Nitrites in a BB system

[cubuffs]

Hello,

I have a 180g barebottom sps only tank. I have about 15 fish in it (9 anthias) and have some nitrites in my tank. Is this caused by the detrius located in the sump? Also, how do I remove the nitrites?

Thanks in advance!

 

[cubuffs]

Forgot to add: there is no mechanical filtration. Just a sump.

 

[bertoni]

I'd double-check the test kit before doing anything. Nitrite isn't toxic, so you could ignore it. New tanks sometimes show nitrite for extended periods. How long has the tank been running?

 

[illal]

how long has the tank been setup????what are all of your paremeters?? you sure you talkin about nitrites and not nitrates??? nitrites will later become nitrates .

 

[cubuffs]

The tank has been setup since January 14. I had a complete crash due to a power failure earlier this winter which caused me to start over.

All other levels are normal, but the nitrites. I have lost six fish since I checked my water, and I feel that either this could be the problem, or my RO unit is failing and the media needs to be replaced. Anyone else?

 

[kurtg]

When in doubt, change the water out. Err, I mean water change.

I'm a bit of a newbie myself, but I read numerous threads about people doing all the right things and still having problems with nitrates etc. I came to the conclusion that both these people and myself didn't have the right bacteria in the water. I used seachem stability and I ended up with good water parameters about a month later. this is very anecdotal and not a controlled experiment because I was making other changes to the system at the same time, but it did work for me.

 

[bertoni]

Well, I ran a tank that showed nitrite above zero for years without any issues. Growing and harvesting a macroalga would help in a lot of ways, including nitrite, so that might be an interesting approach.

 

[cubuffs]

Thanks....that is a very interesting idea. Great advice from all!