zero2dash
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Ok, here's my problem.
I have high nitrates (160 ppm) that I've had for about a month to month and a half now. Initially, I didn't know much of anything about what to do about it.
I started out by doing a gravel vacuum and a 35% (in total including what the vacuum took out) water change. I waited another 2 weeks before doing another 35% water change and after testing my water again the other day, it's still 160 ppm. I don't have a lot of fish and there's no way that there's this much fish waste freshly added that would cause this again due to a high fish waste count.
I read somewhere that it could be my tap water so I tested that and came up with nothing (tap water tested out nitrate = 0). I recently changed the filter media with brand new ones so it's not that.
The only things I can think of is that it's either a) my fake plants, b) fake rocks/driftwood, c) the algae on both, or d) a combination of them all.
Can algae cause you to have high nitrates? I know nitrates can cause algae outbreaks, but does it work vice-versa? I'm considering removing everything from the tank (all the fake plants, rocks, driftwood) and waiting a week and re-testing, and possibly even removing all the substrate even.
I'm at a loss...any ideas?
I want to buy a severum to (eventually) be the lone inhabitant of the tank (you know, one huge fish instead of lots of smaller ones) but almost all the fish I have right now seem to have hole in the head disease (their heads sorta have "craters" in them like they had zits when they were kids or something) and I don't want to put a fresh healthy fish in this tank with all these nitrates I can't get rid of.
I've considered buying the chemical stuff at pet stores to lower nitrates but didn't know if chemicals were the way to go...?
Again I've done roughly a 70% total water change over the last month with this tank and I'm wondering what to do at this point.
I'm also planning on buying an Emperor filter within the next week or two; I don't know how well my filter is doing anymore and I'm wondering if that's another reason my water quality is so (literally) crappy.
TIA everyone.
I have high nitrates (160 ppm) that I've had for about a month to month and a half now. Initially, I didn't know much of anything about what to do about it.
I started out by doing a gravel vacuum and a 35% (in total including what the vacuum took out) water change. I waited another 2 weeks before doing another 35% water change and after testing my water again the other day, it's still 160 ppm. I don't have a lot of fish and there's no way that there's this much fish waste freshly added that would cause this again due to a high fish waste count.
I read somewhere that it could be my tap water so I tested that and came up with nothing (tap water tested out nitrate = 0). I recently changed the filter media with brand new ones so it's not that.
The only things I can think of is that it's either a) my fake plants, b) fake rocks/driftwood, c) the algae on both, or d) a combination of them all.
Can algae cause you to have high nitrates? I know nitrates can cause algae outbreaks, but does it work vice-versa? I'm considering removing everything from the tank (all the fake plants, rocks, driftwood) and waiting a week and re-testing, and possibly even removing all the substrate even.
I'm at a loss...any ideas?
I want to buy a severum to (eventually) be the lone inhabitant of the tank (you know, one huge fish instead of lots of smaller ones) but almost all the fish I have right now seem to have hole in the head disease (their heads sorta have "craters" in them like they had zits when they were kids or something) and I don't want to put a fresh healthy fish in this tank with all these nitrates I can't get rid of.
I've considered buying the chemical stuff at pet stores to lower nitrates but didn't know if chemicals were the way to go...?
Again I've done roughly a 70% total water change over the last month with this tank and I'm wondering what to do at this point.
I'm also planning on buying an Emperor filter within the next week or two; I don't know how well my filter is doing anymore and I'm wondering if that's another reason my water quality is so (literally) crappy.
TIA everyone.