Parameters Very High! What to do?

[Zman16]

My saltwater parameters were very high today. I did a 25% water change yesterday. The tank has only been running for about 2 and a half weeks. Is this normal during cycle? Here are my parameters:

Ammonia- I can't even tell, the highest on the card is a dark green color, and what showed up is a dark blue color!
Nitrite- 5.0
Nitrate- about 15
ph- I think 7.8 (the color is weird. )

What can I do to fix this? PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lordroad]

Is your pH kit the high-end range? I used my freshwater 6.something to 8.0 and saltwater just made lemonade when I started out.

Regardless, 7.8 is way too low. You need 8.2-8.4.

Smell your water. Does it smell funky or like mudflats at low tide? Also does it appear murky, cloudy, or discolored?

You did the water change so that's good. With nothing in there right now (from your sig), you really have nothing to worry about. I'd take in a vial of water to a good LFS and get them to check just to see if your test kits are up to snuff.

Once you see what's what do another 25% water change in a few days and go from there.

 

[Zman16]

I do have a high range ph kit. It does smell bad, like u said. What does that mean?

 

[lordroad]

Likely means there's significant die-off going on in/on your rock. In other words, some part of it may not be entirely cured. But the good thing about live rock cycling is this will correct itself with water changes and time--it just may take a while longer.

 

[Zman16]

Thats good to know. But I can't complain if some of it wasn't cured because it was really cheap compared to some pet stores around here. ( it was 4 bucks a gallon. ) Thanks for the help! I'll probably say something again in a couple days about this.

 

[Zman16]

When should i do another water change?

 

[Zman16]

I'm also seeing some sort of white, puss like, stuff growing on the Lr. Is this normal?

 

[Limi310]

Since you don't have anything living in your tank, I don't think it's imperative that you do a water change...you can let the cycle complete it's course and do a large water change at the end. However water changes won't hurt.....you can do them if your tank looks ugly or smells bad.
Lordroad told me that.......did I repeat that correctly??

Have you tested the water again?

Ew about the puss......I don't know about that.

 

[Zman16]

Sort of...... The ph is rising back to normal, but its strill not there yet. I'm going to do the other tests now.

 

[Zman16]

Okay, I don't like these parameters at all!

Ammonia- It dropped to a light blue color......again thats not on the charts!!!

Nitrite - About 5.0

Nitrate - About 120!!

I think its getting better, but I can't tell from these tests....

 

[lordroad]

What's your pH now? Did you get your readings tested by an LFS? With those kinds of readings, that would be the best bet.

I had some white pus-like stuff off my rock too at the beginning, but my readings were never as high as those... something's gotta be up with those nitrate readings.

The pH needs to be over 8... at 8.2-8.4.

What kind of testing kits are you using?

 

[wayne]

The white pus is a thick bacterial film. Basically you have a lot of stuff rotting out in your tank. I would be tempted to do a 100% water change to keep levels real, and expect to have to do that a few times, clean out any obvious debris as well, including dead stuff like sponges rotting on the rock.
I am not a big fan of letting the cycle 'sort itself out' as you do not want to kill everything on your live rock.

 

[Zman16]

How many times would I have to do a 100% water change, and how often should I do them?

 

[wayne]

How long is a piece of string? As often as is required to keep your levels sane. Realistically not much is going to make it thro' ammonia levels much above one, so you need to do what you can to keep them down there.

You have paid good money for a bunch of porous rock with living things on it. You need to keep them alive. We're not just talking about a theoretical bacterial population here? Do you want bods, little starfish, coralline algae et al?

 

[Zman16]

I think I understand what your saying...I'll do that.

 

[Zman16]

Yesterday I litterally spent hours doing a 100% water change. Today I tested the water and heres what I got;

Ammonia- Still somewhere off the charts.....

Nitrite- 5.0

Nitrate- 20

Ph- 7.8

Isn't there something I can buy to get rid of this?

 

[1979camaro]

have you tested the water you are using to make your SW? it sounds like maybe that is the source of your problems

 

[aresgod]

use RO water.

 

[wayne]

I tihnk it's entirely possible that if you're curing live rock your levels can go thro' the roof, and very , very fast. If the tank,rock is still stinly trust those levels. If everything looks clean then you need to distrust your test kits..

Do you honestly think you can sell/supply tapwater with off the charts ammonia? I doubt that is legal, it certainly isn't here.

If you are continuing to have large amounts of dieoff, welltough, that's why I advise people with small tanks to buy cured rock, the amount of hassle curing can be is incredible. I would pull out all the rock, and eyball it for things that are large and obviously dead, and with a plastic brush, remove them. Then keep at it with the water changes I'm afraid to saym, and keep removing debris.

You should not be taking hours with a water change for live rock. I assume you have a bucket or something similar. Get a cheapo powerhead, and a heater is nice, and premix the water (3 minutes). As you are curing the rock you shouldn't care about aquascaping, nor should you have substrate in the tank (if you have, get it out, debris trap). Siphon the old water out to a bucket, stick the new water in. I can change a bucket of water in about 8 minutes (out and in)

 

[Zman16]

have you tested the water you are using to make your SW? it sounds like maybe that is the source of your problems

No I'm not.

Also whats RO water?

And that white....stuff is growing on my LR even faster thanks to the water change. The LR was supposed to be cured when I bought it. And what kind of Brush are we talkin about.