should i be freaking out about my readings?

[zheka757]

hello! I have a total of 430 gallon aquarium/sump system. Now im into a fifth month since setting it up and running it.
started my tank with dry rock and dry crushed coral sandbed. from day 1 i had skimmer running. i also have dry rock im my sump with lights on 24/7.
For the first month i saw a little amonia in my tank, (0.25ppm) never for the next 4 month until now my nitrite/nitrate being at 0 ppm.
with in the last 2 month i have added the following fish:
huge blonde naso tang 7''
1 purple tang
6 yellow tangs
1 flame angel
2 basslets

the last fish added was 5 more yellow tangs last week. now my nitrite is at 5.0+ ppm and my nitrates at 40ppm.
can't figure out what have happened is my tank not cycled yet? do i have to much fish?

 

[lthary]

Have you added anything to start the cycle? Like a row shrimp or pure amonia?


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[Reefingmark]

Many questions. Did you start a cycle? (Shrimp, phantom feed, Live bacteria)? How did you began the cycle process? If you did nothing and just ran water through your tank, nothing would happen until you add fish and start to feed.

 

[zheka757]

yes, i did have 6 damsels 3 weeks after setting tank up. 2 of them disappeared and nowhere to be found since.

 

[zheka757]

Many questions. Did you start a cycle?

im starting to ask my self same question! i though my cycle was done by having same readings ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, they where all at o ppm.

 

[vhuang168]

Your cycle never started if you had no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate readings.

Go get Dr Tims bacteria or other bottled bacteria products and dose the tank. Hopefully that will help cycle the ammonia the fish are producing fast enough that you don't kill any fish.


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[homer1475]

In a very short period of time you dropped a MASSIVE bioload into a new tank. These numbers along with a small ammonia reading wouldn't surprise me at all.

Dr. Tims, stability, or Prime would all help your ride this out. While nitrates aren't that toxic to fish, I would be worried about the nitrite readings.

 

[zheka757]

Ok so if my tank is not cycled, what do I do as far as water changes now? Should I still keep my skimmer running? ( my collection cup is getting full of brown smelly crap every week) and will it harm my live stock by adding that bottled bacteria?

 

[zheka757]

By the way I do have lots of brown and green algae growing in my tank now. Is this any indication that my tank is somewhat started cycle already?

 

[LuizW13]

Jeez, you really dodged a bullet there, huh? lol.

 

[zheka757]

Jeez, you really dodged a bullet there, huh? lol.

Did I? I don't know yet.

 

[Reefingmark]

Prime or Tims. Will not harm fish.

 

[zheka757]

I got some Seachem Stability today, did some water testing no change since yesterday on nitrite, nitrate,
Do I have to turn my skimmer off to run this additives?
it feels like my skimmer is what keeps my fish alive, judging by how much stuff it pulls out from my tank. But at same time it feels like it also pulling healthy bacteria out from my tank also.

 

[zheka757]

so after dozing stability (seachem) yesterday, and checking my nitrite/nitrate lvls, they still haven't changed, nitrite is somewhere 3-5 ppm and nitrate about 60 ppm.
I hate to keep dozing this stuff at $20 per day if its not going to help me, but when should i see results? bottle saying to dose tank for 1 week.

 

[ClownfishNut]

I would recommend that you keep dosing for the time recommended. You are not going to see immediate changes. You dramatically increased bioload and it will take time for the bacteria and the products you are using to handle the new waste levels.

 

[zheka757]

So do I need to run my skimmer and doing water changes at this time?

 

[juanmanuelsanch]

Did you read anything before starting the hobby ? Because it dosent look like it. If you dont see a fish its probably dead and its decomposing, adding more ammonia to the water.

Your tank is no where near to take that load of waste. You did a huge mistake there. You should take things slowly.

Water changes and bacteria in a bottle will help. But I dont know when you will see results.

If I were you I would go and return the fishes and add 1 or 2 and slowly take it from there.

Also you will need a quarantine tank / protocol otherwise you will kill the fish sooner or later with a pest. Thats a fact.

 

[zheka757]

Did you read anything before starting the hobby ? Because it dosent look like it. If you dont see a fish its probably dead and its decomposing, adding more ammonia to the water.

Your tank is no where near to take that load of waste. You did a huge mistake there. You should take things slowly.

Water changes and bacteria in a bottle will help. But I dont know when you will see results.

If I were you I would go and return the fishes and add 1 or 2 and slowly take it from there.

Also you will need a quarantine tank / protocol otherwise you will kill the fish sooner or later with a pest. Thats a fact.

 

[zheka757]

Thank you for your reply ^ but to answer your question yes I did read lots and lots of information and had fresh water tank for 4 yeahs prior to this one. And yes I know those mixing damsels died, but that was 4 month ago. So I'm sure the tank have started cycle back then. And reading about tank cycle, most people usually already have their tank cycled 5 month into stArting their tanks.
And yes I did quarantined all my fishes also.

 

[ClownfishNut]

You should definitely be running your skimmer and doing water changes right now in order to lower the waste levels (ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite) in your tank.