HUGE nitrate issues...(fissues)

[newtankgirl]

kay, my tank has been set up for 2 months now, and I cannot get my nitrates under control. I have been doing 10% water changes every-other -day, rinsing my media, and my ammonia is nil. I have NO idea what is causing this. My bumble bee cichlid had ich, I raised the temp and added aeration and salt, he's fine now, and my kenyan cichlid never even got sick, he's all good really frisky! My pleco is great too. I don't know what to do. Is it the salt? The fishes are fine otherwise, and don't seem stressed, so I'm not sure if the tests are wrong. I've been taking it to the lfs to get tested in a babyfood jar. ACK!!! I'm so frustrated!!! They keep telling me that the levels are toxic, but I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Please help....Oh, my tank is a 20 gallon, and those are all the fish I have (2 cichlids,and a pleco)

 

[Christmasfish]

Compared to many here you8 have a very modest population for tank size.

You need to do a much more massive water change to get that under control!
At least a 50% change.If you added a lot of salt you need to remove it anyway. Or it will build up until your FW fish are living marine...

What IS the magic number your lfs mentioned?

What is your pH? Maybe the water is just weak for buffereing.

Do you have plants (Especially dying ones)? Do you add any products for cycling?

What type of filter?

I can't really make any off the top guesses. My Nitrite/nitrate usually raise with algae or plant problems. but that is only .o2 difference I 'm talking.

 

[newtankgirl]

i haven't added anything for cycling, I heard that once you add one chemical you get stuck in a vicious circle. The nitrate level is the highest, I didn't get a number they were like OMG, this is bad!!! It was a dipstick, and it was the darkest colour it can be (fuschisa/purple) I haven't checked the ph since I added the salt, I was too worried about saving my fishes, and saving my daughter from more trauma of dead fishes. Previously PH was 7 i do believe I have a whisper power filter, no live plants, just fake ones. I am mostly confused I guess cause the fish seem okay. My fish population is modest, cause everytime I add more, the ones that are in there die, it's traumatizing, and I feel like a fish killer. plus I didn't know when I could get more after the ich experience

 

[TankGirl]

I would first get yourself a liquid reagent test kit - it will be one with a vial for the water and 2 liquid reagent bottles. It is a pain but those dip stick tests are not accurate. They are extremely sensitive to moisture and I would not believe the results from them.

You might as well also get an ammonia and nitrIte test kit, while you are at it ("master" test kits often do not contain nitrAte tests, so be sure and get that one separately if you get a kit) and double-check the LFS results. If your fish are happy continue like you have been until you can do your own testing, and then post back.

BTW, love your handle!

 

[Allivymar]

Nitrates are the least deadliest of the 3 key nitrogenous wastes found in fishtanks. Here we try to keep them under 40ppm, although I've certainly heard of fish surviving fine in nitrate levels of 80ppm. The issues with higher levels of nitrates are 2 fold: it generally means there is a lot of detritus in the tank; besides water changes of more then 10%, gravel vacs and filter media changes are in order. Problem is, unless you are running biowheels, don't do both in the same week or you may remove too much of your nitrifying bacterial colony. The other issue is this; new fish may not do well in your tank, even if slowly acclimated, as they are likely not used to such high levels of nitrates. I'd probably do a good gravel vac along with a 30% change today, a 30% change 2 days from now and another one over the weekend. Then next week replace the filter media.

Also, I suggest buying your own tests, and getting the liquid/vials ones. The dipstick ones are notoriously inaccurate, plus you can check your levels at your leisure and not have to wait to get to the lfs. Also, any idea what the nitrite levels are?

 

[Allivymar]

LOL Beat me by a minute TankGirl. Btw, this one of your protege's?

 

[patryuji]

A 50% change once a week is far better than a 10% change for 5 days in one week for lowering the concentration of one dissolved compound.

Lets say you have 60ppm NO3 (nitrate). A 50% change brings it down to 30ppm (given that the new water has no NO3 in it already). With a 10% change multiple times you end up with the following: 1st change 54ppm, 2nd change 48.6ppm, 3rd change 43.7ppm, 4th change 39.3ppm, 5th change 35.4ppm.

This of course ignores the fact that NO3 is constantly building up making the multiple small changes even less effective than one big change.

 

[rocky_2197]

First you defitinitly need to geet atest kit and then, what I did when I was having problems, do a 50% H20 change every other day and gravel vac. After a week or two the nitrAtes should be safe. Good luck and continue doing the water changes.

 

[malkore]

First, get the liquid test kits that were already mentioned.

Second, test your tap water for nitrates. Some places have 10-20ppm of nitrates right outta the tap water...(even more if you're on well water).

 

[newtankgirl]

I am going to definately get a test kit this weekend (can't get out before then) Thanks for adivce from all. My fish are okay so far, and seem generally okay. I am hoping to get some more when this is all over. (soon)

 

[Sparky]

I know this may be a newbie question, but I would like to know if it wouldn't be a good idea to find out "why" the nitrate levels keeps rising? Is it because of the smaller sized tank? I guess what I am trying to say is to correct the problem, wouldn't you look for the source? I am just trying to understand all of this because I am very new at this stuff. I'm an electrician....LOL, I don't do very much fish in my line of work. But I do understand troubleshooting, and I would think that it is the same for every problem solving condition.

Mike

 

[TankGirl]

Nitrate levels rise as a part of the nitrification process, and is the end-result of fish eating, producing waste, and leftover food decomposition. I have been reading some interesting threads about nitrate recently, and there is some hard science behind the notion that nitrAte is not as harmful to fish as we think, but it is the inevitable DOC (dissolved organic compounds) that go hand in hand with the nitrate being present that are hard on the fish.

Tap water can contain levels of nitrate, more often present in well water, and that can be a big contributor. The key in this is always going to be not overfeeding and doing frequent water changes with removal of as much solid waste each time as you can.

 

[TankGirl]

Btw, this one of your protege's?

Nope - but if she is Newtankgirl then what does that make me?