high nitrates

[craig_will2513]

yeah but iv dome a water change and it hasnt touched it

 

[kurtyboh]

is your test maxed out? use 2x's as much water as you should reg amount of drops see results, the double it.

 

[craig_will2513]

kurtyboh i am not sure what you mean mate.. can you explaine in dummy turms please

 

[melosu58]

I dont know where you get your water to do your PWC`s but make a batch of SW and do your nitrate test on that batch of water. You might be adding nitrates in during your PWC`s.

 

[craig_will2513]

i always test my new water. i get ready mixed salt water from the shop

 

[tlkng1]

yeah but iv dome a water change and it hasnt touched it

It is going to take more than one water change. For example, let's say your nitrates are at 160 ppm which I think is the max on the test. If you do a 50% water change, those nitrates will drop to 80. Then, a subsequent 50% change would drop it to 40, another 25% change would drop it to about 30 and so on. You can't just do one 20% change and expect the nitrates to disappear as your nitrogen cycle is still ongoing and your system is creating nitrates even as you are removing them.

The idea is that you need to get ahead of the cycle by removing more ntrates than are being produced. The absorbers I gave you earlier can help you get ahead of what is being produced but they aren't going to keep Nitrates from being produced. I had a nitrate problem as well. I do water changes weekly yet my Nitrates were always hgher than I wanted. I added the absorbers after getting the nitrates down to the normal level and they help keep the "high" a little lower so my water change is more effective.

You indicated earlier, I believe, that you tested your replcement water for nitrates and the reading was 0, so the only place you have nitrates is within the tank. As several have indicated, the only way to get the nitrates down is through multiple water changes in a short period of time then do water changes more often to keep the nitrates down. If you are doing 20% weekly, try 15% twice a week.

 

[kurtyboh]

if your test is maxed out, and requires 5ml of water with 10 drops, using 10ml of water with 10 drops will essentially double the load of the test to 320, but you're going off of your original scale so whatever color your test corresponds to double that number and it will show what is actually in your tank. it would also work to use half of the drops, but certain tests require five drops and you can't go that route.

 

[craig_will2513]

in the last week i have emptied the tank and filled it again with new water. not all at once i did it 25liters at a time. so over the last week all the water in my tank has been replaces yet still tey are high its like the wc isnt doing anything. iam out of ideas and iam ready to give it up. and the werid thing is that things seem to be doing ok in there with the high levels. i have corals and fish and they are ok. so iam thinking that maybe the test is inacurate. but then when i tested the new water it came up 0.

 

[tlkng1]

kurtyboh i am not sure what you mean mate.. can you explaine in dummy turms please

The normal test is about 5ml of water...the amount of water that goes to the little line on the tube. What kurty is saying is to double the amount of water. Use a second tube to get an additional 5ml. Use the normal number of drops the test requires in ONE tube, then, dilute that with the other 5ml...you may have to use a measuring cup or similar since 10 ml won't fit in one tube. Get your result and then double it to get a more accurate reading.

While your reading with a straight 5ml may look like it is maxed out on the chart, it could be your true readng is just a little over and not as high as you think.

As an aside, when you are filling the tube, the water isn't actually level..the line is concave with the sides being higher than the "bowl." You want the base of the "bowl" to be level with the line and not below it. If you have been using less water the test results aren't going to be accurate.

I made a quick drawing of what I mean.

 

[kurtyboh]

I understand it frustrating, esp since you're putting a lot of effort into it. is it possible for you to do a 50% water change then 2 days later do it again?

As you remove nitrates from the tank, your cycle is continuing to add them back in. although it should be slower than teh rate at which youve been taking them out, its possible that they were beyond the test and so you thought they were 160, but in reality were over 400, even doing a 50% pwc at that point your test is still going to show 160 as it cannot go higher.

btw how much are you feeding? as food decomposes it adds to your cycle, so try to clean your substrate as best you can as you're doing the pwc.

stick with it it'll be worth it in the end.

 

[tlkng1]

in the last week i have emptied the tank and filled it again with new water. not all at once i did it 25liters at a time. so over the last week all the water in my tank has been replaces yet still tey are high its like the wc isnt doing anything. iam out of ideas and iam ready to give it up. and the werid thing is that things seem to be doing ok in there with the high levels. i have corals and fish and they are ok. so iam thinking that maybe the test is inacurate. but then when i tested the new water it came up 0.

Have you had the water, the water from the tank that is, tested at your LFS? If not, I would have it tested there along with a tube of the replacement water...just remember to keep the tubes separated or mark them in some way. That is the quickest way to figure out if your tests are accurate.

If the inhabitants have improved with the water changes chances are your nitrate levels aren't as high as you think.

Which test kit are you using and how old is it?

 

[craig_will2513]

thaks everyone for your help. ill try a 50% change and see if that helps. i am using the api master saltwater test. i got it at the same time as i got tank so about 3 months ish

 

[tlkng1]

The other thing to do is make sure you are following the instructions for the nitrate test to the letter. The #2 bottle has to be firmly shaken for at least 30 seconds and then the final shake, once the drops from the #2 bottle have been added, has to go for a minute at least. I actually use the timer on my microwave.

 

[craig_will2513]

lol thats what i use tlkng1. i made the mistake of not shaking the bottle befoer.

 

[craig_will2513]

well iam about to give it all up now..the nitrate problm is still as high as ever.. iv done about 10 water changes and today i did a massive change and it still hasnt touched it. and is still reading of the scale. iv changed my substrate added more rock and removed some ill looking corals. nothing is happening.. i test the replacement water before i add it and its fine. iam all out of ideas now and iam ready to pack it in

 

[carey]

Don't give up! lol As one last resort try this product. I don't usually advocate stuff like this but it worked in my tank. I had over 20 nitrates and wanted 0, the stuff helped me get down to about 5 and then it was just water changes from there. I swear it works. lol At least it did for me. I havent had to use it since, I've learned my lesson and keep a better eye on my water and on my feeding.

 

[carey]

forgot the link lol

Aquarium Water Conditioner: Instant Ocean Natural Nitrate Reducer

 

[Jlsardina]

I don't know if this has already been mentioned, but are you letting your tests sit too long? I mean, you add the drops from both bottles ( after shaking for 30 seconds of course), the shake the tube, and walk away. Are you coming back right at the time stated to compare the results with the chart? Or are you coming back later than that and comparing? If you go over the time limit the colors of the test will be darker and inaccurate.

 

[craig_will2513]

well i add the water then the drops from bottle one and shake then shake bottle 2 for 1 min then add drops then shake tube for 1 min then leave for 5 mins and check. and carey thanks you say your nitrates were 20 mine are of the chart at 160+ will this product still work

 

[carey]

If you've tried everything I think it's worth a shot. It's not going to hurt anything and like I said, I believe it worked for me.