|
|
FAQs on Marine Water Quality involving Nitrites, Importance
Related Articles: Nitrite,
Ammonia, Nitrates,
Establishing Cycling,
BioFiltration, Phosphate,
Silicates, Phosphate,
Related FAQs: Nitrites 1, Nitrites
2, Nitrites 3,
& FAQs on Nitrite: Science,
Measure, Sources,
Control, Chemical Filtrants,
Troubleshooting/Fixing &
Nitrates, Ammonia,
Phosphate, Silicates, Chemical
Filtrants, |
Like Ammonia, nitrite presence (particularly coupled with the
presence of high pH) is toxic... in any concentration. Stress...
disease... death. |
Comment for Neale (Nitrite toxicity; RMF, stuff you may want to comment
on) 10/21/08
Dear Neale,
I hope you and the
rest of the Crew are well. I wanted to ask you about a post I read today
that you answered regarding a trigger and a tank with 0.2 ppm of
nitrites. In your answer, you stated that the nitrite level was deadly
and that few marine fishes tolerate any level of nitrites for long.
<That was certainly my understanding... until now, perhaps!>
Now, I
worship WWM and particularly enjoy reading your answers every day, but
everything I have read suggests that nitrite is actually harmless in
marine aquaria except at almost impossible to achieve levels. For some
reason that escapes me (I am no scientist), there is something about
marine aquaria/fish that makes this situation much different than in
freshwater aquaria/fish (in which case/es it is indeed deadly at any
level).
<It has long been reported (e.g., in the Interpet Manual of
Fish Health) that sodium chloride (the dominant mineral in sea salt)
detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, which is why it had often been used as a
"tonic" to help freshwater fish in badly maintained aquaria.
Extrapolating outwards from that to say marine fish are essentially
unharmed by nitrite at even quite high levels does make sense.>
I was
wondering if you could bring some clarity to this issue--it's a frequent
point of contention on the message boards. From what I have read,
nitrite in marine aquaria is indeed a problem, but only because it is an
indicator of an immature/inadequate bio-filter and/or an overstocked
aquarium.
www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.php
Thanks!
Andy
<That study seems pretty conclusive, though Bob Fenner may have
different opinions, and I wouldn't put myself up as any kind of marine
fishkeeping guru! Most of my marine fishkeeping experience is with
coldwater stuff at university, lab animals such as snapping shrimps and
mantis shrimps, and some reef and fish-only display tanks I've helped
maintain over the years. In my defence, my instinct in this case was
that the aquarist had two fish in a tank that was far too small for
them, one of which was showing clear signs of stress. My assumption
would be problems with water quality, and that nitrite was detectable
would seem to corroborate that. So whether or not nitrite is the thing
harming this fish, it's certainly a clue that water volume, overfeeding,
lack of filter capacity and so on would definitely be issues for the
aquarist to review. Or put another way, nitrite in marine tanks may be
comparable to pH in freshwater tanks: in itself not a critical factor,
but pH is revealing about the stability and type of water chemistry
conditions in the tank, and these things do indeed directly affect the
fish. Anyway, fascinating stuff, and thanks for writing! Neale.> <<Mmm,
I do want to chime in... a bit... and do agree that it is NOT the
presence of nitrite per se that is/can be a matter of concern
directly... rather than as Andy and the article state, much more so the
indication that the given system is not "well-established" to "bump up"
or accommodate if you will, further loading on the forward reaction of
nitrification. Still the "window" of measuring, measured nitrite is
useful, should be heeded as a warning to suspend feeding, further
stocking. RMF>> More Fish, More Nitrite!
Hi
Scott, or Bob.
<Scott F. here for you!>
How are you guys doing,
hope you're doing wonderful.
<Yes, I am! Thanks!>
I wrote you a
few days ago, and asked you for a few pointers on my clown trigger, and
my lion fish. Well, even my tank is 120 gal, I pictured that, in a few
years from now, it will be like me and my wife living in the kitchen for
the rest of our lives
<Very good analogy...And, as rooms go-
definitely my first choice to be stuck in!>
(so we decided to get a
75 gal for the lion fish only with some live rock and put that aquarium
in our office.
