Nitrites in QT are stumping me

[slouiscar]

5 weeks ago I set up a 10g QT. I jumped it with a container of substrate from my cycled main. I have fed it regularly and after a few weeks I threw an aggressive blue hermit in there to save a snail or two. I have been testing weekly. The nitrites topped out a while back at 0.2 then went down to 0.1... but after 2 1/2 weeks they are still registering at 0.1. I had placed some PVC in the tank and cut up a small sponge and added it to the filter to add surface area for bacteria.
Temp 80, pH 8.2, sal 1.0235, Am 0, Nitrites 0.1, Nitrates 0.
Is my filter not efficient? Am I missing surfaces for bacteria?
Can I safely QT with water changes?

 

[beth]

You cut up a sponge? What exactly do you mean? What kind of sponge?

 

[slouiscar]

I meant I took a brand new kitchen sponge and cut it into cubes. Then I put the cubes in the filter around where the carbon insert goes. This was a small filter with no biowheel so I figured increasing the surface area would promote bacteria to grow

 

[beth]

Take the sponge out. Kitchen sponges are not made for the marine hobby. I'm not saying that it has caused a problem but these sponges are DYED and processed and shouldn''t be used in the hobby.
Add a piece of LR to your QT.

 

[slouiscar]

OK. (The sponges I used were boiled & organic but I hear you)
My question for that would be won't the live rock hinder the QT process? I mean can't ick and parasites get in the rock and reproduce?
No substrate but live rock is OK?
Or do you just mean put the rock in for the cycle then take it out? Wouldn't that just remove the surface the nitrifying bacteria is living on?

 

[schneidts]

The live rock will provide surface area for the bacteria, in turn, helping your cycle move more quickly. You don't need to worry about ich on the rock, any ich in the qt will be killed with the proper hyposalinity procedure.

 

[slouiscar]

Hypo with live rock??!!
Won't that "kill" my rock?
I don't want to get garbage on a piece of live rock in my QT then drop that evil back into my main. So I have some LR I can leave in the QT... but doesn't that work against the purpose of having a QT??? I mean I want the QT tank to be able to go hypo or resist harboring parasites so they can reproduce?
On a related note... do you go hypo even as soon as you add a new specimen or only if you see symptoms?

 

[wid]

my 20qt has 10lb LR. and they are staying there for good. they don't grow ICH. if you put copper in, it will kill the rock and you have to monitor the copper level since the LR affect it. but for just hypo, it won't hurt anything.
Wid

 

[beth]

What do you meant by "organic" sponge? Is it a one of those real sponges that you buy to bathe with?

 

[slouiscar]

The sponge is gone.
But it was purchased from a crunchy tree hugger store. It was a sponge that I assumed washed up on some beach somewhere. I just added it for surface area. I took it out.
I have added a few lbs of live rock. If the fish I put in the QT have ick will this live rock get ick? I have heard that it will. I have also heard that copper, hypo etc will kill this rock.
I don't want dead rock, I also don't want to end up with a QT that harbors the parasites I am trying to kill... but of course I don't want nitrites either.
I will leave the live rock in for now and do some water changes.

 

[beth]

Originally posted by slouiscar
The sponge is gone.
But it was purchased from a crunchy tree hugger store. It was a sponge that I assumed washed up on some beach somewhere.
slouiscar, I was not just being idly curious about the sponge. When you mentioned it, the first thing that popped into my mind is that you put dead "real" sponge in the tank.
Dead sponge=ammonia+nitrite. Dead sponge is like dead fish: ammonia+nitrite. That is what I was getting at with the sponge inquiries; and so now we know why you were having a nitrite problem in your tank. And, just so anyone who reads this also knows, that you can not put dead sea creatures in your tank: like sea fans, dead starfish or anything else that has been dried out. Skeleton coral heads do not fall in to this category.
I have added a few lbs of live rock. If the fish I put in the QT have ick will this live rock get ick? I have heard that it will. I have also heard that copper, hypo etc will kill this rock.
Yes the LR could become contaminated. Everything in your QT could be contaminated. However, after an adequate treatment with hyposalinity, all will be clear. There will be substantial die off of any LR you place in hyposaline conditions. I have found that not all die, however. I think saving fish is worth the price of few pieces of LR. Your choice, however. Since you are setting up the QT and it is not an emergency, you can complete the cycle using the LR and then return it to the display. Now that the contaminating sponge has been removed, the QT can get back on track. DO A LARGE water change at this point.

 

[slouiscar]

THANKS BETH
I would be a complete idiot without the help in these forums.
(with all the help I am only an idiot 60% of the time.)
Sponge is out, few lbs of LR is in (for now), 50% water change tonight, test Wed, add fish next week if #'s are good.

 

[beth]

Actually, that is a common mistake. Sponge, sea fans, dead sea creatures in FO tanks.....:scared: All of them are DEAD. And will decay in sea water.
This hobby is a non-stop learning process.