NO2 and NO3 not going down on new aquarium

[OmarMalta]

I have a 5'x2'x2' aquarium a total of 520 litters of water, and i am having problems with no2 and no3
Well ok 1 week after i got the tank full put a pack of tetra pill to start the cycle, to help out i was told to add 2 damsles to the aquarium so on the end of the 2 week i added the 2 domino damsels. During this time the protein skimmer is not working as i was told not to turn it on for the cycle to start.

its now the begining of my 5th week, my NO2 and NO3 are high as high they can be. there is alot of dark brown algi and a little of green algi, but for the last 3 weeks no2 and no3 has never changed, always high as possible

Anyone can please help me on how i can lower these i cannot introduce any fish with these elements sooo high

 

[hdtran]

We need more details (e.g. what is your substrate, are you using live rock, if so, how much, lighting, etc.), along with the actual water parameters (including ammonia).

Have you read the "new reefkeeper" guide in the library here?

I would also disagree with the skimmer advice you were given, along with the damsel advice you were given.

 

[OmarMalta]

ok no live rocks all the rocks i have in it come from the sea shore, i cleaned them up before putting them in.
Light currently its not the best 2 normal white light and one blue, they came with the hood of the aquarium, from what i ws told from the vender they lights are made for fresh water fish so those will be changed later thsi week or next week.
Now for the filters 2 filters 1 cannister and 1 semi dry filter both are ehem
Big cannister filters 1250 liters per hour, has bio balls, Ceramic cylinders and some blue foam, the other filter turns 250 litters per hour, its a wet & dry filter by ehem and has a special product called substance specialy made for this filter.
I looked through the library but i find no details about no2 and no3 maybe you can help me please?

Well if you say damsels are to be taken out guess i take them out of the aquarium if it helps.

Oh btw Amonia is 0.5, No2 - 1.6mpl and no3 - 100mpl

 

[hdtran]

And what do you wish to keep in your 1.5x0.6x0.6 m aquarium? Just marine fish, or a combination of marine fish and invertebrates? Which ones? Depends on what you want.

NO2 is "nitrite", NO3 is "nitrate." This should make the library more useful.

Ammonia of 0.5 mpl (assume milligram/L, or ppm=part per million) is toxic to fish. Nitrite (1.6 ppm) is also toxic to fish. The nitrate (100 ppm) can be tolerated by fish, but is sub-optimal.

The only thing with your setup which will reduce your nitrates is changing your water.

For the ammonia and nitrites, bacteria will eventually colonize your filter media, and convert nitrogenous wastes to nitrates (NO3).

You might reconsider the live rock question. The use of live rock for biological filtration in a marine aquarium is now established practice.

 

[OmarMalta]

my plan is 2 damels , 2 clown fish, 3 or 4 yellow tangs, 1 emperor angel, 2 more tangs and a picaso thats my plan atm and off course some anemonies

 

[hdtran]

OK, so fish mostly. I think some folks here (I among them) would discourage 3-6 tangs in a tank that's only 1.5x0.6x0.6 m (that's about 140 gallon, a 5 ft x 2 ft x 2ft tank, if I haven't screwed up with my math).

The anemones will require truly pristine water. Everything else will tolerate merely good water. You do realize your clownfish will be perfectly happy without an anemone?

I would recommend that you seriously consider putting in at least 70 kg of live rock (about 150 lbs). Your rocks from the mediterranean beach will not turn into "live rock," unfortunately. They do no have the bacteria, worms, crustaceans, and other fauna to perform your biological filtration. But I have no idea how you would get live rock in Malta...

If you cannot obtain live rock or live sand, I don't think you'll be able to keep an anemone.

As for your existing filtration, it should be adequate for a fish only set up (with the addition of your protein skimmer). You will have to wait (time only) for your ammonia to go away, along with the nitrites. Then, you can perform water changes to reduce your nitrates to a more reasonable level (say under 50 ppm).

To keep your algae under control, you will need some snails, and perhaps a few hermit crabs.

There's an excellent post in the reefcentral.com forums (new reefkeepers section) on anemones that you should read.

 

[Kevin1000]

I have a 5'x2'x2' aquarium a total of 520 litters of its now the begining of my 5th week, my NO2 and NO3 are high as high they can be

Some cycles just take along time. Patience! One of my tanks has been in cycle for several weeks longer than yours and I suspect I have a ways to go.

Hope this helps