nitrate problem

[cichlidowner042]

i used quick dip 5 in 1 test strips to check my tank and everything seems fine except the nitrate. it tests for ph, hardness, alkalintivity, nitrite, and nitrate. whats the difference between nitrite and nitrate because both my 125 gallon cichlid tank and my neighbor's 150 gal piranha tank the nitrate is above 200 very dangerous and what should i do? my 40 gal upstairs is fine for everything on the strip. my fish don't seem to be stressed at all except that the 2 littlest parrots don't have as much color as the 2 bigger ones but they're happy. the quick dip 5 in 1 package says to do a 25% water change and i just did one a week ago on my tank and i did one yesturday on his and he did 2 of them the 2 weeks before and then it says to add bacteria/enzyme (such as start zyme ) or nitrate ion exchange resin. would stress zyme work? i use stress coat and stress zyme on both tanks but stress zyme only mentions nitrite not nitrate what should i get to take care of the nitrate and should i use aquarium salt when ever i treat it for nitrate. the reason this is freaking me out is because his fish have hole in the head disease (i'm pretty sure, they're sick though i know that) and his nitrate level is high like mine but he didn't do a water change for 6 months so thats why they are diseased from poor water conditions i just don't want anything to happen to my babies they're a part of my family now and every sence i got them 2 months ago i've been worried about them, i though fish were supposed to be relaxing lol. if anyone can help i'd apperciate it alot.

 

[Jchillin]

Have you read the "Nitrogen cycle" in the articles section? In an established tank, ammonia is turned into nitrite and nitrite is turned into nitrate by two types of bacteria. The difference is that nitrite is more toxic than nitrate. Nitrate is also toxic if at high levels (which you describe). I've never used the 5-1 test strip...I suggest you use re-agents instead (these readings may not be accurate).

 

[ChileRelleno]

Water changes will work much faster than anything else to bring your nitrate readings down, anything else other than finding the source of the problem and correcting it is a bandaid.
High nitrates can be very harmful, anything above 50-80ppm should be dealt with by water changes and by more attention to uneaten food, poop and excessive waste buildup in your filters.

Dip strip test kits are regarded by many as poor, get indvidual liquid test kits and make sure that the Ammonia test is "Salicylate" not "Nessler", the Salicylate is a two bottle test (two reagents) and the Nessler one bottle. Make sure that the "best by date" is within reasonable time period.
All you really need is the big three right now, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate.

 

[gheitman]

StressZyme won't help get rid of the nitrates. Partial water changes, live plants or reducing the number of fish in the tank are solutions for that problem. I would suggest increasing the frequency of partial water changes to 25% every other day until your nitrates go down to a safe level.

 

[TankGirl]

Hole in the head disease is common in larger cichlids and almost always results from inadequate tank maintenance, which would also cause high nitrate. The best way to treat it is to reverse those conditions, by gradually increasing your gravel vac and water change routine, even every other day as gheitman suggests. Be careful not to do a massive water change all at once, because your fish have adapted to the higher nitrate levels and a sudden drop can stress and kill them, or bring on more illness.

In general you may require more filtration or just frequent partial water changes all of the time to keep these fish healthy. You can try Hexamit to treat the hole in the head, but this does not always work.

Good luck!