Nitrite again!!!

[Luron]

Hi guys,
I am new to hobby. I had a 75 FO tank 10 yrs ago that ran on an undergravel filter and a Magnum canister. I had tons of fish, algae and ich, of course.
I finally gave up after 2 years. It still amazed me I survived in vain that long.
I just started again. The major difference is I studied much more than before.
This new tank is a 75 gal FOWLR with Eshopps W/D filter sump but I removed the bio balls. It has Coralife Super 125G skimmer in the sump. I set up the tank more than a month ago with about 50 lbs of reef saver dry rock and 25 lbs of Pukani cured live rock from LFS, 80 lbs of Ocean Direct live sand.

SG = 1.023
pH = 8.2
Temp = 77 - 79
Alkalinity = 3.5 - 4 mEq/L
Phosphate = 0.05 - 0.1
Ca = 340 - 380

My nitrite started with 0.1 from day 2 and went down to 0.005 (I use Salifert and very very light pink color looking through the side). Ammnonia has been always 0 since day 2. Nitrate started with 0.5 and went up to 5. I guess these parameters represent an instant cycling from the cured live rock and sand. The reef saver dry rock is clean and dry and did not give out NH3 at all. So I waited for 2 weeks and put in 3 green chromis and some snails, hermit crabs and 2 cleaner shrimps when I started seeing little algae on the glass and overflow box (NH3=0, NO2=0, NO3=5). The fish and CUC are happy and eating well. Nitrite went up a little and went back down to zero. A week later (NH3=0, NO2=0, NO3=5) I added 2 small False Pecula Clown in the tank. Everybody has been happy and eating well. That was a week ago.
Two days ago I decided to put 10 lbs of fragments of dry Pukani live rock in the sump below where the bio balls were before. The next day I saw a light pink color looking through the side when I tested for Nitrite (= 0.05) and Nitrate went up a bit (from 5 to 8 or so). NH4 was still 0. This morning Nitrite went down a bit (down to 0.025 or so).
I tried to analyze what has happened and I think since I only used 25 lbs or cured live rock and my tank is only a month old, all the dry rock has not been fully seeded yet and it can only handle a small bio load. When I put in Pukani dry live rock (live rock being dried), it released quite a bit of NH4 to my tank that my bio filtration can not fully handled yet. I did not remove them out of the sump because I saw Nitrite went down between yesterday and today and it is still very low anyway.
Please let me know if my assumption makes sense. I hope Nitrite will go down to zero in a few days. I will monitor it daily (along with NH4). Will this level of Nitrite harm my livestocks ?
Thanks.
Luron

 

[Alex482455]

You are right, its not good to add dry rock that early to a system that's not established. Your fishes are pretty hardy and they proly won't get effected. Just to be safe remove the dry rock and put them in about a month. This is just a suggestion maybe others have different advise.

 

[Luron]

Thanks, Alex482455

 

[Saltydrip]

I would leave the rock alone. Your chemistry is on it's way back down so the tank is evening things out.

Look at it like a plant. As you add neutrients it will absorb them. The key is not no overload. You added a little more than you should have but the tank is adapting. The biology in the tank will strengthen and then once the chemistry comes back down you can add a little more load to it. Just give it some time and let nature handle it. I would probably do a good water change though. I'm a fan of a 25% chance as soon as I notice problems.

 

[uncleof6]

Hi guys,
I am new to hobby. I had a 75 FO tank 10 yrs ago that ran on an undergravel filter and a Magnum canister. I had tons of fish, algae and ich, of course.
I finally gave up after 2 years. It still amazed me I survived in vain that long.
I just started again. The major difference is I studied much more than before.
This new tank is a 75 gal FOWLR with Eshopps W/D filter sump but I removed the bio balls. It has Coralife Super 125G skimmer in the sump. I set up the tank more than a month ago with about 50 lbs of reef saver dry rock and 25 lbs of Pukani cured live rock from LFS, 80 lbs of Ocean Direct live sand.

SG = 1.023
pH = 8.2
Temp = 77 - 79
Alkalinity = 3.5 - 4 mEq/L
Phosphate = 0.05 - 0.1
Ca = 340 - 380

My nitrite started with 0.1 from day 2 and went down to 0.005 (I use Salifert and very very light pink color looking through the side). Ammnonia has been always 0 since day 2. Nitrate started with 0.5 and went up to 5. I guess these parameters represent an instant cycling from the cured live rock and sand. The reef saver dry rock is clean and dry and did not give out NH3 at all. So I waited for 2 weeks and put in 3 green chromis and some snails, hermit crabs and 2 cleaner shrimps when I started seeing little algae on the glass and overflow box (NH3=0, NO2=0, NO3=5). The fish and CUC are happy and eating well. Nitrite went up a little and went back down to zero. A week later (NH3=0, NO2=0, NO3=5) I added 2 small False Pecula Clown in the tank. Everybody has been happy and eating well. That was a week ago.
Two days ago I decided to put 10 lbs of fragments of dry Pukani live rock in the sump below where the bio balls were before. The next day I saw a light pink color looking through the side when I tested for Nitrite (= 0.05) and Nitrate went up a bit (from 5 to 8 or so). NH4 was still 0. This morning Nitrite went down a bit (down to 0.025 or so).
I tried to analyze what has happened and I think since I only used 25 lbs or cured live rock and my tank is only a month old, all the dry rock has not been fully seeded yet and it can only handle a small bio load. When I put in Pukani dry live rock (live rock being dried), it released quite a bit of NH4 to my tank that my bio filtration can not fully handled yet. I did not remove them out of the sump because I saw Nitrite went down between yesterday and today and it is still very low anyway.
Please let me know if my assumption makes sense. I hope Nitrite will go down to zero in a few days. I will monitor it daily (along with NH4). Will this level of Nitrite harm my livestocks ?
Thanks.
Luron

Nitrite toxicity is primarily a fresh water issue. In a marine system, because the chloride salts compete for uptake with nitrite at the gills, it is not of much concern. Adding salt to an aquarium, (freshwater) is one treatment for nitrite toxicity. Ammonia is very toxic, nitrate is not. A clearer distinction between freshwater chemistry, and marine chemistry, needs to be made. The two are different.

Your system is still too 'new' to handle changes without any ripple. As long as your ammonia is staying at zero, you have little to worry about.

 

[Saltydrip]

Knowing is half the battle!!!

 

[uncleof6]

Knowing is half the battle!!!

Knowing what to be concerned about, and what not to be concerned about is half the battle. If his ammonia is staying at zero, there is nothing to be concerned about.

 

[Luron]

Thank you all for your input. I am glad I joined the forum. Great learning!!!

 

[zigzag1]

Nitrite toxicity is primarily a fresh water issue. In a marine system, because the chloride salts compete for uptake with nitrite at the gills, it is not of much concern. Adding salt to an aquarium, (freshwater) is one treatment for nitrite toxicity. Ammonia is very toxic, nitrate is not. A clearer distinction between freshwater chemistry, and marine chemistry, needs to be made. The two are different.

Your system is still too 'new' to handle changes without any ripple. As long as your ammonia is staying at zero, you have little to worry about.

+1 Well said. Nitrite is little to worry about in saltwater.