High Nitrate level in a new tank

[thebradybunch]

I have A 72G bowfront. I set it up last Sunday. Tank has been running for 1 week with some older (dead) live rock I am using as a base. Yesterday I added 5 lbs of LR just to get my cycle started. I also added 4 small Damsels. The levels in the tank have been solid all week. Today when I tested the water my Nitrate has went up as I would expect it to but it is around 110 ppm which I know is way too high. Should I be real concerned and what can I do about it

Also I posted this on the chemistry forum and only got 1 reply which was to do a 50% water change. I am scared to do a water change beacuse I am in the beginning of my cycle and everything I have read says not to do a water change during the cycle. Also I know the kids fed the fish way too much food yesterday that did not get ate. Is it possible that adding the fish and food made the nitrate go up and that it may come down in the next couple days???

[Fish_wiz2]

No water change and return the damsels (they will suffer due to the nitrites) also just let the beneficial bacteria reduce the nitrites. GL and keep reefing

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by thebradybunch
I have A 72G bowfront. I set it up last Sunday. Tank has been running for 1 week with some older (dead) live rock I am using as a base. Yesterday I added 5 lbs of LR just to get my cycle started. I also added 4 small Damsels. The levels in the tank have been solid all week. Today when I tested the water my Nitrate has went up as I would expect it to but it is around 110 ppm which I know is way too high. Should I be real concerned and what can I do about it

Also I posted this on the chemistry forum and only got 1 reply which was to do a 50% water change. I am scared to do a water change beacuse I am in the beginning of my cycle and everything I have read says not to do a water change during the cycle. Also I know the kids fed the fish way too much food yesterday that did not get ate. Is it possible that adding the fish and food made the nitrate go up and that it may come down in the next couple days???

water changes are perfectly ok during cycling esp if you have fish in there to cycle. those nitrates are not going to disappear on their own---usually what happens in the cycling period is you get an algae bloom which feeds on the nitrates and phosphates that are the result of the live rock curing.But high levels like that are only asking for trouble down the road--live rock can also absorb them as filter media does and re introduce them into your tank.

I agree--take those damsels out of there----the is the most in humane way of promoting cycling IMO
The live rock should be good enough to promote bacterial growth---alot of reefers will add a dead shrimp or something to promote more cycling.

Damsels are not a good long term choice for reef friendly fish--they grow up to be bullies and are very difficult to get out later

[Sk8r]

Get the fish out. Immediately. Never should have been in there. Return them. They're too big for your tank anyway.

Then just let it run. It's cycling. NO water change until you see it spike ammonia and settle down again to no ammonia, no nitrate. This is what it's supposed to do.