Nitrate levels low :( and other leves need opinions on :)

[Camogirl28]

I bought two different kinds of Java ferns, Aquaeon vacuum in large, plant food, and plan on putting in some of that Prime stuff. Do you guys think that will help??

 

[Thumper828]

Prime is mostly used to dechlorinate water. It also removes trace metals and chloramine in the water. You can use it to temporarily detoxify ammonia and nitrite.

 

[Camogirl28]

Prime is mostly used to dechlorinate water. It also removes trace metals and chloramine in the water. You can use it to temporarily detoxify ammonia and nitrite.

So should I use the prime or not ??

 

[Thumper828]

Definitely.....is the water you are using city or county water? Prime is real strong so only 1ml per 10 gallons is required.....

 

[Camogirl28]

Definitely.....is the water you are using city or county water? Prime is real strong so only 1ml per 10 gallons is required.....

It's city water sadly ;( . So unfortunately it dose have the chemicals .

 

[Delapool]

It's city water sadly ;( . So unfortunately it dose have the chemicals .

Same here - city water as well. So every water change I have to treat the tap water with a product like prime before adding to tank. In case useful this is a link to the product description.

http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Prime.html

 

[Thumper828]

It's city water sadly ;( . So unfortunately it dose have the chemicals .

Prime will take care of that..lol...just follow the directions........

 

[Camogirl28]

It's makes it such a hassle just to fill the tank up, you have to get your bucket, measure than mix the Prime, just to fill it up.

 

[Thumper828]

Check this out
Aqueon® Aquarium Water Changer - Sale - Fish - PetSmart

greatest tool ever.....

 

[Camogirl28]

Check this out Aqueon® Aquarium Water Changer - Sale - Fish - PetSmart greatest tool ever.....

Looks really neat!! Next time I go I will definitely be checking it out. Thanks for introducing me to this cool device.

 

[Thumper828]

Oh yeah say goodbye bucket. You screw it to your sink open the valve to let the water through, it pulls your water and filth to sink drain, adjust your water temp, prime your tank for full tank amount,close valve and fill. It used to take me a little over an hour to do a 50% WC. ......down to around 15 minutes now..love it!!

 

[Camogirl28]

Tomorrow's I am going to vacuum out 50% of the water and place the plants then I will add tap water then add Prime to the whole tank. Dose this sound good to you guys??

 

[Delapool]

Tomorrow's I am going to vacuum out 50% of the water and place the plants then I will add tap water then add Prime to the whole tank. Dose this sound good to you guys??

Well, I think it's a good plan but I'd do water changes of 20%, 35%, then 50% in sequence so as not to shock the tank as much. Each water change about 3 days apart to allow tank to settle. Also check the temp of the tap is similar to tank. Can you do a test strip on the tap water and find out ph (if not already known) as well as anything else? It's not unheard of to have high nitrate in water so this will check.

 

[Thumper828]

Tomorrow's I am going to vacuum out 50% of the water and place the plants then I will add tap water then add Prime to the whole tank. Dose this sound good to you guys??

IMO, I agree with doing a gravel vac and a 50% change. You can dose for your entire tank or just dose your buckets for the volume of water in your bucket. A little math is required but either way will be fine. I've done it both ways. If you decide to dose for entire tank let the water sit for 15 minutes before you fire your filter back up.....No problem....

 

[Delapool]

Here's my thought path: My main concern on a 50% first water change would be (and I am relating this to my tap water which is in the low-mid 7's) a ph jump in the order of e.g. 6.2 to 6.7. As the scale is logarithmic I believe this would be a significant risk - hence the question on tap ph.

 

[Camogirl28]

I just tested my Ph for tap water it looked about 7.8 or 8.4 , but I was using the strips which tend to be wrong sometimes.

 

[Camogirl28]

No I am thinking of doing a 25% water Change by vaccume , add plants , refill with tap water, treat whole tank with Prime. Dose this sound like a good safe idea, also will it solve my problem???

 

[Delapool]

Hi, a 20 or 25% water change should be fine to start. I'd still go with what I suggested with gradually increasing water changes, get the nitrates down and ph stable, then do a weekly water change to maintain that. Your tank ph will probably then be around or slightly lower than tap ph (somewhere above 7).

I've read that at a low ph <6.5 the bacteria get quite slow and inefficient. So bringing the ph up will help the bacteria. However ammonia forms a more toxic type at higher temperature and ph so the gradual water changes will give the bacteria population a chance to catch up, particularly as I understand it, going above a ph of 7. So then you have a better bacteria population plus the water changes / gravel vacs - both which should help with your cloudy water problem. The water changes will lower nitrates. My tank sits at about 7.4 ph.

I've had a look at the ph solution changes I have and also websites. Recommendations for modifying ph range from a 0.2 to 0.5 shift in 24hrs. Using 80% at 6.2ph (tank) and 20% at 7.8 ph (tap water change) I get a final ph of ~6.5 after water change.

 

[Camogirl28]

I did the water change at nine this morning and added plants. I just got home and the water was clear, the Ph was up put the nitrate was high. But I think nitrate will take a few days to get right .

 

[Delapool]

I did the water change at nine this morning and added plants. I just got home and the water was clear, the Ph was up put the nitrate was high. But I think nitrate will take a few days to get right .

Fantastic news. Yes, you're right - lots more water changes to go yet to get nitrates down. I've got to get a water changer as well

Just keep an eye on the tank with each water change as you are doing.