I'm stumped... :(

[wrmiller]

Okay, eco. Help me out here. I just got the water test results back from the health department. They are reporting to me that we only have 4.7ppm of nitrates in our tap water. So, why does my API Master Test Kit report that my tap water contains between 40-80ppm? Is it possible that the Nitrate solution in my test kit is bad or something? According to the date on the bottle it is manufactured February of 2011.

I just don't understand and don't get it. What should I do? Go buy another Nitrate solution set? Mine is just about wiped out anyway so I will need new soon regardless.

I just did a test on some bottled water and the results are 0ppm nitrates
I just did a test on my aquarium water and the results are approximately 40-80ppm nitrates
I just did a test on my tap water and the results are approximately 40-80ppm nitrates

Is the appropriate way to read these darn things by holding them against the white part of the card or holding them out a little from the card? It really makes a big difference if you hold it out from the card or hold it against the card.

This is just crazy if you ask me...

 

[eco23]

Odd. At first it seems like there's a testing error on one side or the other...but maybe it's more complicated than that. If you're seeing consistent results, following the booklet, and have even compared it to a control sample (bottled water), I'd be inclined to believe the API, but I'd assume the Health Dept would have means to get accurate readings. Now one thing I saw listed when I was reading about nitrAte in tap water was that they measure it by total nitrogen, how that differs from a specific nitrAte test I don't know.

I'd be curious how the county tests, but I'd believe they've got a reliable method. Who knows, maybe they're using test strips, haha. What's funny is that even our company which is a multi-million dollar corporation purchases many of our testing products from pool supply stores.

If they say it's safe, I'd be inclined to believe them, but if you've got a few extra $'s there's plenty of independent testing agencies, like Quest Diagnostics, which will run a full battery of tests on your well water.

As for your aquarium, I still say that 40-80 is far from ideal, but not necessarily a crisis. If you've already got the RO unit, and the buffering products to mix in...might as well go with that IMO.

 

[wrmiller]

Odd. At first it seems like there's a testing error on one side or the other...but maybe it's more complicated than that. If you're seeing consistent results, following the booklet, and have even compared it to a control sample (bottled water), I'd be inclined to believe the API, but I'd assume the Health Dept would have means to get accurate readings. Now one thing I saw listed when I was reading about nitrAte in tap water was that they measure it by total nitrogen, how that differs from a specific nitrAte test I don't know.

I'd be curious how the county tests, but I'd believe they've got a reliable method. Who knows, maybe they're using test strips, haha. What's funny is that even our company which is a multi-million dollar corporation purchases many of our testing products from pool supply stores.

If they say it's safe, I'd be inclined to believe them, but if you've got a few extra $'s there's plenty of independent testing agencies, like Quest Diagnostics, which will run a full battery of tests on your well water.

As for your aquarium, I still say that 40-80 is far from ideal, but not necessarily a crisis. If you've already got the RO unit, and the buffering products to mix in...might as well go with that IMO.

At the moment I am looking at a totally milky greenish tinted aquarium. I hadn't realized but I suppose the earthquake yesterday really did something to the quality of our water also. It looks really discolored. I'm assuming things got shaken up pretty bad. I hope it doesn't hurt the fishes but I didn't have a choice but to use the water I had tonight as I had already removed a good portion of the water from the tank. I suppose the filter will work to clear it up but who knows. With my luck it will probably turn in to a back cesspool. I'll probably wake up to a tank full of belly ups tomorrow.

The local health department sends their water off to a lab a few counties away for testing. I wouldn't think they wouldn't use test strips. LOL!!!! They did also confirm what I already knew about my ammonia though. That we have 0.2ppm. That is consistent with what I see using the API Master Kit.

Okay. I will provide and update at some point tomorrow.

 

[PR325xi]

this thread has helped me big time, lots of useful questions and answers. Me, i just started with a 10G tank with just a red nose shrimp in it like 5 days ago xD

 

[SammieJo]

I was under the impression that the nitrites can become if the tank is over crowded as well? And also, when cleaning the gravel becareful, you want to remove access waste but if you get down to the bottom of the rocks there also a lot of good bacteria down there that you want in the tank. So just keep that in mind

 

[wrmiller]

this thread has helped me big time, lots of useful questions and answers. Me, i just started with a 10G tank with just a red nose shrimp in it like 5 days ago xD

I'm so glad that this thread has been helpful for others as well. I'm glad that my questions are also helping. Some of my questions are off of the wall but hey, that's how we learn. Right?

 

[wrmiller]

I was under the impression that the nitrites can become if the tank is over crowded as well? And also, when cleaning the gravel becareful, you want to remove access waste but if you get down to the bottom of the rocks there also a lot of good bacteria down there that you want in the tank. So just keep that in mind

I'm no expert in this field as I look at eco as my personal consultant. LOL!!! Nitrate is a byproduct of the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia is converted to nitrIte and nitrIte is converted to nitrAte. All of this is done by the beneficial bacterias you mention. So yes, an over crowded tank could definitely contribute to high nitrAte levels but even an aquarium with one little fishy would produce the same level of NitrAte eventually without proper water changes and maintenance. In my case my aquarium is not over crowded.

