removed nitrite

[marcin]

help
how removed nitrite in salt water aquarium?
please help
--
marcin-sohal

[George Patterson]

marcin wrote:

> how removed nitrite in salt water aquarium?

Nitrites are removed by bacteria once a tank has cycled. There are a variety of
things that can shelter these bacteria. Many types of mechanical filters are
designed for fish-only tanks which allow bacteria to grow in the filter. In reef
tanks, the bacteria develop in live rock and sand.

When a tank is set up from scratch, ammonia levels start to climb about a week
after fish are introduced. Bacteria become established that eat ammonia and
produce nitrites. About 2 weeks after fish are introduced, nitrites get pretty
high and ammonia levels start to drop. Within a few more weeks, the nitrite
levels will drop to near 0 and nitrate levels begin to go up. The speed with
which this occurs and the levels you reach depend on the size of the tank,
number and size of the fish, and the quality of your filter system. In a
fish-only tank, nitrates are removed by water changes (usually about 20% per
month). In a reef tank, certain animals in the tank feed off nitrates.

If your nitrites are way too high, you can reduce them by changing some water,
but the only permanent solution is to wait until your bacteria grow. You can
also reduce nitrites by using protein skimmers to remove some of the waste
products that create nitrites.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.