High Nitrates And the Best way to lower Nitrates

High Nitrates And the Best way to lower Nitrates

Ok My 55 gallon fw tank had a level of 140 ppms or higher yesterday. The tank has no ammonia, no nitrites but nitrates are at 140. If I am not mistaken, ammonia gets converted to nitrite then nitrate? If that is true then my tank must have been real dirty and now its on its last step towards cleanliness. I did a 9 gallon change today and the nitrates barely nudged. How long should I wait for this to correct itself? What other steps should I take besides small daily water changes?

dela

[Allivymar]

Water change water change water change! The number one way to reduce nitrate levels. A 9g change on a 55g is only removing 16% of the nitrates; not much at all. A change of 30% (16-17g) or so will make a little more of a dent, but obviously won't make a huge diff if only one is done. I wouldn't do a change over 50%

Nitrates do not leave the tank unless they are removed (or if its a well planted tank; the plants will use the nitrates as food). It will not correct itself. Think of it this way: anything you add to the tank STAYS in the tank unless you remove it, although it may be in a diff form. Nitrates are the last form of the nitrogen cycle.

I would suggest at this point, because your nitrates are well above dangerous levels (nitrates are not generally dangerous like ammonia or nitrites, but its suggested to keep levels below 40ppm), daily water changes of 20-30%. After a week you should have manageable levels of nitrates. Do be sure to gravel vac the first big change (definitely do a 30% or more change), and every other change thereafter for that week to pull up any rotting food/poo/detritus in it. I'd start tonite. Good luck!

[loganj]

Agreed. It took me about 4 months to get the nitrates down to acceptable levels on a 150 gal cichlid tank. They were 200+ when I started. The tank had been neglected and was stocked with quite a few large cichlids. Large water changes every time I serviced the tank, every two weeks, finally won out. Since you have your tank at home, you should be able to lower them somewhat faster than that. Regular water changes on the 150 keep nitrates under 15 now.

I did another Change today and I think I got the nitrates to budge a little. thats after 2 changes. I guess im lucky that my tap ph is ok and I have a temperature adjuster on my shower faucet. Just a little stress coat

dela

[TankGirl]

Once you get them down to under 40ppm, check it daily until you can see a pattern of how long it takes for the levels to approach 40ppm again. Then you will know how often to do your regular maintenance water changes. (Is this the neon tank? If so, they tolerate much lower nitrates than other fish, so I would try to keep it around 10-20ppm for the best results with the neons. Other fish do fine with higher levels.)

Good luck!

daily water changes of 20-30%. After a week you should have manageable levels of nitrates. Do be sure to gravel vac the first big change

I did another change and now they are somewhere between 60 and 80. looks like 2 more changes and ill be ok by monday. THe tank is so clean that when I hit the gravel nothing comes up.

[edmund36]

Is there some products , whether liquid, or granules, that would help reduce the nitrate levels. I see Ads for Prime, Algone, etc. that either suggest or claim this. Please advise? Same issue now with 60 gallon with Emporer 400 filter system. Thank you, Ed

[edmund36]

If that old just bump up to top to renew!

[m.j.gomez]

Originally Posted by ;90603

High Nitrates And the Best way to lower Nitrates

Ok My 55 gallon fw tank had a level of 140 ppms or higher yesterday. The tank has no ammonia, no nitrites but nitrates are at 140. If I am not mistaken, ammonia gets converted to nitrite then nitrate? If that is true then my tank must have been real dirty and now its on its last step towards cleanliness. I did a 9 gallon change today and the nitrates barely nudged. How long should I wait for this to correct itself? What other steps should I take besides small daily water changes?

dela

Hello, I've been hearing about people actually using sweet potato to lower nitrates. They are fast growing & vine doesn't look to bad. It doesn't replace waterchanges but it may give you rm to breath. Here pics I found on internet. Hope this helps!

[King Fisher]

Originally Posted by edmund36

Is there some products , whether liquid, or granules, that would help reduce the nitrate levels. I see Ads for Prime, Algone, etc. that either suggest or claim this. Please advise? Same issue now with 60 gallon with Emporer 400 filter system. Thank you, Ed

No product completely eliminates ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates.

Do several water changes to lower your nitrates then use Seachem Purigen. Seems to work for a lot of people.

[BBradbury]

Hello dela...

There's really a simple solution. Purchase a cheap, large pot of Chinese evergreens. Rinse all the potting mixture from the roots and immerse the root ball into the tank with the leaves above water. Get an air stone attached to a length of plastic tubing and attach the tubing to a small air pump. Run the airstone into the root ball. In a few days, the plant will have dropped the nitrates to a healthier level. The larger the plant, the faster the nitrates are removed. While you're waiting for the plant to work it's magic, Gradually increase the amount of water you change and do it a bit more often.

B

[J.Mcpeak]

Ammonia and nitrite will take care of themselves, if the tank is not overstocked.

It is possible to reduce nitrate naturally but a water change is the easiest way most of the time.

Create anearobic conditions, such as a really deep sand bed or proper depth/gradedsubstrate.

Create a filter that enforces these rules.

Yes it works.

You’ll know when you have it as you get a hydrogen sulphide smell if disturbed (rotten eggs).
I think it is worth the time experimenting and investigating.

Also, as mentioned, plants. Although I have no experience with this method.