High results on water test. Ammonia, Nitrite,and Nitrate

[EB707]

Hello I’m new to the forum and looking for some guidance. I am new to the hobby and just setup a new reef tank about a month ago. I have been testing the water pretty regularly with the results being pretty much 0ppm on Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. I just completed a roughly 20% water change on Saturday and tested my water this morning using an API test kit and received the following results:
PH 8.0
Ammonia 0.5
Nitrite 5.0
Nitrate 20

Should I be concerned with these levels?

 

[taricha]

Nothing is really wrong with those levels specifically. But if your only input is a water change, then there might be an issue with the water source, like an exhausted resin releasing ammonia or something. It looks like you had a larger than typical ammonia input recently, somehow.

 

[EB707]

Nothing is really wrong with those levels specifically. But if your only input is a water change, then there might be an issue with the water source, like an exhausted resin releasing ammonia or something. It looks like you had a larger than typical ammonia input recently, somehow.

Sorry for the lack of information. Currently in the tank are 2 clowns, 3 Green Chromies, a neon gobie, and a CUC consisting of a couple crabs and a handful of snails. I guess what I’m asking about is if my tank has completed its cycle and should I be worried about any of the levels at this point. It is a 40 gallon tank that was started with live sand and about 20lbs of dry rock.

 

[Garf]

Sorry for the lack of information. Currently in the tank are 2 clowns, 3 Green Chromies, a neon gobie, and a CUC consisting of a couple crabs and a handful of snails. I guess what I’m asking about is if my tank has completed its cycle and should I be worried about any of the levels at this point. It is a 40 gallon tank that was started with live sand and about 20lbs of dry rock.

There's nothing immediately dangerous with those readings. I'm curious how you cycled it though, and if the nitrite was zero before you added the fish etc. For the cycle, did you add ammonia or ghost feed, add a bacterial product, or just rely on the live sand? for example. For what it's worth, the bacteria will catch up with the load generally. Have you got a picture of the tank?

 

[EB707]

There's nothing immediately dangerous with those readings. I'm curious how you cycled it though, and if the nitrite was zero before you added the fish etc. For the cycle, did you add ammonia or ghost feed, add a bacterial product, or just rely on the live sand? for example. For what it's worth, the bacteria will catch up with the load generally. Have you got a picture of the tank?

For the cycle I was using a startup bacteria product. Nitrite was zero before the fish were added. I tested again last night and the Ammonia appeared to be between 0.25 and 0.5., Nitrite still at 5ppm and Nitrates were between 5-10ppm. Picture of the tank is attached. I’m currently dealing with some green film algae. I’m having to clean the glass every day.

 

[Garf]

For the cycle I was using a startup bacteria product. Nitrite was zero before the fish were added. I tested again last night and the Ammonia appeared to be between 0.25 and 0.5., Nitrite still at 5ppm and Nitrates were between 5-10ppm. Picture of the tank is attached. I’m currently dealing with some green film algae. I’m having to clean the glass every day.

Looks good. Cleaning the glass is a reefing certainty.

 

[Garf]

For the cycle I was using a startup bacteria product. Nitrite was zero before the fish were added. I tested again last night and the Ammonia appeared to be between 0.25 and 0.5., Nitrite still at 5ppm and Nitrates were between 5-10ppm. Picture of the tank is attached. I’m currently dealing with some green film algae. I’m having to clean the glass every day.

Looks good. Cleaning the glass is a reefing certainty.

 

[Bruttall]

The Bacteria Cycle in a fish tanks starts with Organics breaking down, this creates ammonia in the water column. The bacteria then processes the Ammonia into Nitrite, which is then processed into Nitrate by yet another variation of bacteria, this process is called Nitrification.

Good Baseline parameters would be 0ppm Ammonia, 0ppm Nitrite, with some Nitrates, between 10ppm and 50ppm somewhere is pretty common. If you are seeing some Ammonia and some Nitrite, it means your Cycle is still establishing itself. Once it is firmly established, you should not see Ammonia or Nitrites again during normal operation. I would keep doing what you are doing and keep testing till the Nitrites disappear. Then you KNOW your tank is cycled fully.


