STILL the high nitrates! Desperate here!

[AngelFishGirl]

Okay I'm about to freak! I had this problem before and people said to buy a liquid master test kit. So I did. The API one.

I'm FREAKING out! I've been confirmed by other people that what I am doing is correct. I'm freaking out!

My nitrates in the STRIPS said 60. I just got the liquid and it's a deep red. At least 60. Maybe higher???? Looks like 160 to me with the test!! I've done it 3 times and same results every time!

I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've been doing weekly water changes as of last week (about 15-20 gallons) and that does nothing!

Also, I just removed ALL of my decor besides my centerpiece bridge from petsmart and a shell I got from the Bahamas. I also just added 4 Amazon Swords. This was BEFORE the water change yesterday. And yet still no change in nitrates. I'm really freaking out I don't want my precious angels getting deformed. I'm scared to death. Next weekend I will be switching to black diamond blasting sand instead of gravel so i'm praying that does something but I vacuum the gravel every single time I do a water change and it still does nothing.

I was going to start doing WC's with RO water but my tap is testing 0 so I don't think that's the cause!!

Please help !! Anyone!! They have to be coming from somewhere!

I cleaned the filter media last week - still no change.
Vacuum gravel weekly.
I have a 55 gallon
Been running for almost a year now
Used from CL

 

[AngelFishGirl]

Tank water

The 0 is my tap water

 

[CalebZachary]

Are you waiting five minutes to look at the color of the nitrates? If you wait longer, it will deepen the color. I'd do an immediate 75% WC. Also what dechlorinator are you using? Prime is the best one. Dose for the size of the tank, not the amount of water being put in.

 

[AngelFishGirl]

I have done massive water changes before and it's done nothing. I think 60% has been the biggest.

And yep I use prime.

And yep I dose for the whole tank.

And yes I do wait 5 minutes and no longer.it gets that to a deep red within a minute though and then doesn't darken when 5 minutes is up. I set a timer for 4 minutes and 45 seconds for when I do it.

 

[AngelFishGirl]

I will be doing a 75% water change when I change the substrate next weekend. Hopefully that does something. Although it hasn't done anything yet. I've done like 60%'s at max.

 

[dmolavi]

Immediately after the WC, what is the reading? Are you still off the charts, or is it lower? 60% isn't enough to make a marked change in the reading if your levels were sky high (ie, it may have dropped them in half, but you still were off the charts).

Was your tank fully cycled (ie, zero ammonia and nitrites)? You're most likely feeding too much, or you may have had a fish go belly up in a spot you can't see or get to, and his decay is causing the spikes.

 

[PerfectDepth]

Weekly water changes are fine once you have nitrates under control, but until then you will need to do multiple large water changes every few hours until your nitrates are within the safe zone.

 

[CalebZachary]

I'd feed once a day until you get it under control. Check to see if any fish are dead like suggested before. I'd remove the substrate ASAP as that is a high reading. Leave it barebottom until under control.

 

[AngelFishGirl]

The reading were that way right after the water change. And ugh this really sucks I can't do that many water changes my room is upstairs and the only water source is downstairs. Ugh I'm so pissed too I can't do it without my boyfriend's help and I'm stressing so badly right now. My mom is gonna KILL me she already yelled at me when I told her I have to change the water weekly (worried about water bills)
I'm gonna get KILLED....

 

[AngelFishGirl]

Okay I will do that. Thank you.


And I already feed once a day and (this was already suggested) I've cut food portions in half. Ugh STRESSING STRESSING STRESSING STRESSING STRESSING!!!!!

 

[CalebZachary]

I'm thinking since this has been up and running for a year , it might be in the substrate. I'd remove that immediately.

 

[dmolavi]

A 75% WC on a 55 gallon tank (say with only 50 gallons of water, with substrate and decor taking up space) is only about 12 gallons. That's not a lot. My township bills $3 per 1000 gallons. A few 12 gallon changes won't make that big a dent in your bill

 

[AngelFishGirl]

A 75% WC on a 55 gallon tank (say with only 50 gallons of water, with substrate and decor taking up space) is only about 12 gallons. That's not a lot. My township bills $3 per 1000 gallons. A few 12 gallon changes won't make that big a dent in your bill

Wait really? Cause I do about 15 gallons a change.

How is that 75??

 

[AngelFishGirl]

The substrate was also the same gravel used by the people on CL before I put my fish in. They hand small goldfish and koi in there (they moved to a pond)

No idea how long it had been running before.

So substrate is probably the answer?

 

[PerfectDepth]

A 75% WC on a 55 gallon tank (say with only 50 gallons of water, with substrate and decor taking up space) is only about 12 gallons.

Check your math.

12 gallons would only be a 25% WC

 

[dmolavi]

Koi and goldfish are BIG POOPERS. You might have a lot of "junk" in that substrate that is decaying. Get it out ASAP.

 

[dmolavi]

Check your math.

12 gallons would only be a 25% WC

My bad, I was thinking it would be 12 left over, not 12 taken out....

Either way, a 43 gallon change is a lot, but it's temporary to get it in check, and doesn't really add that much to the water bill.

 

[AngelFishGirl]

Yeah... My mom doesn't see that -_-' she's letting me do it, but I have to pay her 15 dollars for the water bill this month. And she's pissed. SO getting yelled at when she gets home...

I rinsed the gravel when I first got the tank and also have vaccumed it every single time. It's so weird. I thought when I first tested (with strips) nitrates had always been at 40 or under.

It seems just for a couple months now it's been 60 on my strips. And since testing with LIQUIDS yesterday, it's been off the charts. But the strips were probably being inaccurate this whole time.

 

[AngelFishGirl]

Is it best to remove substrate then suck out water normally? Or take out water then get gravel? If I take out the water before remove gravel waste is gonna fly out everywhere in the small amount of water left. Is that okay?

 

[CalebZachary]

I'd remove gravel with water in there, then change the water. That way any gunk floating around can be easily taken out.