cycling of a saltwater tank

Question
I set up my 60 gallon saltwater tank about 1 month ago and introduced 3 damsels approximatly 3 weeks ago.  I introduced a clown and a niger trigger about 2 weeks ago and a angel and huma huma trigger 2 days ago.  My nitrite level is up along with my amonia level but not to a dangerous level.  My question is, will the amonia and nitrite level stable out soon or is this possibly from me introducing to many fish too soon?  Also, should I try to make a 25% water change or is this just part of the cycle?

Answer
Hi Tonya. You probably just added too many fish too fast and are going through the natural cycling process of your tank. Keep a close eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels however, they may not have reached their spike yet. Once your ammonia starts to come down a little the nitrite may go up even higher. If at any time you notice either of these two tests approaching the stressful levels you may want to do a small partial water change to dilute your water a little and bring them down. Usually when you start up a new saltwater tank two fish at most should be added within the first month due to the cycling process that needs to go on in your tank. The more fish you add during this month the higher your ammonia and nitrite may spike and the more toxic your tank becomes for the fish. The only way to keep this from happening is by doing small partial water changes. You do not want to remove all of the ammonia and nitrite because you need some in there to cycle your tank but you don't want it to get so high that it is toxic for your fish either. You are going to have to find that balance. Do not add ant more living creatures to your tank until your ammonia and nitrite reach zero. At that point keep a close watch on your nitrates. Most of the time the nitrates can even get to stressful levels quickly once your tank has cycled and you added too many fish too soon.