HELP WITH NITRITE!!!!

[ckkihei]

I have a 55 ga that i set up last Dec with live sand. First fish where 4 damsels to help the cycle process. Since then we added more various fish but all died due to nitrite spikes. Last episode of a spike (last week) was with 3 scallops, 2 sand stars, 1 banded shrimp, 1 perc clown, 2 chromis, 1 blue damsel, 1 yellow eyed tang, 1 anemone and 2 horseshoe crabs. The nitrite spiked yesterday and I lost the tang.
Feeding is every other day, filter is a double Emperor Bio-wheel. PH tests at 8.0, salt is a constant 1.024. Temp is 77. Lights are on a timer for 8 hours a day.
Any ideas as to why my nitrite continues to spike?
With each spike we lose fish. Coral beauty, fancy sea bass, yellow tang, domino damsel, sweet lips, tomato clown and others.
Any ideas or advice? My fish store is at a loss also...........

 

[farieslayer]

ok, did u get your cycling done with those damsels. first thing first, what did u frist put in, and how did they dies???? iches, velvet, fungus????. and how long did u wait after those fish dies to get new fish in the tank??? and how many fishes did u put in the tank at the same time????
The problem is 1).if u didn't wait long enough for the parasite or disease to die off, it will infest the new fish when u put them in. 2). because u putting multiple fishes in at the same time, your bio filteration can't handle so, the nitrite spike, which stress your fish, and lower their immunity.

 

[reef-addict]

#1 Don't always listen to yer store, they like guys who walk in and say their fish are dying once in a while. They definately wouldn't give you advice for that one.
#2 What equipment do you have on yer tank? A UV sterilizer would help kill the parasites these guys may be gettin from this stressful situations.
#3 Do you use any nitrate/phosphate chemicals in yer sump?
#4 Do you R/O (Reverse Osmosis) your water or what do you do for your water?

 

[striker]

Parasites may still be in the water. A bio-wheel is not enough for biological filtration. You have the live sand but do you have any lr? You definitely shouldn't add that many fish/inverts to your tank at the same time. After the readings start rising do water changes and keep testing until it goes back down. The combination of adding so many fish, the stress of a new tank and the parisites in your tank or on the fish will spell death.

 

[brooklyn johnny]

Your live sand may not be so alive. A deep bed of sand, if not properly cared for, may become a nutrient sink, trapping detritus and causing the nitrite spikes. Deep sand beds work well when done properly but if not can cause problems.

 

[broomer5]

ckkihei
You set up your tank in December 2001 ?
If so, that is a 3 month old tank at best.
I count 15 fish within the first 3 months, and you say there were others ?
You're biological filter is not able to handle additions of fish at this rate.
You need to slow down and let your tank mature some.
Ammonia is a waste product of fish.
Nitrite is a product of bacteria oxidizing this ammonia. Nitrite does not "spike" on it's own, it is a result of ammonia.
Although nitrite is toxic to fish, it's not as deadly as ammonia, especially at higher pH values that we try and maintain in our saltwater tanks.
You do not mention test results for ammonia.
I would imagine the ammonia levels rose above what your biological filtration could handle and this rise in ammonia killed the fish.
Sorry for your losses. Only thing I would say at this point is let the tank age a little, don't add anything else and let your bacteria catch up to your fish loads. If you notice any other fish starting to show signs of stress - remove them and take them back to where you got them, or risk them dying as well.
With your current filtration - IMO - 3-4 smaller fish is all I would presently attempt to keep in your 55.

 

[mr . salty]

#1,This is a small/young tank.#2,There have been ALOT of fish put in it since it's start.I will be willing to bet that this tank has NEVER compleatly cycled,so when you add a new fish(or two or three) the bio system can NOT handle the increase in the load...I suggest you cut down the # of fish in there to two or three small fish and leave it at that for a few months...This will give the tank a chance to "catch it's breath"...Also,inverts like you have listed usually will not survive in such a young/unstable tank.You should also wait on adding these....

 

[thewolfman777]

it is a possibility that your tank cannot handle this many fish due to its immaturity. i just breezed throught the above post but are you QT'ing your new arrivals? IMO, i would just cut back on the amount of fish you are adding and give your system some time to mature.
PS: dont always listen to the guy at the LFS. i have learned to come here first.

 

[karlas]

after cycling your tank you should add only 1 or 2 fish then wait a couple of weeks. if water parameters are good then add 1-2 more. each time you add to your tank you add to the bio load and your tank needs to (catch up). you could raise your ph 8.2-8.4. a lot of people went through this when they first started (the tanks up and i want all my fish now) syndrome. as you learn this is a very slow and patient hobby, nothing good happens fast here. also anemones should not be put in a tank under a year old they need pristine water quality and are very difficult to care for, not reccomended for beginners. any type of scallop,clam should not be added for at least 6 mths also they need an established system also

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

assuming that you did not answer the Sharks' reponse above because they are always right. If you are using a biowheel with 15 fish you are in a world of hurt.
Suggest you wait a bit and: add a powerhead at the opposite side of the tank from your filter and point it at the water surface. this helps break up the water tension essentially increases the tanks size.
Also - buy some live sand and increase your bed to 4", this will help as well.

 

[louny]

nitrites must be 0 before adding fish