My Problems Are Worse

Ok My Ammonia Is Still The Same But My Nitrites Are At 0.05. Isn't It Worse To Have High Nitrites Than The Ammonia. My Little Guy Is Really Not Doing Good. He Hasn't Ate, He's Low To The Ground Underneath A Rock And To Me He Seems To Be Breathing Rapidly. I Hate This...i Know The Feeling I Get When I Know A Fish Is Going To Die. I Have An Uncanny Ability To Watch A Fish And Tell That It Will Die. I Did This With A Few Cichlids. I Honestly Don't Know What's Going On In My Tank And I Don't Know How To Fix It. Everything Else Is Fine. Jeez, I Found One Of My Crabs In A Much Bigger Shell, He Molted.

 

What you're experiencing is perfectly normal. You removed bacteria by removing the sponge and you added fish at the same time. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do at this point but wait it out. I'm really sorry to hear about your fish but unless you've got a quarantine tank, there's not much you can do for it

 

If I Had A Quarentine Tank What Can I Do. I'm Going Out Tomorrow To Get One. It Will Be Set Up 24/7 For Any Emegencies And For New Additions. My Question Is How Do U Keep The Bacteria In A Qt Tank.

 

That's how the cycle goes. Ammonia->Nitrite->Nitrate. Nitrate can be removed several ways. If there was a trace of Ammonia, there will be nitrites in the process. It will go away later and you'll find that you have nitrates now.

 

Isn't It Worse To Have High Nitrites Than The Ammonia

No, nitrite is not toxic in seawater, just FW. Ammonia is much more toxic in seawater than FW. Ammonia is the #1 killer of fish in SW

 

From your other post you are takling about Ammonia. How high is it? High ammonia can cause this if the fish has acummulated enough in time. It screws up blood chemistry

 

If you have nitrites then your ammonia level must be high. Retest today and do a water change.

Boomer, nitrite is less toxic then ammonia. High level of nitrite can also kill.

 

I really honestly dont think Nitrites are more toxic. How can Nitrites be more toxic after being broken down from Ammonia? I say they are less toxic in any case. High nitrites can make fish uncomfortable, but I dont think deadly enough to kill in small traces < 1ppm.

 

Boomer, nitrite is less toxic then ammonia. High level of nitrite can also kill.

Sorry that is an old myth if you check out the lit. It has been discussed and brought up numerous times on our Chem forum. In short, the NO2- ion in seawater has to compete with the chloride ion is seawater, which is 19,000 ppm. The chloride ion and maybe even the calcium ion, act as a protection ions to prevent nitrite toxicity, methemoglobinema, brown blood or low oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. It is the reason behind adding salt to FW during high NO2- levels. Dead fish, so called due to high NO2-in seawater, is actually delayed/post ammonia poisoning toxicity and not nitrite. At +30 ppm marine fish often get lethargic and have difficulties in breathing but no deaths. Levels need to be in the 100's to bring about deaths.

 

Good mini lesson Boomer