trites and trates issue - lets see if we can figure this out

[reef tank 2.0]

I have a 20g QT. glass bottom, hob filter with no media in it, piece of live rock, heater, pvc elbows, and 2 clownfish.

prior to no filter media in the hob, i had some swimming pool filter media that I was using. Once I used that filter media, I noticed the nitrites went through the roof along with the nitrates. So I removed the filter media Monday night.

Tuesday, I added 2ml of prime to the water after I did the 50% water change.

Tested the water late Wednesday night and the trites/trates were the same, they never budged. It was too late for me to do a water change.

So Thursday night (now), I removed 50% of the water and refilled with fresh salt water. Tested the water and the trites/trates are still high.

Why are they not lowering? I did not add prime back to the water, should I have? Should I add prime back to the water that was added (10 gallons)?

I don't know what else I can do to lower these numbers, other than water changes every night
The trites are around 1.0+ppm and nitrates are 75-100ppm

 

[RayAllen3422]

What test kits are you using?

 

[reef tank 2.0]

Salifert

 

[Sk8r]

Fish tolerate nitrate better than corals do. But getting it down is good. Just continue water changes, and do a little every day. FIlters tend to pile up crud and cause nitrate problems. One live rock isn't going to help much. Put the food in tiny bit at a time, and stop when you have seen each fish get a mouthful. As sedentary as they are in qt, that'll do. They're not going to starve at that rate.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

thank you for the help.

As for my feeding habits.....As soon as I enter the water with the turkey baster, the two clown come to it and eat each piece as it comes through. Any floaties I see floating in the water column, they gulp right up. I guess there is one positive to them being little piggies, nothing is left behind

But I will continue the water changes........Should I do 50% daily or am I better off doing 25% daily?

I was just informed that I shouldn't use Prime UNLESS I start seeing ammonia in the water. Which i have not

 

[Azedenkae]

Hey mate, so prior to all this you had no filter media except for live rock? And then you added the pool filter media and nitrites and nitrates skyrocketed?

How long has the tank been up?

 

[reef tank 2.0]

When I started the QT tank (30 days ago), I started with the pool media. About 3 weeks in, I noticed the spike in trites/trates. I didn't add the small piece of live rock to the system till after I removed the media. Now I'm on a mission to lower the levels.

I rinsed the media in the salt water I removed which now, to me, didn't make much sense. I was rinsing it out in trite/trate ridded waters which didn't help me. (I realize that now)