Nitrate problem

[Lynda58]

I live in S. Florida and have a 20 gallon tank. I have been running the tank empty for a month and have everything balanced except the nitrates. I am using Stress coat and Prime. I do not have live plants but the tank is fairly new and has only been set up once before. My pump is a penguin bio-wheel 100. No fish can live in this tank I put 10 feeder goldfish in and before my eyes they died off. I am desperate, I went to the fish store and tested the water and Prime is what they said would do the trick. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Lynda

 

[Mebbid]

1 - what are the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels in your tank?
2 - how did you cycle the tank?
3 - how often do you do water changes?
4 - how large are your water changes?
5 - what is your water source? well or city?

 

[thing fish]

10 feeder gold fish is a huge bioload. why are you running the tank empty? are you doing a fishless cycle and adding pure ammonia? how are you testing the water? i would suggest perhaps testing the water parameters straight from the faucet as well.

 

[Lynda58]

I am running an empty tank because fish dont live in it. I am using API tester which is chemicals used in tubes with water. I went to my local fish store and they used a strip into my tank water. Both thiers and mine showed the same results. Everything in the tank was perfect except the Nitrates which are extremely high. The 10 feeder goldfish I put in were small and I have a 20 gallon fishtank. How many fish should I put in there? I want to use tropical fish in there. I do not have an ammonia issue it is spot on. I have a nitrate problem and thats it. I am really upset over this and I hope the info on the water quality I gave you guys is enough. Thanks for any and all help you guys can give me.

 

[threnjen]

OK let's go back a bit.

You have been running the tank for a month. What did you do with it when you set it up? Did you add an ammonia source (fish food, straight ammonia etc) when you set it up in order to cycle it? are you familiar with what that means, or would you like it explained further?

As far as high nitrates, these are removed through water changes. Nothing else takes out nitrates. And you definitely mean nitrAtes, and not nitrItes?

 

[Lynda58]

I added nothing but tap water. when I tested the tap water I saw that this is where the Nitrates are. Since they are in my tap water thats when I tried the chemicals mentioned in my first text but to no avail,. And yes I am sure it is Nitrates I even had it checked at my local fish store. Everything else is perfect through my checking as well as the fish stores. The fish tank was cleaned as well as the gravel and artificial plants. This is only the 2nd time this tank was filled for fish. I had the same issue the first time. The problem seems to be in the tap water. Besides cleaning the tank, gravel and artifical plants with warm water all I did was buy a new pomp the penquin 100 bio-wheel I just added tap water and then added Prime and stress coat to the water thatsit. If you have a better way I would love to hear it.

 

[threnjen]

OK, the tank isn't cycled, which is one issue. You need to either cycle it fishless, or cycle it with A fish (certainly not 10). Cycling refers to growing the beneficial bacteria that your tank needs in order to process fish waste (ammonia) into a form that they can better tolerate (nitrates)

Fishless cycling: The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice
Fish-In cycling (with like ONE fish): I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

However - the nitrates in your tap water are a huge issue. How high are they, do you have a number, or can you take a picture of the vial next to the card? Are you on city water or well water?

 

[Mebbid]

What is the nitrate level?

 

[thing fish]

i would also be wary of results from a big chain fish store, as they typically use the test strips, which are not very reliable. it is best to use a liquid test kit as it gives you very precise results.

the exact nitrates reading from your tap is very important information to know moving forward. in a healthy tank, you will have nitrate readings...fish can tolerate low levels. nitrites and ammonia must be at zero.

you have gotten some good advice so far. i will add this advice as well. do not get frustrated and give up. hang in there. people on this site are more than happy to get you headed in the right direction. whatever the problem is, there is certainly a solution.

* i just reread your post and saw that you're using an api liquid test kit; that is very good. so please do share the nitrate reading from your tap.

 

[thing fish]

so assuming that the problem is your tap water...you do have options. go to a walmart or target and buy two large 5-gallon water jugs. then find a local water station that sells spring water.

we have water fill stations like that in my area and 10 gallons of water is only a couple dollars. another option could be to set up a rain water catch at your downspouts and use that water.

im still looking forward to seeing the nitrate levels of the water from your tap.

 

[Lynda58]

The Nitrate number is 20ppm. The tap water nitrate number without the additives I put in is between 40 and 80 ppm. I refuse to drink the water and buy bottled Zepherhills only for drinking. The water is city water in Pompano Beach , Florida 33060. The water was tested at Pet Supermarket by using a test strip in which I saw the results which were done right in front of me. The same issue again city water was done in Margate Florida 33063 last year. Again tested from me and Pet Supermarket. I just started with rain water and will empty the tank and fill with rain water as well as keeping rain water in jugs for water changes. I checked the rain water and it is good. We do not have fill stations here. Thank you all for you help in this matter and God Bless...Lynda

 

[thing fish]

i am glad that you have started a rain water catch system and that it is good quality. you should still read the link that was provided about cycling a tank.

there needs to be a source of ammonia to begin to grow a colony of beneficial bacteria. without that source, your tank will never be cycled. you can use fish to cycle, but this will require many frequent water changes (like 50% every other day or more), or dosing the tank with pure ammonia, as well as other methods.

if you choose to go the feeder goldfish route, i would say that one would suffice...but that again, will require frequent water changes. to speed up the process, you could use beneficial bacteria from an established tank to kick start your cycle. this can be done by squeezing out the filter media from an established tank and adding that to your cycling tank.

good luck to you and please do ask questions as they arise (because they will).

 

[Lynda58]

I am really putting in Tropical Fish thegoldfish was only a cheap test. Thanks so much for your help....Lynda