Initial 90 gal tank setup?

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by Conte
OK, I feel really stupid right now. I thought my tank had cycled but apparently not. ??
...
Inhabitants;
2 Turban Snail
1 Cleaner Shrimp
2 blue damsels
1 yellow tang
Water;
pH 8.2
Salinity; 1.024
Ammo; .25
Nitrites; 2ppm
Nitrates; 5 ppm
...
Conte
Ammo and nitrates will go to 0.0 as the tank cycles. Ammo in my 55g was extremely hard to detect because the spike was short duration and the test kit was very hard to read at low levels. Nitrites lasted much longer and was much easier to read the test kit at low levels. Nitrites are above 0.0 because the bioload higher than the tank can handle. When I stopped feeding the fish, nitrites would drop to 0.0 in few days at the most. I would recommend you reduce your feeding until the nitrites are 0.0. then watch nitrites when you increase the feeding.

 

[conte]

Thanks a lot, will do. When you say reduce feeding do you mean feed them every other day? I have been just doing a pinch of flake food in the morning and 1 2inx2in square of greeen algae seaweed selects soaked in Zoe every 4 days.
I feel like I'm learning to ride a bike for the first time again. Thank you for your patience.
Conte

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by Conte
Thanks a lot, will do. When you say reduce feeding do you mean feed them every other day? I have been just doing a pinch of flake food in the morning and 1 2inx2in square of greeen algae seaweed selects soaked in Zoe every 4 days.
I feel like I'm learning to ride a bike for the first time again. Thank you for your patience.
Conte
In my tank I stopped all feeding until the nitrites came down. When I first added 5 damsels I didn't feed them for a week. Eventually the nitrites came down. I no longer have nitrite spikes since 1) the tank cycled another two months, and 2) I started feeding flake food and live algae only. Woops, I did have a spike when I decided to clean out the sponge part of my filter. But it was very short lived. I also use a turkey baster to feed my tang directly. He seems to enjoy and less food is left lying around the tank.

 

[conte]

Thanks for the advice. I did a water change and stopped feeding my fish for several days. I've never done that before and I was worried that something would happen to them, but they all seem ok. Except, my shrimp scurries toward me every time I approach the tank and my fish go wild too, they were very hungry.
I took a sample of water down to my LFS and here are the readings.
Ph 8.3
salinity 1.025
ammo = 0
nitrite = 5ppm
nitrates = 0
My question is wether it's normal that my nitrites are still high? Even higher then before?
-conte