nitrite problems

[nitram10]

Hey guys i have a 55 gal. aquarium with 50 pounds of live rock and a magnum 350 cannister filter. my tank is about four months old and once it finished cycling i havent had a problem with anything until now. i had about twenty oysters die one my rocks for some odd reason. they stunk up my tank and i had to remove all of them. every since then my nitrite has been high. i use the saltwater master test kit by aquarium pharmaceuticals and it shows up at .25. does anyone know why it is high. i really need help because i have 10 corals coming in tuesday. also, will that little amount of nitrite kill my corals. thanks for any help...

[FishhyRen]

the massive die off might have triggered your tank to cycle again....

I would strongly recommend upgrading your filtration, it provides FAR too little circulation for your tank (I had one and it was barely enough to keep a couple fish healthy) (Dead spots everywhere)!!

Consider a wet-dry system (w/out the bio balls)-
Also, if you don't already have one, a protein skimmer wouldn't hurt w/that much live rock!

What type of lighting do you have?

Did you add anything to the tank before the massive die off?
If you notice something going on with your coral, rock or fish that seems out of normal, the best thing to do for you would probably be a water change (Consider three changes, one 5gal every other day for a week).

I think you should cancel your corals until your tank is under the proper params!!

[Trumpet12]

nitram10,

I have the same test kit as you, and I am fairly sure that if sometimes gives low readings when there is actually none. This might mean that your nitrite is okay, but better safe than sorry.

I agree with FishhyRen that you should get a protein skimmer before you get corals. I took my canister filter off my tank, because of the fouling issue. In a short period of time, a canister filter that the pump stops running on can produce lots of bad stuff that gets spewed back into your tank when the pump starts again. This is especially a problem in the event of a power faliure.

You might want to consider getting some powerheads for more circulation.

I suggest that you delay or cancel your coral order until you have some new equipment and are more sure of your tanks water conditions.

Trumpet12

[Trumpet12]

Originally posted by FishhyRen
Consider a wet-dry system (w/out the bio balls)

Would this be for circulation and aeration, or are there more reasons than that to do this?

[FishhyRen]

I suggested the wet-dry sump w/out bio balls b/c they are usually cheap and some are decent sizes, but w/out bio balls because the bio balls act like a nitrate sponge and you'll end up never being able to get rid of the nitrates either...

[Trumpet12]

Originally posted by FishhyRen
I suggested the wet-dry sump w/out bio balls b/c they are usually cheap and some are decent sizes, but w/out bio balls because the bio balls act like a nitrate sponge and you'll end up never being able to get rid of the nitrates either...

At first I had not understood why someone would want a filter without media for any reasons other than aeration or circulation, but if it you are going to use it as a sump, I understand.