The Puffer Forum

Yea, you're back in business! I have AC HOB filters on all my smaller reef tanks used as mini refugiums. There is rubble in the larger compartment & Purigen in the impeller side.

Well, your fish waste is broken down into ammonia , nitrites and then nitrates. this just means that the beneficial bacteria has broken down the ammonia and not the nitrites and nritates. You either do not have the right bacteria or not enough bacteria in the filter. Spikes are normal when you set up a new tank. Although If this are sponges and media that you have been using, you should not have a problem . If you put in new substrate, that would explain the the problem. You just have to wait it out and many water changes and rinse your filter media often until the bacteria grows on you filter media and sponges.

Marcink125 wrote:Well, your fish waste is broken down into ammonia , nitrites and then nitrates. this just means that the beneficial bacteria has broken down the ammonia and not the nitrites and nritates. You either do not have the right bacteria or not enough bacteria in the filter. Spikes are normal when you set up a new tank. Although If this are sponges and media that you have been using, you should not have a problem . If you put in new substrate, that would explain the the problem. You just have to wait it out and many water changes and rinse your filter media often until the bacteria grows on you filter media and sponges.

This post was from sometime back, but it has already been solved.

My tank crashed due to some rotting chaetomorpha that had been clogging my filter. It had caused my nitrites to spike to levels that were not even detectable with liquid test kits. It has been resolved. It is now a full saltwater tank fully cycled, and yes, I understand the cycling process.

It's best to read the entire thread before answering the original question.