Please Help and Advise

[jminick2]

Nitrate isn't toxic to fish unless it's in the 100s. Nitrite isn't as bad as in freshwater, either. Which is nice since everything in saltwater seems to be more dire than fresh.

The OP may very well have nitrites; adding a big tang spiked ammonia, which is being transformed into nitrite slowly. You know that everything you add to a tank causes a "mini-cycle", yes? Ideally there is excess bacterial capacity, and the extra ammonia is dealt with as with the current fish, but adding a surprise big fish to a borderline-overloaded tank is trouble. People tend to talk about THE nitrogen cycle as if it only happens once, this isn't the case.

hth
ivy

not sure why you quoted me, but you do not undergo a mini cycle when u add a fish, you MAY if you had several fish at once but one fish is absolutely not going to cause a mini cycle. excess bacteria is not the source of people not having mini cycles everytime their bioload increases or they feed too much, it is "established" bacteria. if you have an established bacteria colony I promise that you will NEVER see a mini cycle by adding one fish that Is the beauty of bacteria is multiplies so rapidly to adjust to things like this, other wise we would have fish with ammonia poisoning every day we over fed or a snail died ect.

 

[nmotz]

Any time nitrites are detectable on a hobbyist level test kit, it's probably worth it to assume that additional biological filtration is needed. Here's a list of things to investigate (some already mentioned):

- Even for a large tank like yours, you have lots of large fish that are producing a lot of waste. It's *generally* best for new aquarists like yourself to utilize rules of thumb when it comes to how much LR to use in your tank. In general, the rule is somewhere between 1-2 lbs/gallon of water. You have 175 gallons of water and only 125 pounds of rock. You might need at least 50-100 pounds more LR. Actually if it were me, I'd add 50-100 pounds of DRY rock because adding that much LR now might cause a mini-cycle and you don't want that.

- Sometimes biological filtration is stunted by a lack of strong flow in the tank, especially a large tank. Increasing the flow in your tank can allow your LR to more effectively filter the nitrites. Put a couple strong powerheads (1000GPH+) on your tank. Point at least one powerhead upward to create surface agitation. This will also help oxygenate the tank and stabilize your pH.

- Save up and get a good skimmer if you don't already have one. Resist the temptation to buy cheap, that's just a waste of money. There are good reviews for several hang-on-back skimmers including some of the Reef Octopus and Aquamaxx models. For a tank your size, however, a sump and an in-sump protein skimmer would probably have been a more efficient option.

- Some people insist on QTing, some people don't. Because you are new to this, I would recommend QTing. Then, later on if you are more comfortable you can consider not QTing. Think of it this way....you are spending a lot of money on fish that keep dying. Why not spend a little on a properly sized QT and ultimately save money by not introducing sick fish to your tank?

Hope this helps!

 

[davocean]

Davocean, I see you are a ROTM..but do you really think the OP should pull filtration when their tank is showing clear signs of inadequate biofilter? They've already got ammonia and nitrites, pulling the media will make this worse. Absolutely they should do something about nitrates but *not* right this second.

Nobody's suggested water changes..how about some water changing?

hth
Ivy

The reason I suggested pulling media from OP's canister is because usually that is a source of higher nitrates, as I mentioned.
There is a lot of speculation going on right now, that is why I said post pics so we can see what OP has for filtration, among other things.
Sounds like they may be lacking in biofiltration which would be different from mechanical filtration and media.
While my first thought is stop adding any livestock, I agree, WC's are pretty much always beneficial in just about any negative situation.

I agree w/ Nmotz comments as well