Water changes

[Nicola28]

We recently inherited a tank when we moved house. After doing some tests we have discovered the water is too high in nitrate. We've done two water changes in the last two days but it's still on the high side. How often can we do a water change or any tips on how best to solve our problem?

 

[coralbandit]

Done properly you can change large quantities of water.
Temperature matched as best as possible and dechlorinated 50% is no problem.
I do up to 90% on my grow out tanks.
This may help. The % of water you change is the % of nitrate [or any other nutrient] will be reduced. So if you have 100 ppm nitrates and you change 25% you will end up at 75ppm.If you changed 50% you would end up with 50ppm.
If you did 25% and got to 75 and did another 25% after you will end up near 56 so larger removes more then 2 smaller.The trick is dilution.Mixing the bad left behind with the new good you just added.

 

[BBradbury]

We recently inherited a tank when we moved house. After doing some tests we have discovered the water is too high in nitrate. We've done two water changes in the last two days but it's still on the high side. How often can we do a water change or any tips on how best to solve our problem?

Nic...

Simply work up to the point you remove and replace most of the tank water every week. This will remove the toxic forms of nitrogen and leave the nitrate levels steady. This is all most aquarium fish require. If you're willing to go a bit further, then invest in some floating plants like Hornwort and use a nitrate lowering filter medium. Companies like Acurel and HBH carry this product.

B

 

[Nicola28]

Done properly you can change large quantities of water.
Temperature matched as best as possible and dechlorinated 50% is no problem.
I do up to 90% on my grow out tanks.
This may help. The % of water you change is the % of nitrate [or any other nutrient] will be reduced. So if you have 100 ppm nitrates and you change 25% you will end up at 75ppm.If you changed 50% you would end up with 50ppm.
If you did 25% and got to 75 and did another 25% after you will end up near 56 so larger removes more then 2 smaller.The trick is dilution.Mixing the bad left behind with the new good you just added.

Thank you.

 

[Nicola28]

Nic...

Simply work up to the point you remove and replace most of the tank water every week. This will remove the toxic forms of nitrogen and leave the nitrate levels steady. This is all most aquarium fish require. If you're willing to go a bit further, then invest in some floating plants like Hornwort and use a nitrate lowering filter medium. Companies like Acurel and HBH carry this product.

B

Thanks. We'll try and keep an eye out for the plants too.