank that is not mature and stable can be difficult if not impossible. I recommend you do not add any new corals until you get the tank stable. Daily testing of alkalinity is critical to knowing if your tank is stable and what it needs.

I would also like to know what your ca and mg levels are.

 

[tupes]

What test kits are you using to test? You should definitely not have nitrites. What salt mix are you using?

 

[aj741986]

His tank is 6 months old. Theres no way its not fully cycled. You might be over feeding or things have died in your tank and are rotting in there

 

[SandJ]

What kind of water are you using? May want to test it also just in case.

 

[jenreefer]

His tank is 6 months old. Theres no way its not fully cycled. You might be over feeding or things have died in your tank and are rotting in there

Most tanks should be fully "cycled" by six months. Cycled refers to the bacteria present that remove ammonia to nitrites and nitrites to nitrates. This is different than being mature. A young tank will go through different ups and downs which include the presence of many of the "young tank" algaes and diatoms. These different grows are a normal part of the tank maturing and will come and go on their own with no real intervention as long as the basics are being taken care of.

 

[erinmegan85]

Sounds like something else may have died (other than the crabs) and the bacteria is processing out the ammonia it may left behind. Have an ammonia test? That will tell you whether that's the culprit or not. I would start off doing a larger water change than 5 gallons, retest, and then go from there. Also, I see you have little ones. Any chance they threw something in the tank? That can cause things to get wonky too.

 

[Resendes Reef]

If you have nitrites, your tank is not fully cycled. I would recommend bottled bacteria ASAP to control ammonia and nitrites.
Your alkalinity is a bit low. My recommendation is between 8-9. Especially with your higher nutrients.
Your phosphate needs to come down a bit.
slowly raise your alk while dealing with the high nutrients as quickly as possible.
What type of skimmer?
how many fish?
how are you dosing alk and ca?
how heavy are you feeding?
all of these will affect tank nutrient levels and stability

Your tank is quite young and keeping corals in a tank that is not mature and stable can be difficult if not impossible. I recommend you do not add any new corals until you get the tank stable. Daily testing of alkalinity is critical to knowing if your tank is stable and what it needs.

I would also like to know what your ca and mg levels are.

I don't run a skimmer. I haven't heard anything good about ones for biocubes.
I have 2 clown fish, one fairy wrasse, and a blenny
I feed once every other day

 

[Resendes Reef]

What test kits are you using to test? You should definitely not have nitrites. What salt mix are you using?

I have the Hanna digital readers and use salifert for nitrates
I get my water mixed from lfs

 

[rayn]

If nitrites are truly 9 ppm then there is a issue. I would test for ammonia as well and see where that is.

Granted at 6 months it should be through this bit, but there could be some issue that needs to be figured out.

 

[Resendes Reef]

Sounds like something else may have died (other than the crabs) and the bacteria is processing out the ammonia it may left behind. Have an ammonia test? That will tell you whether that's the culprit or not. I would start off doing a larger water change than 5 gallons, retest, and then go from there. Also, I see you have little ones. Any chance they threw something in the tank? That can cause things to get wonky too.

I haven't had anything big die. Had a cleaner shrimp and an emerald crab. I only saw a shell of the cleaner shrimp and Once I noticed my crab had died, I removed what shells I could get to. But they were already empty.
My 2 year old throws all kinds of things, but the biocube has a tight lid on it. No way something could've got in there.

I will need to go get an ammonia test kit.

 

[rayn]

Even a cheap API test will tell you something.

 

[jenreefer]

I would recommend you read through the guide to setting up a saltwater aquarium. I know there are many skimless tanks that are successful, but the key is to find a way to export nutrients that will build up in your system.

For me, I have a fuge with macroalgae and a skimmer. This is what works for me. I am old school. Some of the newer methods are carbon dosing both liquid(vodka, vinegar, nopox) and physical( biopellets, activated carbon, GFO, marinepure). All these systems work to remove nitrates and phosphates from your system, all with different methods.

I dose bacteria regularly and if I notice nuisance algae cropping up, I have been know to add vodka to the tank, but only on an as needed basis.

All of these systems work if used properly, but IMO you have to do something. Nutrients will build up due to fish and food waste in your system. Your fish and corals will only do well if they are fed appropriately, so starving the system rarely if ever works. Your livestock (both fish and corals and algae) will die if they do not receive proper nutrition. So when you commit to feeding them as close to nature as possible, you will have to have a way to remove the excess from the system.

I hope some of our members who run skimless tanks will chime in and talk about how they control nutrients in their tanks for success.

@Paul B