Regarding the beneficial bacterias in the gravel. It was my understanding that they actually reside more on the top layers over the gravel and not the bottom. I however don't have a thorough knowledge of this so maybe someone else will chime in that knows for sure.

 

[eco23]

I'm no expert in this field as I look at eco as my personal consultant. LOL!!! Nitrate is a byproduct of the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia is converted to nitrIte and nitrIte is converted to nitrAte. All of this is done by the beneficial bacterias you mention. So yes, an over crowded tank could definitely contribute to high nitrAte levels but even an aquarium with one little fishy would produce the same level of NitrAte eventually without proper water changes and maintenance. In my case my aquarium is not over crowded.

Regarding the beneficial bacterias in the gravel. It was my understanding that they actually reside more on the top layers over the gravel and not the bottom. I however don't have a thorough knowledge of this so maybe someone else will chime in that knows for sure.

You've got it exactly right. In freshwater aquariums there really isn't any measurable effect from denitrifying bacteria (I believe that's more an aspect of SW). The beneficial nitrifying bacteria which converts ammonia > no2 > no3 are aerobic and require high oxygen environments to efficiently colonize and perform conversion. The denitrifying bacteria which converts nitrAte into nitrogen gas are anaerobic (don't need oxygen), so that is why they are more commonly found in substrate which is a low oxygen environment. My understanding is that in FW aquariums, denitrification is really never noticed because nitrAtes are produced exponentially faster than bacteria will ever be able to remove it. In FW, water changes and plants are really the only natural options for removing no3.

 

[wrmiller]

Here are my latest developments. Arrrrr!!!

Late last night I noticed a spot on one of my Clown Barbs again. I was thinking, that can't be Ich. Can it? So I figured I would give it over night and see if it was something just stuck to the little fella's fin or something. No such luck. This morning he had more of them and I fear that when I put the other fish in that showed Ich signs, I didn't remove them quick enough in to QT to delay the spread to my others.

I acclimated the QT fish back in to the main tank along with the QT filter and have decommissioned the QT tank for now. I figured why treat two tanks when I can go ahead and put them all together and treat them all at the same time in one place. I have already done half dose of salt and have started to move the thermometer slowly. Going to get it about 83 degrees or so and treat with the salt method again. 2 weeks starting from today and hopefully I can get some relaxation after then. LOL!!! So far this tank has been work, work, work and little enjoyment. Oh, did I mention the rather huge amount of frustration also?

My water is still really cloudy. Earth Quack still has things stirred up under ground I guess. I may head out to get a sedate filter and install it this weekend. That of course depends if the house is still standing after the hurricane barrels through.

 

[PR325xi]

that hurricane left me without power for 2 days, a friend of mine had her tank without filtration for 4 days without filtration, luckily for her all fish survived.

 

[wrmiller]

that hurricane left me without power for 2 days, a friend of mine had her tank without filtration for 4 days without filtration, luckily for her all fish survived.

WOW! Sorry to hear that. Where are you located? I'm in Maryland, USA.

 

[PR325xi]

WOW! Sorry to hear that. Where are you located? I'm in Maryland, USA.

Im in Puerto Rico, it was only a cat 1 hurricane when it passed trough here. Remember the shrimp i had? it is a monster i put an electric yellow fish in the tank and when the fish got near hem he would attack him, but the fish is to fast lol. i had the shrimp moved to my friends tank (because i bought it for her) he would attack all fishes!!! i dont even know what kind of shrimp it even is right now... I now have one that was purchased from the same tank and its more peaceful, the electric yellow attack him when it tries to enter under the bridge that he now lives (the monster shrimp lived there)

I will begin a thread about this with a video of the monster shrimp lol i thought id let you know here lol

 

[eco23]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Frabill-Portable-Aerator/16494427

$12 at Walmart. We got 10 hours of practice for the hurricane because a bad storm knocked our power out yesterday. It actually gave great surface movement and agitation on my 46 gallon.

Remember if the power is out for an extended period to move your bio-media into the tank so the bacteria doesn't die off from oxygen deprivation.

2 D batteries are supposed to power it for 24 hours...so make sure you stock up.

 

[wrmiller]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Frabill-Portable-Aerator/16494427

$12 at Walmart. We got 10 hours of practice for the hurricane because a bad storm knocked our power out yesterday. It actually gave great surface movement and agitation on my 46 gallon.

Remember if the power is out for an extended period to move your bio-media into the tank so the bacteria doesn't die off from oxygen deprivation.

2 D batteries are supposed to power it for 24 hours...so make sure you stock up.

WOW! Thank, eco! Shows that it is available at my local Wal-Mart so I will be going out tonight and picking one up. Batteries too of course. Does this things submerse in your tank or sit outside of the tank?

Thanks again!

 

[eco23]

WOW! Thank, eco! Shows that it is available at my local Wal-Mart so I will be going out tonight and picking one up. Batteries too of course. Does this things submerse in your tank or sit outside of the tank?

