nitrates too high! help!

[punkybrewster]

I work at a petstore.. One of my saltwater tanks are off the charts high in nitrates! Any advice will help. There arnt many fish in the tank mostly shrimp and coral. Most of the coral died and was left in the tank. Im guessing thata why the nitrates are high but i got all the dead items out. sooo.. Any advice?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Water changes after water changes to lower them. Do you have a sump on this tank? You could promote algae growth in a refugium or grow types of plants to help lower them too.

 

[punkybrewster]

Yes we have sumps.. My manager is against water changes but im on my 2nd one. I added some nitrate reducer but it doesnt seem to help any.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Did it come down some on the first pwc? If so just keep doing them an it will eventually be back in normal ranges. May want to check the date on the test kit aswell to be safe or try using a different one. I'll ignore the manager comment so we don't get off topic lol

 

[punkybrewster]

What kind of plants?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

http://www.aquacon.com/vip.html
I always used Caulerpa or hair algae I think its called.

 

[punkybrewster]

No it didnt. Ill test it again in a hour or so. could adsing salt be the culprit? Or not enough. I try to keep it lower then usual. as for my manager he doesnt do fish. Hes scared to do anything.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

I don't think salt has anything to do with the nitrates. But maybe one reason why the corals died

 

[TheTodd]

The high nitrates killed the corals and will kill everything else eventually. You can't really do saltwater and not do water changes, especially reefs. Those changes pull bad stuff out and replenish things like calcium and other elements in the water as well. If your manager says no water changes, then he should not have saltwater tanks.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

The high nitrates killed the corals and will kill everything else eventually. You can't really do saltwater and not do water changes, especially reefs. Those changes pull bad stuff out and replenish things like calcium and other elements in the water as well. If your manager says no water changes, then he should not have saltwater tanks.

Agreed or even being a manager at a fish store. Maybe you can change him of that.

 

[punkybrewster]

I just wanted a opinion. Thanks guys! I will update on how it goes.

 

[punkybrewster]

One more thing.. How would you do a water change? I just was told i could empty the sumps but nothing else.. Is that how its done. Im sorry guys im still training and honestly dont have alot to go on.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

One more thing.. How would you do a water change? I just was told i could empty the sumps but nothing else.. Is that how its done. Im sorry guys im still training and honestly dont have alot to go on.

You could shut it down and replace the water from there if it holds enough water in it that you want to replace. They should be cleaned every so often, if you have particles laying around in it then I'd suck them out. Also if using any sponges, filter pads or floss when your done draining the water swish them around in the old tank water to keep BB alive. Plus it hopefully rinses it out enough built up waste to lower the trates.

 

[MacDracor]

It really depends on your setup. At my local petco, the sump is turned off and the tanks are drained to about halfway. Then water is added to the sump until almost full, it is turned back on, and water is added until all tanks in the bank, and the sump, are back to normal level.

 

[punkybrewster]

Ok thts what i did. Just making sure. I checked before i left and it went down some. I guess im doing another tommorow.

 

[TheTodd]

Glad to hear it is moving in the right direction now. Going forward, you will want to keep an eye on those trates and do weekly water changes. Also make sure anything that can collect waste (poop, food, etc) is cleaned regularly.

Keeping all of that in check will save the store money. Putting corals or fish in bad water is going to cost the owner a lot of money due to deaths.

 

[phishfriend]

I'll go off topic! Your manager needs to be remove from his position and quickly. He is costing the company money by being negligent in not properly caring for inventory which Increased dead lose causing decreased profit Not mention the ludicrous decision to only allow you to do water changes from the sumps. I'm sorry but it's mind blowing that he/she is against water changes! I would love to hear their reasoning for it! Its probably narrow minded and short sighted like being more concerned about a water bill. Prime example of why there are fewer and fewer good fish stores!

On a good note. I commend you on showing that you are an asset to your employer by being able to see and identify a problem. Pro actively look for a solution. Being resourceful in finding AA for advice and strong minded enough to challenge your management and institute corrective action. The pet industry could use a lot more like you!

Sry, just had to say it! Rant ended...

 

[punkybrewster]

Lol thanks. He says that to many fish die. That is why i reached out. He has lied to me before. Aquatics is my job and I want to do it right.

 

[MacDracor]

The only times a water change will kill fish is a) done improperly such as removing saltwater and adding fresh or b) rapid changes in water parameters such as ph.
Really ought to speak to his supervisor about this.