<Good idea...you and the fish will appreciate the
space, believe me>
But now the problem is that we fell in love with a
puffer 4" (Arothron manilensis), and we bought it. Now we have 3 fishes
that are doing well in the 120gal tank, but just for about 3 months till
the other tank gets fully cycled and put the lion in the other one.
<Okay>
Now my question: I have bought these specimens because we are
fairly new in saltwater keeping, and now these fish are very hardy and
can forgive many of my mistakes that I will make (even if not on
purpose). But for beautiful and super-hardy, and resistant that they
are, BOY ARE THEY MESSY EATERS!!!,
<Yes they are!>
So, is there
any chance with these 3 specimens for the NITRITE level to be 0.00?
<Well, with a properly cycled aquarium, the nitrifying bacteria
population should "catch up" with the ammonia being produced by these
specimens. Unfortunately, nitrite in an aquarium is a sure sign that
something is out of whack. Sounds like too many (messy) fishes added to
quickly to this aquarium. You need to really slow down a bit.>
Because I think it is almost impossible because the food they eat, and
the way they eat.
<Not impossible...simply requires careful feeding,
maintenance, and patience...>
If not, I already read the nitrite
column on
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/no2probfaqs.htm, but I do
water
changes ever week like 20%, I do not overfeed, and still the NITRITE
level is high.
<Well- a lingering high nitrite level is extremely
dangerous for your fishes. I don't usually recommend this, but in this
case, you may want to add one of the commercial nitrifying bacteria
products to help "kick start" the cycle...As much as I'm a huge fan of
regular water changes...it may be worth it to hold off a bit until the
nitrite level returns to an undetectable level>
How often do you
recommend water changes, and how much ????.
<Once a tank has been
established, I like 5% water changes twice weekly>
In the store that
I bought all my 3 fishes (Aquatic Warehouse) (great store!!!), they sell
the salt water.
Do you recommend doing a massive water change 75% of
the water they sell there, or doing water changes by mixing the
scientific grade marine salt???
<I'd avoid the massive water changes
at this point...observe nitrite levels for a few more days to see if
they appear to be declining. You don't want to make a bad situation even
worse by taking an impulsive action here. As far as purchasing pre-mixed
water is concerned...Sure, you can do that, if it's easier and less
expensive for you. But personally, I like to mix my own saltwater with
RO/DI water. At least I can assure myself that the water is of
consistent quality>
Any advice you can give me would be appreciated..
Thank You..
<Well, my best advice is to stay the course here. The
nitrite level should ultimately go down with a little patience. It's too
bad that the fish have to go through this, but I think massive water
changes will just prolong their exposure to this problem. Also-
reexamine your filtration and husbandry techniques...With time, diligent
observation, careful action, and most of all, patience-things should
work out for you! Hang in there! Regards, Scott F> Prolonged
Nitrite Cycle?
Hi,
<Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>
I
have a 90 gallon tank. An Emperor 400 bio-wheel filter and a Fluval 404
canister filter. A 165 gph power head for aeration. 220 watt power
compact lighting (I leave on for 10 hours a day). A 400 watt heater. And
crushed coral for substrate
I have setup this tank in early December
with help from my LFS. I used 9 damsels to cycle my tank. Everything
seemed to be going well. By early January my ammonia levels were at 0ppm
and my nitrites were high (2-5ppm hard to tell with my test kit)
nitrates 0 ppm. My damsels at this time were very active and eating
well. Shortly after I had a good amount of green algae in my tank and
thought it was a good sign that my cycle may be complete. When I tested
again my ammonia was 0 ppm, nitrite 2-5 ppm, and nitrates 40ppm. I
brought a sample of water to the LFS and the confirmed my readings and
said my tank was still cycling and the nitrites must be on there way
down. They did not recommend me to do a water change.
