Nitrite Spike help

Ok. I added a damsel after a 5 week cycle. Tank was good.. Week in with new fish and cleaning crew. Tested water today and BAM.. Nitrite spike to 20 and PH is 7.8 I am going to do a 15% water change with RO/DI water will this solve my issues? I feed once a day with frozen food thats it.

 

Cut down to every other day, could be excess food but 20 is within normal parameters ( <20 with coral <50 fish only). This is partly why you wait weeks between fish additions. Keep testing, and if it gets higher let us know. (it should go down before you add another fish)

+1 karma for asked before doing something stupid

 

Sooo many aquarists make the mistake of thinking water changes are the end all to parameter problems. You must allow the tank to season for at least 6 weeks after the initial cycle since there were no fish in the tank for the initial 5 week period. Now that you have added fish you are getting a more true or natural cycle from the fish waste being broken down to the nitrite, a natural process. Much more info is needed. How large a tank (water volume) and do you have live rock/sand and how much of each if you do. Add more live bacteria now and provide info on your set up.

 

You mean they aren't? kidding of course. I wouldn't even do the WC at this point. I also wouldn't add bacteria at this point because you should have it. The fact that you're only at 20 indicates the fact that it's there.

Patience here, wait several days. If it goes above 30ppm consider bacteria. For now lets see if the tank can deal with the bioload. I'd do a 10% change 10 days after inserting the fish and 10% every 10 days thereafter. You have a new tank and you are still in the biological break-in period where it's going to flux because the bacteria and cleaning load isn't there yet.

 

Thanks guys. Sorry here are the details..
24 gallon Nano
25lbs of Live rock
25lbs of live sand

Tank just had the sand and live rock in it for almost 6 weeks before the addition of fish.

Just added the cleanup crew...

My PH was 8.2 for weeks
NO Nitrates or Nitrites they were both zero
Salinity has been around 1.022

Water temp is around 78.9

 

Do NOT do a water change. That only prolongs the cycle and will make things worse.
Your tank is cycling because you added livestock. Everytime yo add something, it will go through a cycle (this is why you wait between adding livestock). Just give it time to catch up.

 

OK.. Sorry Just all of the sudden the change so got worried. The Damsel seems happy and still very colorful. The snails are working there magic and eating and eating. So I will keep testing and leave it alone.

 

once a day is way to much for frozen food. although its the best for them, and they love it, any uneaten food becomes nitrates. i wait 2 days between feeding and on one of the days i don't feed frozen then i feed corals liquid food and vita-coral. depends on the load of the tank.

 

Did you cycle the tank with anything? What I mean is did you have anything in the tank like a cocktail shrimp or fish food. Or did you cycle with just live rock?

If it was just with Live rock odds are the new fish has started a new cycle. It's shouldn't be to bad. I'd keep an eye on ammonia levels and your nitrite. Then finally the Nitrate levels. A reading of 20ppm of Nitrate isn't that bad. Like other have said I'd hold off on the water change or just to 10%

J

 

Yes, but for the reasons we now know (added fish and inverts) all the more reason to help the tank out by adding bacteria, remember, it is called "beneficial" live bacteria for a reason.