Nitrite and pH levels high in a 100 gallon tank

[KHERAS@MAIL.COM]

Hello. I have a 100 gallon saltwater aquarium with a yellow tang, a snowflake eel, a destiny coral and about 12 lbs of live rock set up for approximately one month now. Operating two four hundred bio-wheel filters. My nitrites are reading 1.0 and the pH was off the chart.
Just did a 20% water change three days ago, but levels are still rising.

Coral appears to be stressed and secreting brown stuff.

What do you suggest?

[Europhyllia]

There has to be a reason for pH to rise (unless test kit is faulty). What are you adding/dosing?
Are you sure you have only 12 lbs of liverock in a 100 gallon tank? That would be like just one big rock. For real? Why so little?

[tebstan]

Check that test kit. API, right? Notoriously hard to read the pH one. Make sure you are under a bright white light, not your blue tank lights or yellow desk lamp. If you still can't tell, pop the top off the tube, and look down into the tube vertically to assess the color.
Got this tip a long time ago

Europhyllias right... need more rock. Nitrites are normal part of cycling in a new tank.

[tebstan]

What do you suggest?

Overlooked the important part....

First of all, don't panic. Second, get another water test done to compare to your kit at home.

How high is the pH? What corals are stressed? Do you have carbon running? How does the tang look? (pale?)

One month is a little early for a tang, IMO, but I'm a newbie too. I preffered to start with something captive bred, or cheap.

[StevenSeas]

OK so heres my take on the situation. The tank is really immature exp. for something that will become really teritorial like a tang...wont allow any other fish to enter its domain further down the road usually, as well as a dirty and messy eater like an eel. The lack of LR in the tank is very concerning, when in combination with 2 emperor 400 biowheels as your filtration. That isnt nearly enough filtration imo to run a 100 gallon tank. the coral (although im not sure what a destiny coral is?) is secreting its zooanthelle...the brown stuff. this occurs when it is really stressed...due to the nitrites being high. With The addition of these 2 fish and coral to such a young tank and underfiltered one (again in my opinion) didnt allow for the cycle to fully occur which is why you still have nitrites that are detectable. Also the only other level you gave was pH but not a value, i realize it is off the chart so how can you get a value right? well what is it higher than, are you using a low range ph test kit from a freshwater kit and its higher than the 7.8 on there or are you using a high range pH kit and its higher than the 8.whatever on there. The levels are still rising due to inadequate biological filtration which isnt allowing the nitrite to be properly converted to nitrate. I would advise getting the coral and fish out of the tank and let the tank set untill all the levels get to where they should be. In the process upping your filtration cappabilites if possible through both addition of LR and a different filter sys.

[KHERAS@MAIL.COM]

Hi my daughter was maintaining our tank while we had to go out of town the nitrites are still high their is actually more like 30 lbs of live rock the tang looks great and the eel is eating and looks good I was also scared of the waste from the eel but was recomended by fish store I think maybe we should do another water change or get new carbon or both ???????? I have another bio 400 filter should i hook it up allready have 2 of them running now

[StevenSeas]

The levels are still rising due to inadequate biological filtration which isnt allowing the nitrite to be properly converted to nitrate. I would advise getting the coral and fish out of the tank and let the tank set untill all the levels get to where they should be. In the process upping your filtration cappabilites if possible through both addition of LR and a different filter sys.

Ok as i said before this is what I think you should do. That means more like 100 lbs of live rock, and remove all fish/coral from the tank while adding this live rock. also carbon wont remove your nitrites only the bacteria growing on the rock, in the sand, and on the biowheel will. i would only hook up the other filter as a TEMPORARY and will say again TEMPORARY fix to a LONG term problem. The fish should be removed from the system asap. and live rock added

[alton]

See if you can find someone breaking down ther tank and buy at least 60 lbs of cured live rock for your tank. Start doing 10 gallons of water changes per day to get your nitrites down. I run 1 emperor 400 on my 29 but I have 20 to 25 lbs of live rock and a nano power head. Maybe one of the fish stores here has cured live rock? And like aggie reefer said the if the coral goes you are looking at more toxins in your water.

And don't feel bad you are not the first person to do this, and welcome to MAAST.