Nitrites won't go down!

I don't see why not to name names..... just a good way for noobs and pros alike to stay away from places that won't even do a water sample...

I mean come on.....how much time is the customer really taking away from the business huh??? I mean they're buying the **** fish from you DUDE !!!

Well... I don't venture to T.O. to buy fish, but others on this board might so you might as well say the name...

Just bothers me to hear this crap... this is the lifeblood of the LFS !!!
 
I know...

I'm used to a higher level of service/selection/quality than anything I've found around this area (up in Humboldt of all places) where the people are very knowledgable (you've got marine biologists, fishery majors, etc. from the college working at these shops) and there are no Petco's, etc. for them to compete with, so they're it, top notch.

But here, I'm kind of screwed unless I want to drive for an hour or thereabouts every time I want to get anything, so a lot of my shopping has been done online.

There literally is nothing in Ventura or Oxnard except for the Petco/Petsmart's which I try to avoid, and this LFS. There are one or two very small places in Camarillo, but once again, most of the time it is not worth the drive to go there for water, food, etc, and they are tiny and understocked anyway.

These policies at my LFS make me angry too, and I don't see why except to save a few bucks and a couple minutes they wouldn't do this service for the customer. Except that since they're it, they do get swamped with an enourmous number of people, so maybe that's why. I don't know. But, since I'm in there a lot, they have done me some favors that they have in writting said they don't do (no returns/exchanges of livestock/merchandise, etc.), so that is why I'm hesitant to name names.
If anyone wants to know who they are, that are from this area, let me know through private message. They aren't a "bad" store, but there is definately room for a lot of improvement.
 
nitrates

Just brake down and buy nitrate filter or make one. I made mine. I got a acrylic tube about 2 feet tall 3-4 inch in diameter. curled a thin tube inside (must be tight curls) and added a bunch of tiny bio balls. I had a small power head pushing water into it and a real smalle valve so that I could regulate the amount of water coming out (i let about 5 -10 drips per min). It takes a bit to start reducing the nitrates but its worth the money. I had 0 nitrates and nitrites.
 
Caulerpa is a macro algae that will consume the ammonia and nitrates, reducing the amount of nitrites that are produced. Be careful adding it though--it can be very invasive in the aquarium. I put the saw blade into the FO, and have to pull it out about every other week to prevent complete overgrowth.

Nitrate reducers are not effective for nitrites--two different types of bacteria, in completely different environments. Reducing ammonia will help--water changes or the leafy macro algaes are usually your best bet.

You may benefit from adding some healthy sand or rock at this point--it will bring with it an infusion of the needed bacteria. These bacteria populations are very slow growin--much slower than the ammonia consumers, IME.
 
Originally posted by as40
Hey all.

Well. Been doing 25% water changes on my tank daily. I use only R/O water. So it's been getting expensive. :( For tank spec's, please see my tank spec's below. :)

I only have live rock in there right now, besides a single snail that is either a Turbo or Astrea.

On the bright side, my ammonia level has dropped to between 0.25-0.50ppm, but on the down side my nitrites are still through the roof at over 5ppm.

I'm worried this will be very bad for whatever may have survived to this point on my rock. From everything I've searched on this site, the only solution to high nitrites seems to be water changes. They don't seem to make a dent in the level of nitrites, however.

:argh

Sorry, just getting frustrated. Please, is there anything else that may help in reducing the nitrites? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

you could try puting a small damsil in it would help to boost
the nitrates rate up quicker and they are nitrate tollerant
 
I'd add some live rock or sand to jumpstart your bacterial population. If you used all man made material it might be quite some time before the needed colonies establish themselves in your tank. I don't know how much your stiring up your sand bed either when you do your water changes or how deep it is but, those bacteria need low oxygen conditions to survive. I'd go for 2 or 3 inches of sand at least and that should help to solve your problem. The only thing that's going to really solve this is time.
tht
chris
 
Re: Re: Nitrites won't go down!

Originally posted by king prawn


you could try puting a small damsil in it would help to boost
the nitrates rate up quicker and they are nitrate tollerant
Click to expand...

Huh? Adding a fish will increase the ammonia production, which will result in more nitrites being produced. Nitrates are the final stage in the process--if there are not bacteria breaking nitrites down, there won't be nitrates, no matter how much ammonia is present.

Adding fish to a cycling tank--even 'hardy' fish--is cruel. They will not speed the cycling process and will have damaged gills are a result if they are not straight up killed. Very poor advice.
 
Look on the bright side your ammonia is down. According to the king of aquarium chemistry on reefcentral.com nitrite isn't even very toxic in normal pH seawater. I knew it was much less toxic in alkaline pH's, but not to the extent he describes. He says he doesn't even bother testing for it anymore, though in an established tank it's an indicator of more serious problems
Sticking a damsel in is not very helpful
 
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