Nitrites Off the Chart!

tr1gger

tr1gger

Member
nitrites are off the chart i cant even gauge what the reading is. 90gallon tank, FO, 3 fish
Volitan Lion 4-5 inches
Huma Huma Trigger 2-3 inches
Blue Hippo Tang 3-4 inches
I have no clue why this has spiked on me. Running a Emporer 400 with the extra media containers filled with activated black diamond carbon. Protein Skimmer is scooting right along collecting alot of debris. I feed a pinch full of Spectrum for the trigger and hippo and the lion and trigger get some mysis and formula every other day. I never over feed the tank, no food ever seems to rest or is un-eaten. I'm Also a little confused because my test kits (Saltwater Master Test Kit) is marked at 2006 ? EXPIRED ?! All my other tests look OK and the salinity is 1.025 on my refractometer. Temp is about 78 Deg. and water is crystal clear, so no clouding. Any hints tips tricks or what im doing wrong would be good for me
 
bill109

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by tr1gger
http:///forum/post/2701154
nitrites are off the chart i cant even gauge what the reading is. 90gallon tank, FO, 3 fish
Volitan Lion 4-5 inches
Huma Huma Trigger 2-3 inches
Blue Hippo Tang 3-4 inches
I have no clue why this has spiked on me. Running a Emporer 400 with the extra media containers filled with activated black diamond carbon. Protein Skimmer is scooting right along collecting alot of debris. I feed a pinch full of Spectrum for the trigger and hippo and the lion and trigger get some mysis and formula every other day. I never over feed the tank, no food ever seems to rest or is un-eaten. I'm Also a little confused because my test kits (Saltwater Master Test Kit) is marked at 2006 ? EXPIRED ?! All my other tests look OK and the salinity is 1.025 on my refractometer. Temp is about 78 Deg. and water is crystal clear, so no clouding. Any hints tips tricks or what im doing wrong would be good for me

when was the last time you did a water change?
it cold be something simple like that? i do my 90 gallon 7 gallons every friday and i have a lot of fish in it. not problems here..
 
tr1gger

tr1gger

Member
water changes every saturday, 10 gallons per 7 days. The RO water is from walmart i dont remember the perameters on the water but i do remember that it was acceptable. I fill 4 5g containers like every other day. and use on all my tanks.
 
bill109

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by tr1gger
http:///forum/post/2701235
water changes every saturday, 10 gallons per 7 days. The RO water is from walmart i dont remember the perameters on the water but i do remember that it was acceptable. I fill 4 5g containers like every other day. and use on all my tanks.
test the next perams from the wall mart ro. it could vary?
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Do you have LR? How much? If not, what are you using for bio-filtration? Just bio-wheels? Are you cleaning your mechanical filter pads/ sponges frequently? I also think your filter is too small for your tank, unless you have plenty of LR. Do you have a diatom problem, often goes with a nitrate problem? If your water source, RO or tap, is nitrate-free; there should be an easy answer for you. I've fought this battle off and on for years and finally think I've found things that work Of course, plenty of LR is the best way, but not everyone has it. (Or wants it).I'm not convinced everyone needs RO; it depends on your local water supply. If you do use it, you could buy a RO unit with all the gas & water $ saved. There are several options, but we need more info. BTW, nitrate kits are notoriously unreliable; like JerryAtrick said, get your test kit tested. Also, fish can handle a much higher level of nitrates than many hobbiests realize, not true with inverts. Lots of folks will disagree, but in fish-only tanks; I don't even consider 60 ppm nitrate to be a problem. That said, the lower the better; because....well, just because.
 
tr1gger

tr1gger

Member
You keep saying nitrate, nitrate, nitrate..
Its a nitrIte problem

There is no LR what so ever and about 100 lbs of LS. I would get my own RO unit but atm im living at a Apt where im not even allowed to have 1 tank let alone the 4 i have!
The fish are healthy and active as any of them in my other tanks. The emporer 400 i thought was for up to 90g
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by tr1gger
http:///forum/post/2701848
You keep saying nitrate, nitrate, nitrate..
Its a nitrIte problem

