high nitrate

[craig_will2513]

hi all sorry to keep going on about this as iv been on before with the same problem. well i had massively high nitrates and so i did a huge almost 100% water change and then 2 more 50% water changes over the week to get rid of nitrates. but they are still there i have seen a huge improvment though went from reading of the scale to around 20-40 ppm and no matter how many water changes i do it stays the same so has anyone any idea why this is and possible causes or solutions. my tank is 125l it has around 16kg rock live sand plenty of flow.. it has the standard juwel filter system with all the sponges it came with also iv added a nitrate sponge to try help me out. iam not running a skimmer at the min as its in a small sump and the return pump is very loud. not sure if there is anything els you need to know. light i have 2x 28w t5 ho. one bule one white both marine. amonia nitrite are both 0 as for tank life i have a few hermits sand star cleaner shrimp red firefish blue cheek goby and a valantini puffer i have a nice leather toadstool and a mini maxi new all doing grate. so can some one please help me out... thanks in advance craig williams

 

[craig_will2513]

also whats is a good level for nitrate

 

[Nosaj81]

you just need to keep doing water changes, i have had high nitrates bought some instant ocean natural nitrate reducer from big als after 1 dose and a couple days my nitrates were down to 5 from 40

 

[austinsdad]

Could a faulty test kit be the problem I wonder.

 

[craig_will2513]

the test kit is ok i think. also iv dont loads of changes and they dont move a bit

 

[Jlsardina]

Could a faulty test kit be the problem I wonder.

+1 have someone else check your nitrates to see if it's your test

 

[Nosaj81]

also i would recommend getting a protein skimmer as it gets dissolved organic compounds out of the water which will eventually lead to high nitrates

 

[craig_will2513]

iv tested the new mixed water and it reads 0 i add it to the tank wait a while for it to mix with old water and test again and it reads the same as it did before. i will get the skimmer up and running soon

 

[joy13]

I am wondering if it is your rock that has absorbed nitrates before you got them. Do you have any macro algae to help bring it down? When was the last time you saw your star?

 

[craig_will2513]

could you elabourate on what you was saying about my rock please joy.. no macro algae and i see my star all the time he is out and about right now

 

[austinsdad]

20ppm and below is acceptable for nitrates. Also, if your test kit never says anything different from the time you mix it to after you add it to the main, and thru multiple water changes, I'm really thinking your test kit is no good.

 

[craig_will2513]

no i mix the new water in a tub and test it everything reads 0 i test my tank it reads about 40 on nitrate. so i do the water change leave it a while and test again and it is still the same so i know its not the test as the fresh water reads0

 

[Jlsardina]

no i mix the new water in a tub and test it everything reads 0 i test my tank it reads about 40 on nitrate. so i do the water change leave it a while and test again and it is still the same so i know its not the test as the fresh water reads0

This doesn't make sense. How big of a water change are you doing? If you do a 50% water change in your tank- your nitrates should be cut in half. I can only think of three things that could be going wrong. You are not shaking the test long enough (one minute before dropping and 30sec to one minute after test for API products), you are waiting too long to read your test results (max five minutes for API test), or you are letting your saltwater sit too long before doing your water change (still saltwater in a bucket can cause nitrates to spike- don't know how but it happens).
Also, how long are you waiting before you retest??? A day? If so, do you rinse your frozen food off in RO/DI water? The excess can cause nitrates.

 

[craig_will2513]

i follow the test as it states on instructions.. before i retest i normally wait a few hours and my frozen food i take water from tank and add the cubes wait till its defrosted then add it back to the tank.. i mix the water for around 3-5 hours then change it. i was told by red sea that thats ok for the salt i use.

 

[Jlsardina]

i follow the test as it states on instructions.. before i retest i normally wait a few hours and my frozen food i take water from tank and add the cubes wait till its defrosted then add it back to the tank.. i mix the water for around 3-5 hours then change it. i was told by red sea that thats ok for the salt i use.

Try to strain the shrimp from the water. All the juices from the cubes can cause issues as well. I use a cup of RO let it thaw, then strain.

 

[Pschmitt]

I just defrost in tap water in a shot glass then dump in net and pour some more water over it, drain and then straight into my DT. I do run a PO4 reactor, so I'm not really worried about a couple of ounces of tap water.