<I agree I
would wait until the nitrite readings are undetectable before executing
a water change>
So I waited. In early February I lost 3 fish (heavy
breathing, possible white spots). Once again, I brought a water sample
to the LFS and I still had the high nitrites (they measured it at 4ppm)
no ammonia and my nitrates were 40ppm. They said the cause of death of
the fish was stress due to the high nitrites and I should not worry
about treating the tank for parasites.
<Well, I'd tend to
agree...Unless you see signs of a parasitic illness, there is no need to
treat for such a malady>
This morning I lost another 3 damsels. I
noticed that they lost most of their color and their gills were
red. The other fish are sluggish and color is fading. I did a 25%
water change today. My readings were 0 ammonia, 2-5ppm nitrites ( I
need a more accurate kit) and nitrates between still at 40ppm. I have
not read another article pertaining to my current problem. It seams to
me with all the articles I read that my nitrites should be dropping
(almost 2 months since its peak) especially that I have a considerable
amount of nitrates (the tank did start out with no nitrates so I am
ruling out my tap water). My water temp is consistently 78°, Sg 1.021.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks, Jeff
<Well, Jeff- hard for
me to be 100% certain what is causing this cycle to take so long to
complete. Lingering nitrite levels are a sign of an immature biological
"filter". Sounds like something is interrupting the maturation of the
system. Are you doing anything which could be killing the beneficial
bacteria in the system? Any medications, household chemicals, etc? The
symptoms you describe sound like poisoning of some sort- either
metabolite (i.e.; chronic ammonia/nitrite) or a toxin, such as a
chemical of some sort. Do re-visit your husbandry techniques, equipment
function, etc. There is a logical answer for this anomaly. Do some more
digging and you will find it! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>
Nitrites
hi bob,
Ok I tested my water in my 240 F.O tank.
Here's the results
ammonia= 0
nitrites= <0.3mg/l - 0.3 mg/l
nitrates = 25 mg/l
My question is that on the nitrites the color
chart for the test kit doesn't start from 0 it starts from
<0.3 mg/l
to 3.3-33mg/l
So does that mean that nitrites are ALWAYS present in a
healthy system???
<No my friend... should be undetectable... as in
zero ppm or mg/l in a fully "cycled" up and going system... Any
appreciable nitrite (or ammonia for the matter) is cause for concern...
either the system is insufficiently filtered (aerated, circulated),
and/or over/mis-fed, something is dead/dying in it, it's
over-crowded/mis-stocked... Please read:
http://wetwebmedia.com/no2probfaqs.htm>
And also do you think its a
good time now to hook up my ozone generator to my skimmer???
<Yes>
My tank has been running for 4 weeks now. Thanks again your fan, Lee
<Direct your focus, ability, interest into study here... You'll soon be
answering these queries (thanks in advance!). Bob Fenner> Re:
nitrites
Bob,
my Tetra Nitrite test kit graph/chart STARTS at
<0.3 mg/l. When I testedmy water it was at the <0.3mg/l. Which is the
lowest on their chart. This is what the Tetra test kit instruction says.
Ill punch it in for you in exact words . " Ideally nitrite levels should
be kept below 0.8mg/l."
<Hmm, do agree... I generally state "1.0 ppm"
out of laziness, assuredness that this value is most easily
remembered...>
" If nitrite levels is above 1.6mg/l, carry out a
partial water change".
<Well... this doesn't seem logical (to me
obviously)... I caution folks to do such a change at or above "1.0 ppm"
(or mg/l)... for the same expedients mentioned above>
"Biologically
active and efficient filtration will keep nitrite levels at a very low
and safe level". So to me Bob it sounds like Tetra is saying that there
will ALWAYS be some presents in nitrites. Yet you told me that nitrites
should be at 0mg/l. What is your opinion regards to this . Your big fan.
<Still a fan? Well... I'm still of the opinion that they (nitrites)
should be zip, zero, zilch... Do query the various electronic bulletin
boards, chatforums (here's WWM's: http://talk.wetwebfotos.com/), or
published works... S/b nada, none... Bob Fenner, who IS a big fan of
Tetra/Pfizer... but not their English inserts. labeling at times.>
Lee
|
|