There is no LR what so ever and about 100 lbs of LS. I would get my own RO unit but atm im living at a Apt where im not even allowed to have 1 tank let alone the 4 i have!
The fish are healthy and active as any of them in my other tanks. The emporer 400 i thought was for up to 90g

Sorry, I mis-read it. NitrIte problems in mature, healthy tanks are very rare and if the nitrItes were off the scale; your fish would show it, if they were still alive--nitrIte is very toxic. This almost has to be a bad test kit. Re: the filter. IMO, SW tanks should have filters rated much higher than the tank capacity; especially if you have no LR.
 
earnit33

earnit33

Member
Originally Posted by tr1gger
http:///forum/post/2701848
You keep saying nitrate, nitrate, nitrate..
Its a nitrIte problem

There is no LR what so ever and about 100 lbs of LS. I would get my own RO unit but atm im living at a Apt where im not even allowed to have 1 tank let alone the 4 i have!
The fish are healthy and active as any of them in my other tanks. The emporer 400 i thought was for up to 90g

Actually the emperor 400 is good up to 80 gal.,which you want a little cushin like for a 55 gal.is ok,but A 90 gal. is to large unless you have at least 2.to be safe! I know some people that actually have two on a 55 gal.
 
tr1gger

tr1gger

Member
Actually that makes alot of sense. I will pickup another 400 tomorrow at my "local" fish store (almost 1hr away) and drop that on the other side of the tank.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by tr1gger
http:///forum/post/2701951
Actually that makes alot of sense. I will pickup another 400 tomorrow at my "local" fish store (almost 1hr away) and drop that on the other side of the tank.
Good plan, you have some great fish that have a lot of growing to do and you'll need the extra filtration help. BTW, I live about 1 1/2 hours from the nearest decent lfs. I can always find what I need at one of the good online dealers at a much better price. No gas & sales tax sure makes up for shipping cost..
 
tr1gger

tr1gger

Member
I can totally agree with you there. But in this situation (and my fiances prius and like 55 mpg) i really need to get the proper filtration ASAP and hope nothing goes bad in the next 24hrs. Plus they are holding a golden puffer for me
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
How old is your tank? Do you disturb your sand-bed when you do maintenance?
I'd check the water with LFS, using expired test kits can result in poor readings.
Is it possible something died in the tank? Did the problem appear suddenly, or gradually?
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by Beth
http:///forum/post/2702707
How old is your tank? Do you disturb your sand-bed when you do maintenance?
I'd check the water with LFS, using expired test kits can result in poor readings.
Is it possible something died in the tank? Did the problem appear suddenly, or gradually?
If the test kit was right and nitrites were "off the chart"; wouldn't the fish be showing considerable stress, especially breathing problems? They are active & healthy according to the TS.
 
slackjawed

slackjawed

Member
Originally Posted by tr1gger
http:///forum/post/2701848
You keep saying nitrate, nitrate, nitrate..
Its a nitrIte problem

There is no LR what so ever and about 100 lbs of LS. I would get my own RO unit but atm im living at a Apt where im not even allowed to have 1 tank let alone the 4 i have!
The fish are healthy and active as any of them in my other tanks. The emporer 400 i thought was for up to 90g

i have 2 400 on a 75 gal + hang a bag of carbon no probs w/ no cycle tank on tap water
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Ok here I go again IMO your filter is not the problem in your 90-gallon most of your bio flirtation is being handled by the colonization in your tank not on your biowheel Nitrite is an intermediate step in nitrification so for it to be off the chart there has to be no conversion from nitrite to nitrate as mentioned a nitrite reading off the chart will defiantly effect you fish. I am betting on a bad test kit. It is very very rare that your bacteria, which convert nitrite to nitrate, have crashed and thus you have an end product of nitrite
 
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