Nitrate!

[fish12]

i have a reading of 20ppm nitrate just wonder what should i do??

 

[jaylam]

i have a reading of 20ppm nitrate just wonder what should i do??

Water change

 

[fish12]

how often and how much

 

[jaylam]

how often and how much

Is this a newly setup tank? if so it might be worth doing a bigger one first like a 50% change then every 2 weeks a 20% one.

 

[fish12]

no not newly i do water change every once a week i use prime and bio booster

 

[jaylam]

A 20% change every 2 weeks should keep it at a safe level.

Do the change, leave it 24 hours and re test.

 

[fish12]

so do a water change every 2 weeks at 20% not at once a week

 

[jaylam]

so do a water change every 2 weeks at 20% not at once a week

 

[fish12]

what happens if it gets worst before i do my next clean?

 

[jaylam]

what happens if it gets worst before i do my next clean?

Then you will need to do one before.
You can buy products to bring down the nitrates but if they are any good I could not tell you.
Maybe try feeding less, overfeeding is a significant contributor to excess nitrates.

 

[fish12]

they get fed on live food and would aquarium salt help?

 

[Katch]

20ppm is not a dangerous level of Nitrate, especially if you have plants in your tank.

You need to take a sample of your dechlorinated tap water (treat it let it stand for an hour) and test it to see if you have nitrates present in your tap water.

This is then your baseline reading. When the water in the tank is 20ppm above this baseline it is time for a water change.

Just to put it in context - planted tank owners regularly keep their tanks dosed up to 40ppm of nitrate with no ill effects to the fish. It is only when nitrate starts to hit in excess of 100ppm that it starts to become toxic.

As WD will tell you, we change our water when we are 20ppm above our baseline not because 30 or 40ppm is toxic but because it is an indicator of how the water is aging and that other undesirable chemical which are harder to test for will be building up. Nitrate tests are the red light that flags the need for a water change but are in themselves not a major problem until much higher levels.

I would also be keen to know what Nitrate test you use as they are notoriously inaccurate and their instructions must be followed to the letter. So if it says shake for 1 minute that is what you must do. The API test for example says you must shake bottle 2 for 30 secs before use. This is as it contains a precipitate that settles out and must be well distributed to accurately react in the test. Another example is the Tetra test for nitrate that I have used that gave me rididulously false high readings. IMHO the API liquid test is the best one going and the one most of us use.

 

[fish12]

yeah thanks mate i got the liquid test kit i will clean my tank next wednesday do the usual 25% gravel vac and then boi booster and prime and aquarium salt then clean my canister (abit) then wait another 2 weeks to do another clean,I will test every 3 days if needed.

(will test tap water asap)

 

[Katch]

depending on how well you maintain your gravel you may find that after cleaning it and performing a w/c you still have high nitrates. This is because pockets of nitrate can build up and get trapped in the gravel - these are then released into the water during your cleaning session.

Usual response to this situation is another large w/c the next day.

questions;

how big is the tank
what fish
what filter (and turnover if known)
how long has it been running
is it planted

Also don't be afraid to perform large water changes (as long as your tank hasn't been neglected for a long time -google 'old tank syndrome')

You can literally take it down to the gravel leaving just enough to cover the dorsal fins of the fish - just make sure you temperature match the fresh water and be generous with the dechlorinator.

The idea of needing mature water is out of date and incorrect - it is the filter that must be mature - old dirty water is just that, old and dirty.

 

[fish12]

not planted running for 2 years fuval 405 1300lph eel tailed cathfish ect native not big 15cm fish about 4 fish 4ft tank i lift up drift wood and get all the crap. i no its not a big deal (20ppm) but its still there.