How to lower nitrites in saltwater tank?

my nitrites have been high for the first time since i cycled my tank and i cant figure out why or how to reduce them. they are at about 1.0 right now. i just moved all of my fish around on Wednesday and the day before (tuesday) is when they began testing high. i moved the fish from a 110 gallon to a 120 gallon tank. the new tank also has a 65 gallon sump. i wasnt worried about the high levels on tuesday because i knew they would be getting a lot of new water when i moved them (like a water change). when i tested the nitrites to check on them today they were very high (cant recall the exact reading). the sump wasnt running before today i only set it up hoping it would help with the nitrite problem because i dont have all of the parts i need yet just enough to get it running until i get the other parts. in the sump i have a skimmer and the water is flowing through a filtration pad and carbon. my lfs said it could be because my filter hasnt been running because its broken so thats why i set up the sump. i havent added any new fish lately and feed every other day. i have also been using that amquel stuff. i just cant get them to come back down to 0 and im running out of ideas. thanks!