how do i get rid of the nitirte in my saltwater tank?

Question

no fish in it yet just live rock plus i removed my undergravel filter

Answer 1

what kind of filter are you running now then?

I would suggest using a wet/dry filtration system myself.
Start with a partial water change, then i would try to remove the live rock placing in a 5-gallon bucket and shaking the crap out of it. sometimes the can harbor bits of decaying matter within in them from wherever they originated and the as it decays in your tank your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels will fluctuate. the other thing to try is they have a few different types of ammonia/ nitrite removing filter pads. you could try some of these. another option would be to try and use a product called cycle it contains several of the ppm of the beneficial bacteria needed to help break down the ammonia cycle. hope this helps and good luck

Answer 2

Sounds like you're still cycling your tank. This is normal. If you don't have any fish in it yet, you can probably skip the water changes and just let it go through the cycle till you stop getting nitrite readings and start getting nitrate. Changing the water will also delay the completion of the cycle. I would say to change the water anyway if you had fish, but since you don't, you shouldn't have to worry about it much. Nitrite is a problem for fish because it decreases their ability to get oxygen from the water, but salt decreases the effects of nitrite also. Just give it time and don't change anything more with the filtration if you can help it.

Answer 3

Partial water changes for now. Nitrite is a "middle" step in the cycling process, so this will eventually be converted to nitrate by bacteria from the live rock - you just don't have enough of them yet to convert all of the nitrite that's being produced.

Since nitrite is toxic to fish and inverts in fairly low concentrations, you should be doing water changes of around 25% (less, if this amount exposes the live rock avove the water's surface) anytime the level rises above 0.5 ppm.

NOTE: Nitrite isn't only toxic to fish, but any inverts that came with the live rock (sponges, shrimp, snails, etc.). If you want these to survive, you should do water changes. If these aren't important to you, you can wait to do the water changes until the bacteria remove it (when only nitrate is present) - before you add any fish.

Answer 4

If you try changing the water, then you should be fine. I would think you are still in the cycling stage of your tank.