My newly cycling tank is at .4 on the nitrites. Is it safe to put any fish in it? Everything checks in ok. Or should I wait until it drops and expect a nitrate spike?
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nitrite question
- Thread starter BBN
- Start date
To be on a safe side, lets wait until nitrite is at 0 before adding fishes.
I also suppose that you can expect a Nitrate spike. It can be plant's food. Or removed by doing water changes. Nitrate is not as toxic as ammonia or nitrite. Nitrate probably would make fish stressed and promote algae growth.
That's how much I know right now :joe:
Hopefully there will be more feedback.
I also suppose that you can expect a Nitrate spike. It can be plant's food. Or removed by doing water changes. Nitrate is not as toxic as ammonia or nitrite. Nitrate probably would make fish stressed and promote algae growth.
That's how much I know right now :joe:
Hopefully there will be more feedback.
Nitrites are toxic to fish, better to wait until 0.
Nitrates on the other hand, will naturally rise more slowly/gradually, nitrate readings are indicative of overall water quality and dissolved organics in your system; not a critical concern with most hardy marine fish but try to keep at a level no more than 20-40 ppm for the long haul, usually done with skimming, water changes, etc. If inverts, corals are involved, you should strive for 5 ppm or lower levels, which may require DSB or algae filter in a sump.
Nitrates on the other hand, will naturally rise more slowly/gradually, nitrate readings are indicative of overall water quality and dissolved organics in your system; not a critical concern with most hardy marine fish but try to keep at a level no more than 20-40 ppm for the long haul, usually done with skimming, water changes, etc. If inverts, corals are involved, you should strive for 5 ppm or lower levels, which may require DSB or algae filter in a sump.
you could add damsels if that is what u want to keep, but I don't think that would be smart, they are terrible, agression
I'd wait until your cycle is complete before adding fish. JMO, but the last thing you want is to buy something beautiful, stress it out and have it become sick or even die - better to wait a week or two until you see NO2 at 0, then add something beautiful that will stay happy and healthy in your tank.
Thanks for everyone's thoughts. Nitrites are slowly coming down. When I posted this they were at .6, Friday .4 and last night between .2 and .3. I have damsels in my 55g which is the tank I'm upgrading from and plan on getting rid of the damsels I have. I have a domino and yellow tail and the Domino has been bullying my yellowtail and other fish. My yellowtail is actually pretty peaceful, but I don't know that I want to keep him. If I do I may instead get a 10-20g nano and put him in their by himself with some rock and a couple corals. He hardly ever ventures away from his cave as is so I don't think he needs a big tank. What does everyone think?
BBN said:
BBN, if you only have one now, I like the idea of getting a second tank.
It doesn't have to be fancy. You can maintain it as a simple quarantine system, placing all your new arrivals there for 3- 4 weeks before adding to your main display. This is also a great insurance policy in case you have a critical problem with the display. IMO having more than one marine setup is essential for your long term success.
BBN said:
Your yellow tail may seem peaceful, compared to the domino but IMO don't be fooled into thinking the yellow tail is peaceful. :Angel: I had 3 yellow tail and 4 chromis to start with. 1 Yellow tail killed the other 2 of his kind and always bullied the chromis... I have 125g tank and he was still not happy and chased the other ones all the time.
If you are going to set up a quarentine tank maybe keep the damsel for a bit but as soon as you go to quarentine another fish in there he will be agressive toward it, especially in such a small tank. This is exactly what I have done, so I know from experience. I you really want to keep the yellow tail best to set up a tank just for him, but this would be in addition to your quarentine tank... Which I highly recommend... as my fish all caught some weird disease where they all lost scales. If I had a Q tank then, it wouldn't have happened! I will be quarentineing for 4-6 weeks just to be extra careful and because my LFS has had problems with disease. :shark:
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Good info tanisheily. I may go ahead and give up both damsels. How about keeping like a 15-20 gallon coral only tank and use it to double as a quantine or should quarantines be by themselves with nohing else?