Important Re: Naupili

[maleficent]

This is my post from a few days ago, I found the problem! (After I poisoned several of my animals ) If anyone out there doesn't know this, besides me. I was cultivating live brine shrimp to feed my filter feeders, etc. I used water from my show tank, I aerated my water, and when the shrimp "hatched" I would siphon them out with a syringe and feed my animals directly with the syringe attached to a rigid tube. I thought that this was an OK thing to do. Boy was I wrong. When naupili are cultured the water that they are cultivated in develops aHUGE amount of Nitrite, like >10. When i thought I was feeding I was actually poisoning my tank. I learned a valuable lesson(and expensive). I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else. I discovered that siphoning the shrimp into a brine shrimp net and adding them to new tank water they can then be safely fed.
My other post: Impending sense of doom?
I have a problem with my nitrite level. This week it is 0.3! I have had my tank up and running for approx. 8 months. I test my parameters weekly and have never had a problem with Nitrite. I originally had a very elevated phosphorus at 3.0(ouch) and have gotten it down to 0.05-0.07 with frequent water changes and the addition of Phos-sorb in a media chamber of my filter. I had an algae bloom(that was when I discovered the phos prob.). I have had a problem with Nitrate and have dealt with that by water changes and I added Nitrate sponge to the other media container of my filter. My nitrate fell from 20 to <5. Now I have a Nitrite problem and my Nitrate is back up tp 15-20. I lost a Sally Lightfoot today, (coincidence?). I was using RO water and I use Instant Ocean Salt. I dose with 1L kalkwasser at night dripped in via IV bag at night,(it helps to be a nurse). Everyother day I add Reef Iodide, twice a week I add Reef Calcium, Reef Strontium, Reef Vital DNA and Coral-Vital. I added kent Tech-M once when my Mg was low(has been normal since.) My test results yesterday were: pH 8.0(down from 8.3), Ammonia=0, Calcium=360(down from 420), Mg=1125, KH 13(down from 16), Phos=0.06, Nitrite 0.3(was 0), Nitrate 20(was <5), Temp 78F, SpecGrav1.025. Does anyone have any ideas about how to fix this? I am afraid that I am going to lose some animals. Is my bio-load too high? Do I need more biological filtration? I am about a week away from having a 10g below tank sump/refugium up and running. I know this is wordy but I am trying to be thorough. Thanks for any help.

 

[fmarini]

Hi:
Do a few things here.
One once the nauplii hatch, siphon them thru a strainer, and add then to a new containr of SW, and feed them. Nauplii are the most nutritious when the are freshly hatched -and still have their yolk sac, however after a few hrs they are depelted again. I usually enrich w/ 1 drop of selcon/L of water and add a 5 mls of DT's phytoplankton. Allow the nauplii to feed for 1/2 day then a add this mix. This way I'm not adding polluted water to the tank and my nauplii is supper nutritious. So what are you feeding w/ the nauplii?
second feel free to read this article on adding suppliments to your aquarium. My personal opinion is you don't need to add any suppliment except Ca (only if hyou have sps) and do water changes.
frank

 

[hkgar]

I am considering adding a refugium to my tank, one purpose was to raise brine shrimp. I gather from this post that that would not be a good idea as raising brine shrimp increase nitrites? Any other opinions?

 

[fmarini]

hkgar:
where did you read the raising brine shrimp increases nitrates? the above posts shows that having alot of animals in a small volume of water, being feed alot will equate to nitrate.
nitrate is a byproduct of waste breakdown, w/ no export of intermediates.
A refugium is an excellent idea, and I wouldn't disqualify rasing anything in the regium. Althou i will question why you want to raise brine shrimp in it.
However if you have adequate filtration and do water changes and clean your skimmer and such nitrates shouldn't be too big a problem
frank

 

[maleficent]

From what i read in "Marine Atlas" by Baensch the nitrite is intrinsic in the cysts themselves but not in the actual organism once they evacuate the shell of the cyst. Nitrite is a by product of the means of collection in both San Francisco and Utah/Nevada collected specimen.