The Puffer Forum

okay i have done EVERYTHING to get my nitrite levels down. frequent water changes, cleaned out all decor of old food, added prime after every water change, constantly stirred up the sand to release air pockets...nothing seems to work! my nitrites have been in a harmful area for some time now and i feel like they're never going to go away. my ammonia is 0 and my nitrates are where they should be but the nitrites are still not good. i got an aquaclear filter to run with my tetra whisper filter thinking maybe the benefitial bacteria in the whisper filter isn't doing the job. could the nitrites possibly go away in a few weeks once the aquaclear filter becomes filled with good bacteria??

what are the exact numbers and when was the tank set up?

ammonia- 0 ... nitrite- 4.0 ... nitrate- 10.0 ... pH- 7.8 ... temp- 79 degrees ... No chlorine (i treat the water i use for changes with conditioner and prime before adding it) ... very hard water ... alkalinity is good, a bit high but nothing crazy.

all of these results came from test strips. i understand they aren't as acurate as the liquid test kits but i haven't gotten around to getting one recently and i trust the strips for the most part to get a decent reading.

Double post?
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27077

oh and the tank was set up about 3 and a half months ago

i double posted because that post was from 2 weeks ago and noone's advice helped so i'm still looking for answers

Ok. Well, when I had that issue, and I raised the SG to 1.020, drip acclimated the puffer, my levels were 0,0,0 within a few days. My salt cost went down considerably. It would seem that the SG levels at that SG would need to be incredibly accurate and consistent. I didn't have a refractometer, and between evaporation and water changes, I wasn't able to keep my SG level consistent,.and I couldn't get my nitrites down at that brackish level.
That's my suggestion. Saltwater was a pleasant, easy change after that brackish-huge-frequent-water-changes-still-high-nitrite ordeal.

yeah you told me this in the other post and i think i'm gunna go for it. do i absolutely need all those special filters and live rock and what not? or can i just put more salt in??..

Definitely get some liverock, make sure it is cured and from a good source. Your aquaclear filter should be fine, at least for now, since it's just 20 gallons. You can add more flow with some circulation pumps later if you want. You can get a skimmer later, it is beneficial, but will not be required right away. It would be best to save up for a good quality one than buy a cheap one just to have it. Some people run nano tanks without one.
I don't really know a whole ton about marine though, my first marine tanks were just set up last year and this year.

can i go full marine and hold out on the live rock for a month or so? or is it a complete 100% necessity with marine conditions??

it is better to add at least a little live rock once you go marine. It will help considerably.

where can i get it from and how much will it cost?

Yeah, the liverock hold the beneficial sw bacteria. Call around to your saltwater stores in your area, and also check if there are reefer clubs near you, not to be mistaken as the illicit substance, see if anyone is selling any. In my area it's $5 - $10 a lb, liverock that is.

I really think you need to get a good liquid test kit, before doing anything drastic. Or at least get it tested at the LFS.

+1 to PP's comment. Test strips are not much if any good.

But you say that you add "a conditioner" and Prime. Prime is a conditioner. What else are you adding and why?

That pH is rather low for high specific gravity BW. What is your spercific gravity?