Random Nitrite Spike
 

Help Please,
I am new to RC but have had my tank up for a few months. It's been running fine but all of a sudden I have a huge nitrite spike...I can't even get a good reading off of a test kit. I know that my girlfriend spilled too much food in yesterday could that be the cause? what should I do? I don't want my fishes to die.

Thanks,
Andrew

nitrite isn't toxic in SW what are your ammonia and nitrate readings?

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11472507#post11472507 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kau_cinta_ku [/i]
[B]nitrite isn't toxic in SW what are your ammonia and nitrate readings? [/B][/QUOTE]

is it ok if i can just skip this test then? gah......thx

yeah you can skip testing for nitrite all together unless you want to do it for fun :D

Nitrate is also very high, amonia is just showing a trace. I can't quite tell where the nitrate is, damn colors all look the same.

the food could deff. be the cause. if you didn't already syphon out as much of the food as you can and perform a 20-30% water change

But doesn't nitrite eventually convert to nitrate? Seems like one would want to know there is trouble ahead with high nitrite levels that will lead to high nitrates later...?

Yeah, I siphoned out as much of the food as I could when it happened last night. I just did a 25-30 gallon water change as I had it ready to go for a WC tomorrow.

I just hope all the fish are going to be o.k. with the Nitrate and Ammonia.

Andrew

here is a good artical on nitrite. it will explain it better than I can


[url=http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.php]Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium[/URL]

the nitrate won't be your prob. for fish. you would need a lot of nitrates to do harm to fish. but the ammonia will be your biggest prob. if you can get some amequel+ or some other ammonia binder that will help out alot also if you have traces of ammonia.

Go figure I actually have some amquel+ on hand. I'll go dose the tank

Thanks,
Andrew

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11472861#post11472861 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kau_cinta_ku [/i]
[B]here is a good artical on nitrite. it will explain it better than I can


[url=http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.php]Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium[/URL] [/B][/QUOTE]
Thanks!

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11472922#post11472922 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macusr [/i]
[B]Go figure I actually have some amquel+ on hand. I'll go dose the tank

Thanks,
Andrew [/B][/QUOTE]

good luck and keep us updated

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11472922#post11472922 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by McTeague [/i]
[B]Thanks![/B][/QUOTE]

anytime

I will! Appreciate the quick help...Just glad I happen to have 30 gallons of water sitting just waiting for a Water change

Always have enough salt and enough ro/di water to do a change, have AMquel handy, and in general come here to ask---you almost always can get a good answer fast if you put the problem in your subject line: the people who know that problem will spot your post and come to your rescue usually within an hour, sometimes within 5 minutes.

Re food: shake the food into your hand before putting it in the tank: that way the mistakes get caught before they hit the water.

If something pollutes your tank, charcoal for tanks in a bag, placed in the flow, will remove ammonia and many other pollutants.

A 10 to 20% water change will lower nitrate.

A strip of polyfilter placed in your water flow will 'diagnose' a pollutant like organics, [shudder] metals, etc, and a larger amount of this expensive stuff will actually remove it.

These are your several basic quick fixes.

I use a shot glass full of tank water to dissolve frozen food...which puts less mess into your tank if you choose the right frozen for your fish.
Crook your finger over top, discard most water, then put dissolved frozens in tank for feeding, rinse glass, set aside.

HTH.