Mi nitrates have been at 40 ppm for 3 weeks...I have done a 20% PWC but it havnt lowered yet. What else can I do? Is there a product I could use? My tank is a 10 g FOWLR with 2 clowns and 4 Nassarius snails. All other parameters are ok. I would like to add other livestock but would like to lower the nitrates.
Help with Nitrates
- Thread starter Lobo
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austinsdad
Aquarium Advice Addict
What are your feeding habits. How old is the tank and what kinda substrate ya got? How much rock and are you doing any kinda filtration? 10g with 2 clowns IMO is gonna show nitrates. Still without much information, no one can tell you how to lower nitrates. Again though, if those 2 clowns got any size to'm, you're gonna get that in a 10g tank.
David S
Aquarium Advice Addict
10g to small for 2 clowns,btu if you do a 50% pwc it'lll drop to 20,so keep doing pwc until trates are lower but find the cause of the high trates,keep feeding every 2 days and keep what ever filter your using cleaned each week.
austinsdad
Aquarium Advice Addict
No, but feeding twice a day is. First the feeding twice a day is a problem. Secondly, what your feeding is a problem. That frozen cube of brine shrimp. Get a small net and rinse the food with fresh water. You're gonna have phosphate problems soon as the frozen water is loaded with it. That'll cause algae blomms that'll get out of hand soom. I'd also add a couple of drops of Zoe (vitamin) and Garlic Guard to the shrimp after you rinse it to help boost the immune system Plus, the fish go crazy over the smell of it.
austinsdad said:
So I might be overfeeding. How often should I be feeding them? The pellets I'm using have garlic. Is it sufficient?
If this is correct a change in feeding habits should help me out in the long run but what can I do for immediate relief. I'm about to do a PWC but the first one didn't helped.
David S
Aquarium Advice Addict
feed them once every 2 days,also rinse food in RO water,and the tank is too small for 2 clowns,keep doing 20% pwc every 2 days the trates will soon drop.
trackfast
Aquarium Advice Freak
I only use brine shrimp as a treat. They love it but it had very little nutritional value unless you cat something. (like vitamins)
austinsdad
Aquarium Advice Addict
Feed once a day for a week or so and see if that changes anything. Nothing wrong with going to once every two days after that. I've had fish (clowns included) that didn't eat but once a week a couple of times a year with no ill effects.
Just do your frequent water changes for more immediate relief.
Just do your frequent water changes for more immediate relief.
Clearwatertankcare
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2011
- Messages
- 3
Yea don't forget a general rule of thumb for nitrates at or over 40ppm you should do fifty percent water change and reduce feeding by half. Check each day until it drops. For strong fish I'd do the pwc each day also until fixed.
Sure cleaning up the tank and reducing as much waste is great advice. Feeding is the main cause of this spike. And if feeding has to be reduced to once a day so be it. If feeding has to be reduced to lower than once a day your tank ain't large enough, brother.
Best of luck, and watch out for those healthy bacteria when cleaning. They're on about everything you see. And when vacuuming gravel just hit the top half inch or so. There is a nice layer of healthy bacteria about an inch and deeper best left alone.
Sure cleaning up the tank and reducing as much waste is great advice. Feeding is the main cause of this spike. And if feeding has to be reduced to once a day so be it. If feeding has to be reduced to lower than once a day your tank ain't large enough, brother.
Best of luck, and watch out for those healthy bacteria when cleaning. They're on about everything you see. And when vacuuming gravel just hit the top half inch or so. There is a nice layer of healthy bacteria about an inch and deeper best left alone.
Thanks to all of you. I'll start implementing your recommendations and see what happens.
BTW does anyone knows about a product named Nitrate Reducer by Instant Ocean? Does it works? Would it help? They recommended it at the pet shop I go to...
BTW does anyone knows about a product named Nitrate Reducer by Instant Ocean? Does it works? Would it help? They recommended it at the pet shop I go to...
austinsdad
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'd stick with the water changes as advised and not introduce chemicals.
Clearwatertankcare
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2011
- Messages
- 3
Yea, great advice. Avoid chemicals to handle nitrates.
Keylo901
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I was having the same problem and a friend of mine suggested biodigest.. I have a large predator tank and I've been told it's very common for pred tanks to have high nitrates but I still try and keep water quality as good as I possibly can.PWC are effective and quite easy considering you're only changing 5 gal max.I'm still in my first week of using biodigest so I can't say first hand if it works but I've read alot on it and it sounds like a great product. Good luck to ya
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium
Just did another 50% WC and Nitrates dropped to 20 ppm...the only things that I did differently is that I brought a powerhead and blew away from the LR all the debris and that I used Live Water that I brought from the store instead of mixing it myself...
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