I have a couple of questions before an emergency PWC.

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mrhelton

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
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Location
Michigan
Hi

I've been using my neighbor's water out of their hose for water changes because mine has like 120ppm+ nitrAte. Theirs is 0-5ppm. The problem is, I'm having a bit of a nitrIte spike. It was up to 3ppm, so I did a 30% change, then another 30% change half an hour later. That exhausted all of the water I had stored from their house, but I need to do another change. Normally I fill my containers then add Prime and let them warm up to room temperature overnight. Obviously I don't have time to do that now, so I'm forced to use my own water.

1) I figure temporarily elevated NitrAte is better than the high NitrIte I have right now, right?
2) This is a 30 gallon tank. Prime says to add 1 capful for 50 gallons. I'm not really clear on how to add prime when I'm adding water directly from my sink. Do I add about a capful to the tank after I drain the water (little more than full dosage for the whole tank) then add the new water directly into the tank? Will it dechlorinate the water fast enough before it can harm the bacteria? I'm scared to risk it until I have a clear answer, but I'm in a bit of a pinch here and have to act fast!

EDIT: The reason for the NitrIte spike is that I set up the tank and added fish right before finding out about fishless cycling. I'm just doing what I can to get through it with no casualties :/

EDIT2: Sorry for the second edit, but I forgot to ask how big a change I can do if I match temps close enough.
 
Hi, you're probably done by now lol It's a tough call, nitrates that high can be potentially bothersome but the nitrite over .5 is a big deal as well. I honestly have no idea and don't want to steer you wrong. If you haven't done anything yet, PM Eco23 (he's online now) and he'll advise you. Good luck
 
I read it, but I was hoping someone else would chime in with some wisdom, lol.

NitrAtes are much, much safer for fish than nitrIte...and 3ppm of no2 qualifies as an emergency situation...but that high of a level of no3 is bad too.

Personally I'd do what it takes to get the no2 below 1ppm, and add a triple dose of Prime. The Prime will temporarily neutralize up to 1ppm of no2 for 24-36 hours, so it should buy you some time to at least pick up some bottled water or whatever you need to do to get it down.

The temperature thing shouldn't be a big deal unless it's dramatically different, and I'd be more worried about the 3ppm of no2.

My only other concern is that I've read a sudden swing of no3 (for better or worse) can be a major shock and they're supposed to be acclimated slowly to different levels of nitrAte (I've read it, never studied or verified it).

Still though, getting the no2 down would be the priority IMO.
 
Thanks for the help. I did some searching and verified that I should add the full amount of prime after draining water and then fill it back up. The water coming from their hose is like 50 degrees, so it's not really gonna work right now lol.

I pulled out around 50% and checked the water in there, it's down to less than 1 ppm, so filling it with my water will bring it below .5ppm.

I went to the store and got 10 gallons of RO water, then I'll use my water for the other 5 or so.

I'm at 20 ppm NitrAte now. Adding 10 gallons of pure water + 5 gallons of 120 nitrate water should only bring my level to 30ppm if I did my math right.

I think I'll be alright for the night. I filled up my 15 jugs with their cold water, so it should be good to do another 50% change with tomorrow after work if I need to!
 
Good deal, seems like you've got a handle on it. If the water is that cold and you've got to get it into the tank, it might be worth adding the new water into a bucket or cooler and throwing the heater off the tank into it for a while. At least that'll get the temps a little closer.

Just remember that if you end up going RO, it either needs to be cut with tap water, or reconstituted with mineral additives to restore all the things that are stripped during the purification process...100% pure RO isnt suitable for aquaria obviously. It will also likely have a dramatically lower pH.

Keep us posted :)
 
Thanks man. I used 15 gallons of distilled once when it was early in cycling and was told the same thing. I only used it that time because I needed the jugs for future water changes. I'm sure I'll be doing a 50% change tomorrow, which will only leave 5 gallons of RO water, so I think I should be good.

I didn't think of the heater idea, that's great. I have an extra 150 watt heater (that's broken and won't turn off, but that's fine for this) and a 5 gallon bucket. I'll definitely start doing that to get the water warmer before adding it.
 
Well **** I can't even use my own water anymore. I don't know what gives, but when I test cold water out of my faucet, there is no nitrIte. When I test warm water, it's like 4 nitrIte.

I'm in a pinch here. I need a source of warm, niteIte-free water asap. I have 5 gallons of my neighbor's water in the heated bucked right now but I fear it's not enough.
 
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