Cycled 6 weeks..still Nitrites

[hemmie]

I read and read and researched before I started and THOUGHT I was doing it all right.
I've had my tank up 6 weeks. It's a 55 gallon. I have about 80 Lbs of live sand, a few nice pieces of live rock, all added at the beginning. I started with 5 Damsels and returned 2 of them to the store after I thought I cycled, (about 1 1/2 weeks ago)then added 2 Perc Clowns and a LawnMower Blennie. I figured it would be ok to add the Clowns as long as I got rid of the damsels, bio-load wise, and the Blennie...well, I couldnt resist.
I used "Cycle" and some used sand and filter media from my fish store too) I had 0 ammo, 0 NitrITES, and around 50 on the NitrATES. I thought I was good to go. No fish died during the cycle.
I think I cycled quickly, I missed the ammonia spike altogether but did have a Nitrite spike, and now have high Nitrates. (25 - 50 depending on how good my eyes are that morning). I had Diatoms after about 2 weeks, then lots of green algae. I added snails and crabs and they cleaned the tank completely. No algae.
Here's my problem. I still have NitrITES. I'm not sure when they started back up, probably when I added the Blennie and the Percs, I hadn't tested them after they went to 0, but have noticed them for about a week (probably more)now. They read about .5 every day. It won't budge. I added a Skimmer and it does take out some junk, Ive done 2 water changes, 5 gallons each, and I feed a Marine pellet mix and have added Algae flakes for the cleanup crew and the Blennie since now they have nothing to eat. (no algae) I feed once a day.
I have 3 power heads which I moved to stir up the top water, and I added a large airstone a few days ago (It looks awful) but it stirs up the water on top. I have a Hang on AquaClear, Ive rinsed the sponge and added fresh carbon. The NitrITES remain up, sometimes even higher than .5, (its so hard to read those cards).
All fish are doing fine, but for how long I wonder, and how can I get the Nitrites to budge? Ive read where ANY Nitrites are lethal and I want to get rid of the Damsels and get a couple of nice fish but I dont dare. (catching them NOW is gonna be hard)
pH is around 8.3, temp is 78-79, salinity is a bit low I think, around 1.020
Do I just wait it out?
Thanks everyone.

 

[nanook]

Hi Hemmie,
A few of questions;
1) How much are you feeding the tank? It's not only the fish that add to the bio-load. Your high nitrate level hints at over feeding.
2) When you do water changes, do you remove excess food from the substrate?
3) You mention that you rinse the foam on your AquaClear. Do you rinse it in the water you removed during your water change or do you use freshwater? If you do the latter, then you are killing off part of your bio- filter which then causes a small cycle. This problem would be more acute if you only have a few pieces of live rock. How much LR do you have?
These are just a couple of things that come to mind off the top of my head.
Cheers....

 

[hemmie]

Hi Nanook, Thanks for answering. I have only 3 pieces of L/R and I was rinsing my filter under the tap. I think I was overfeeding too, and Ive cut way down. I havent vaccuumed the substrate, I tried it and it sucks up the sand but I think the cleanup crew does a fair job of cleaning.
Should I do another water change and vacuum the sand you think? Im getting the idea that you think I may have too much old food laying around. I hate to do too many water changes and just prolong the cycle any longer.
Thanks.

 

[hemmie]

Would it be safe to add a large piece of LR at this point?

 

[beth]

No, don't add to your bioload at this point by adding LR. LR cycles too, even if it is cured.
If your fish seem all fine I would also suggest that you use another test kit to test water quality. Perhaps yours is giving you a false reading. Vaccuming the sand would be counterproductive, unless there are obvious signs of waste in the substrate. However, that does not seem to be the case, as you said your cleaning crew seems to be eating up everything. Removing the damsels that you want to get rid of, may help out your tank at this point. Damsels will be easier to catch if they are not fed for a day or 2. That way, when they see you coming, they will be at the top hoping to get food and, at that point, you can catch them. Try using a large net to chase them down.
[ October 07, 2001: Message edited by: Beth ]

 

[hemmie]

Hi Beth,
I wondered about the test kit too, since everyone seems healthy. Maybe I'll have my fish store test my water.
Thanks for the L/R info..I'll wait until things stabilize. I assume that whenever I do add it, I'll go into a cycle...I wish Id had enough $$ to add it in the beginning, but I didnt.
I'm going to go after the damsels today..I have to get em before 4PM when the fish store closes so I can take them back.
Thanks again!

 

[nanook]

Hi again Hemmie ,
So we can probably conclude that due to your small amount of LR, that your system relied more heavily on your AquaClear for filtration, which was compromised when you rinsed it in tap water, which in any event was stuggling with the bio-load due to over-feeding. Whew! That's was a mouthful!
1) I would vacuum the substrate, especially if uneaten food is visible. This should give some immediate relief to your filter. To avoid taking in sand, try either keeping the vacuum about 1/2" above the substrate or as an alternative, purchase a smaller vacuum, which tends to have a lesser draw.
2) Cut back on feeding. The damsels and the clowns are fairly active eaters, so you can probably assume they're well fed if you feed them once a day.
3) If you can, add live rock (cured, of course). This will tilt the filtration balance towards the LR, relagating(sp?) the AquaClear to water flow duties. No rush on this. I tend to add my LR slowly giving me a chance to carefully choose my pieces.
Hope this helps Hemmie. Let us know how you make out.
cheers from Toronto (darn, is that snow I see out the window? )

 

[hemmie]

Hey Nanook,
Yes..thats snow..cheers from Buffalo!
It occurred to me as I read your last post, my PowerHeads have sponges on them which have NEVER been rinsed. I'll do that now..in s/w this time.
Thanks..and I'll toss a snowball your way!

 

[puff(er) daddy]

Are you guys saying to rinse your filter sponges in the tank water and not tap? Because I too have had the high nitrite and nitrate spikes and I frequently rinse my sponges in tap water then replace it. I currently have high nitrates.