My tanks parameters run on average;
78.5 degree F,
1.026 salinity,
35ppm nitrate,
.05ppm phos,
9.5Dkh,
430Calcium.
Since Mag chases Calc I don't test for it. I also do not test for Ammonia or Nitrite, and haven't since I cycled my tank, unless disaster strikes, which thankfully it has not in the year I've been keeping this aquarium.

I am about 7 months into no water changes on a 14 month old system, even though I used to advocate strongly for water changes, salt got to way to expensive considering I used a Box of IO Reef (Orange box) every month. I do have to dose Lanthanum Chloride to manage Phos, I add Reef Complete anytime my Calc dips close to or below 400ppm to raise it back to the 430mark I target, and I use Arm and Hammer Baking Soda/RODI water mixture to raise my DKH when it gets close to 8.5. I have a bad habit of over dosing the soda and raising dkh above 11, but I have not seen any bad side effects from that (yet) and usually with in 2 days it is back to the 9.0 to 10.0 range I target. (this is my next thingy to perfect and hopefully automate with a dosing pump.)

As for cleaning the glass, the only way I know to reduce, but not eliminate, is by having a refugium growing algae in your system some where. I grow insane amounts of GHA in my fuge and since water flows thru that grassy mat, it acts like a natural floss filter polishing my water!



Rest of the sump;


Since every reef tank is different, Don't expect your numbers to match perfect with mine or anyone else's but hopefully I have given you enough of a starting point that you can establish your tanks baseline nutrient parameters.

 

[EB707]

The Bacteria Cycle in a fish tanks starts with Organics breaking down, this creates ammonia in the water column. The bacteria then processes the Ammonia into Nitrite, which is then processed into Nitrate by yet another variation of bacteria, this process is called Nitrification.

Good Baseline parameters would be 0ppm Ammonia, 0ppm Nitrite, with some Nitrates, between 10ppm and 50ppm somewhere is pretty common. If you are seeing some Ammonia and some Nitrite, it means your Cycle is still establishing itself. Once it is firmly established, you should not see Ammonia or Nitrites again during normal operation. I would keep doing what you are doing and keep testing till the Nitrites disappear. Then you KNOW your tank is cycled fully.


My tanks parameters run on average;
78.5 degree F,
1.026 salinity,
35ppm nitrate,
.05ppm phos,
9.5Dkh,
430Calcium.
Since Mag chases Calc I don't test for it. I also do not test for Ammonia or Nitrite, and haven't since I cycled my tank, unless disaster strikes, which thankfully it has not in the year I've been keeping this aquarium.

I am about 7 months into no water changes on a 14 month old system, even though I used to advocate strongly for water changes, salt got to way to expensive considering I used a Box of IO Reef (Orange box) every month. I do have to dose Lanthanum Chloride to manage Phos, I add Reef Complete anytime my Calc dips close to or below 400ppm to raise it back to the 430mark I target, and I use Arm and Hammer Baking Soda/RODI water mixture to raise my DKH when it gets close to 8.5. I have a bad habit of over dosing the soda and raising dkh above 11, but I have not seen any bad side effects from that (yet) and usually with in 2 days it is back to the 9.0 to 10.0 range I target. (this is my next thingy to perfect and hopefully automate with a dosing pump.)

As for cleaning the glass, the only way I know to reduce, but not eliminate, is by having a refugium growing algae in your system some where. I grow insane amounts of GHA in my fuge and since water flows thru that grassy mat, it acts like a natural floss filter polishing my water!



Rest of the sump;


Since every reef tank is different, Don't expect your numbers to match perfect with mine or anyone else's but hopefully I have given you enough of a starting point that you can establish your tanks baseline nutrient parameters.

Great. Thank you for the information.