Thanks again!

It's got a clip on the back (I guess to hang on the side of a bucket), but it conveniently fits right on the outside of the tank. I picked up two of them while I was there (since they were so cheap) just in case one were to stop working or wasn't powerful enough. I'd be comfortable enough just running one though, but it never hurts to have a backup.

What I'll probably do if power is out more than a day is pull the bio-media out, stick it in the tank and run the second airstone under it so there's plenty of movement through it to stay nice and oxygenated.

Luckily my next-door neighbor has a generator I plugged into and had the filter running last night, but it never hurts to be cautious and prepared.

 

[wrmiller]

It's got a clip on the back (I guess to hang on the side of a bucket), but it conveniently fits right on the outside of the tank. I picked up two of them while I was there (since they were so cheap) just in case one were to stop working or wasn't powerful enough. I'd be comfortable enough just running one though, but it never hurts to have a backup.

What I'll probably do if power is out more than a day is pull the bio-media out, stick it in the tank and run the second airstone under it so there's plenty of movement through it to stay nice and oxygenated.

Luckily my next-door neighbor has a generator I plugged into and had the filter running last night, but it never hurts to be cautious and prepared.

awesome! Thank you! Good information and thanks again for the tip. I will definitely be getting one.

 

[wrmiller]

OK. Another question for you folks.

I said earlier today that I tore down my QT tank and am treating one big tank now since both were infected. Question is this:

Do you all keep gravel or substrate in your QT tank? Seems like a PIA now that I am tearing it down. It's all wet and is probably going to start to stink as it drys and who knows what will get it in between now and the next time I need to use it. For QT tank should I just basically have the tank, hood, heater and filter and that is it? No gravel, etc? maybe a couple of fake plants to give the fishes comfort and someplace to retreat?

Thanks!
Bill

 

[eco23]

OK. Another question for you folks.

I said earlier today that I tore down my QT tank and am treating one big tank now since both were infected. Question is this:

Do you all keep gravel or substrate in your QT tank? Seems like a PIA now that I am tearing it down. It's all wet and is probably going to start to stink as it drys and who knows what will get it in between now and the next time I need to use it. For QT tank should I just basically have the tank, hood, heater and filter and that is it? No gravel, etc? maybe a couple of fake plants to give the fishes comfort and someplace to retreat?

Thanks!
Bill

Most people don't keep substrate in their QT's. You've got it right...tank, filter and heater. There's no reason to have a light unless you want to look at the fish. They don't care about light, it's really just for our viewing pleasure. I always throw a few plants or decorations in there just so they have some cover.

 

[wrmiller]

Most people don't keep substrate in their QT's. You've got it right...tank, filter and heater. There's no reason to have a light unless you want to look at the fish. They don't care about light, it's really just for our viewing pleasure. I always throw a few plants or decorations in there just so they have some cover.

great! gravel is going bye bye then. Wal-Mart trip in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6... LOL!!!!

 

[wrmiller]

OK. Got the portable aerator. They had them packaged two different ways at my Wal-Mart. Same unit but one had a suction cup with a hook and the other didn't. Aeration unit was exactly the same. One was $8 and one was $13. I picked up 2 of the $8 ones. Now, I'm hoping I don't have to use them.

My well water is starting to clear back up which I am happy about. I did about a 30% water change tonight and it already looks somewhat better.

You know, on my main tank (37 gallons) I have an AquaClear 70 that has the stacked media in it. On my QT tank I had a small Aqueon 10 (rated for up to 20 gallons) filter that has white filter inserts that has the carbon in it and then has a blue grids that the filters slip in to and they say are their Beneficial Bacteria breeding ground. Then after that the water runs on to another grid that allows the water to trickle back in to the aquarium and that they call the wet dry area. I honestly like the design of the Aqueon filter much better than the AquaClear as it is more simple and I have to be honest and say that I think it does a better filtering job. I believe the AquaClear allows a lot of the water to pass around the mechanical media before returning back to the tank which means that the water never get's super clear. As soon as I added the Aqueon filter to the main tank today I could see the water getting clearer and clearer. Also, I noticed that since adding the Aqueon filter to the tank today, my Ammonia yellow is more yellow than it normally is with just the AquaClear filter on the tank. Does anyone have experience with the Aqueon filters? I'm thinking of maybe getting an Aqueon 50 to replace my AquaClear and retire it to be a backup. I may leave this Aqueon 10 on my tank all the time and get another one for less than $20 for the QT tank and when I need it for the QT tank I will just pull the media out of the main tank filter and move it over to the QT tank. I think the fishes are enjoying the additional flow in the tank anyway now that there are two steams coming back in to the tank. They keep playing around the intakes.

Right now I have the water at about 81 degrees. Tomorrow I will turn it up about another degree or two and then will allow it to remain there for the next 2 weeks along with the 1 TBSP of aquarium salt per 5 gallons of water to treat the Ich. Hopefully this is the last time I will ever have to treat the main tank as I will always QT fish for 2 weeks before introducing them now that I officially have a QT tank.