NO2 still high after 4 weeks

[doubleHH]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to marine fishkeeping, i am having a 2 feet tank with a mixture of damsel, clown sweetlips and box fish. After 4 weeks liao but the NO2 reading still at the high end and death rate for fish is 1 per week. ...does it seems right for NO2 to be still high after 4 weeks.

Also my box fish has got white dots since yesterday ,,,, I'll be trying the garlie extreme soon.

[bawater]

don't mind me saying but if u say No2(Nirite) is still testable, it simply means your biological cycle is not established and u stocked up with a number of fishes all in one go or your current filtration cannot cope with the current bioloads.

You didn't list your filtration & wat u have in there,tank size,number of fishes & how old is the tank: without any details its a shot in the dark & u may get a wrong answer.

i prefer the first as the power of bacteria is a force not to be reckon with- give them time and a place to call home & they work for free.

You can intro some more bacteria by changing abt 10% or more with filtered seawater from LFS.

In the meantime if u can lower your bioloads immediately it would help, then only stock up 1 or 2 fish at a time at intervals of a week or two.

Ammonia & Nirites are Toxic & can kill(hence your death rate), Nitrates(No3) to a certain extent are tolerable for Fish Only Tanks,but high levels for long periods levels never benefit anyone.

Here are some tables of parameters as guidelines:(guide only)

saltaquarium fish only

saltaquarium reef

Your boxfish will spread to the other fishes, if it hasn't already.And garlic is more of a preventive measure that u have to feed on a regular basis rather than a cure. You can use medication but at your own risk.

& i hope u understand that boxfish in general do have toxins which they released when stressed although the white one u have is not recorded to release them so easily & is quite tolerable. Food seems to keep them happy. i tried to rub mine but it still didn't release anything(which i don't suggest u do unless u willing to loose all your tank-i only did it in a hospital tank)and its learnt to spit water at me if i have food.

[doubleHH]

I guess i just have to reduce my load ... i have 10 fishes in a 2 feet tank with only a 3 layer- cheap top filter and a eheim 2210 internal filter. I must admit i am a bit impatient but i thought 4 weeks is so bloodly long.

I'm still testing and waiting for nitrate to go to zero. Is it really possible for nitrite to go to zero.??

Thanks for your links and advice & I think you got yourself a wonderful boxfish... do you mean rubbing the white spot off their skin ??

[Blue Tang]

Hi HH,

10 fishes is a lot for a 2' tank assuming all 10 are small fishes. I only kept 6 for my 3' tank (2 of 6" tangs, 2 damsel and 2 clown). Tangs has been in the tank for close to 2years.

Careful of the box fish, they can catch ICH easily due to their scaleless body.

Two suggestion: One... to speed up the NO cycle...buy a bottle of NOcycle bateria which can be found in any fish shop and dose it into the tank.

Two...direct the output jets of water from the 2210 into the surface. This will agitate the water surface and increase the gas exchange tremendously (ie. get rid of CO2 and NH4, increase O2). Your top hung filter should be filtering at least 4-5 times the tank volume per hour. Any waste on the 1st layer of filter/cotton should clean every 3 days. The other layers of filter/cotton should not be touch for at least 2 month. If need to wash these layer, wash them one at a time, one week apart. Hope I helped!

[waverider]

I guess i just have to reduce my load ... i have 10 fishes in a 2 feet tank with only a 3 layer- cheap top filter and a eheim 2210 internal filter. I must admit i am a bit impatient but i thought 4 weeks is so bloodly long.

I'm still testing and waiting for nitrate to go to zero. Is it really possible for nitrite to go to zero.??

Thanks for your links and advice & I think you got yourself a wonderful boxfish... do you mean rubbing the white spot off their skin ??

10 fishes in 2 feet tank??

you may like to consider seachem De*nitrator to resolve ur nitrate problem.

[Fishfreak]

You can intro some more bacteria by changing abt 10% or more with filtered seawater from LFS.

I don't think that works. Bacteria does not exist in the water - they are in the sand, LR, glass walls etc - but not in the water. But by changing water, some of those nasty stuff do get thrown out.

[Tanzy]

The seachem denitrator takes 4 weeks to work and it doesn't even do a half decent job compared to a DSB or even a proper denitrator. The best is still not overstocking.

[bawater]

HH, simply overstocked. Cycle not finished yet & at 4 weeks u were on the right track if u started with 1-2 fish.

Too fast,Too many,Too soon.

i know it was the CNY

At 10 fishes in a 2ft at 4 weeks with high nirites u will not get 0 nitrates for a long time to come.

(i don't even hit 10 fishes in a 4ft even when it was fish only- the waste was just too much.

Now i cap mine off at 6)

Last nite i was at an LFS & again i heard them explain to ppl the right way of starting a tank of death. Buy tank & filter,mix salt- can add fish next day. Good luck, God bless (i won't mention names cause its off topic here)

HH- Don't rub the fish.It will not get rid of the ich or whitespots- it will either release toxins & kill your tank or stress the fish more(collectors in hawaii do this before shipping the blue boxfish to rid the toxins while shipping)

Fishfreak- actually it is, Old sw is full of of bacteria(good & bad),diatoms,microbes & all the things the eye can't see. The water change will benefit in 2 ways,the main purpose is to dilute the wastes while an additional benefit comes with a little bacteria boost. This a jump start method of cycling but no matter what u must still keep track of levels to know when to start stocking & maintain healthy stocking levels. The beneficial bacteria is everywhere,all around us . When u cycle a bare tank without any source of LR, they come from the air around us but it takes a little longer.