Nitrites keep spiking in quarantine with fish

[Andrew Stevens]

Hello everyone,

I have a 20 gallon quarantine tank that has 3 fish quarantining - Midas Blenny, Watchman Goby and Royal Gramma. These fish are about a week into their Copper Power treatment.

I have tested the aquarium with my Red Sea test kit and levels are as follows:

Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 1
Copper - 2.37 (tested with Hanna checker)

Should I be concerned with the nitrite levels? If so, what should my next steps be?

Thank you,

Andrew

 

[Sharkbait19]

How long has the tank been set up? What kits are you using?
Nitrite is non toxic to marine fish, but positive readings does often indicate the cycle is not yet completed.

 

[Andrew Stevens]

The tank has been set up for about 2 weeks. Cycled with Fritz Turbo 900. Should I be concerned that there are fish quarantining in copper in a tank that’s not completely cycled yet? I feel bad that I rushed it.

 

[Andrew Stevens]

Kits are Red Sea Multi Test Marine Care for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. Copper tested with Hanna Copper High Range.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Unless the fish are acting/looking off I wouldn’t be worried. Keep an eye on levels and do water changes as necessary.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

The tank has been set up for about 2 weeks. Cycled with Fritz Turbo 900. Should I be concerned that there are fish quarantining in copper in a tank that’s not completely cycled yet? I feel bad that I rushed it.

No, you can keep fish in an uncycled tank, you just need to keep a close eye on ammonia and be prepared to do water changes as needed.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Unless the fish are acting/looking off I wouldn’t be worried. Keep an eye on levels and do water changes as necessary.

Great minds think alike, lol

 

[Andrew Stevens]

Thank you both. The yellow watchman goby does lay vertically from time to times and sometime swims near the surface. But to be honest I’m not sure if it’s from the water quality or the Midas Blenny (he’s a bit of a jerk).

 

[Sharkbait19]

Try adding more hiding places to make it feel more comfortable.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Thank you both. The yellow watchman goby does lay vertically from time to times and sometime swims near the surface. But to be honest I’m not sure if it’s from the water quality or the Midas Blenny (he’s a bit of a jerk).

What do you have in place for oxygenation?

 

[Andrew Stevens]

I’ve got a power head near the surface pointed up that causes a lot of surface agitation. No air stone

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, the nitrite is not toxic in marine systems and generally is not worth measuring except for curiosity or to ensure a nitrate measurement is not beign interfered with by nitrite.

Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Summary

As far as has been studied, nitrite is not as toxic to marine fish as it is to freshwater fish. This difference is striking, with some of the most sensitive freshwater species being more than a thousand times more sensitive than typical marine species. Does this apply to all fish that might be kept in reef aquaria? I have no way of knowing. I have seen nitrite toxicity test results on only one marine species that we normally maintain in reef aquaria (Figure 3). Nevertheless, there is no reason to think them more or less susceptible.

The same can be said of nitrite toxicity to marine invertebrates; few studies have been done. Those that have been tested suggest that lethal doses of nitrite are fairly high (i.e., tens to thousands of ppm nitrite). Biochemical and developmental effects have been observed at lower doses, however, and there is no reason to suspect that the most sensitive invertebrates have actually been tested.

Aquarists obviously can decide for themselves, based on the data provided above, what level of nitrite to allow in a reef aquarium, or alternatively, at what level to take some action to reduce it (e.g., a water change). Fortunately, nitrite levels in reef aquaria are almost always far lower than would cause concern from a toxicity perspective. While a new aquarium's nitrite levels might reach up toward 10 ppm or more, such an aquarium should not yet contain sensitive organisms. Once the nitrite is below 1 ppm, there is little reason to be concerned.

From my perspective, nitrite and the nitrogen cycle may be interesting phenomena to monitor during a reef aquarium's initial set up, but nitrite does not warrant routine testing. I haven't tested any aquaria for nitrite in years, despite setting up several reef aquaria in that time. I simply do not think that nitrite is worth the time and expense of testing, unlike ammonia, phosphate, alkalinity, pH, calcium, etc. It is my opinion that many things other than nitrite concentration are more worthy of reef aquarists' attention.

 

[Andrew Stevens]

Thanks for the post Randy, this definitely makes me feel a little better.