Nitrates

[reg2k2]

Briefly...importance in an established tank?

 

[semper fi]

nitrates are like the last link on the chain and almost harmless to fish. ammonia is broken down to nitrites, both when high are harmful to fish. also is when fish can become diseased. nitrates are when the nitrites are broken down once again. should try to keep at zero also. usually are not tested for. i don't test for them. shame on me i guess.

maggie

 

[Andi]

yes maggie, shame on you. almost harmless ? yes, fish can withstands higher doses of nitrAtes than ammonia or nitrItes but in higher mg/ltr they are still harmful to fishes. I'm at the end of my 'cycle' and nitrAtes have been soaring over 100! mega water changes to save me fishes

 

[semper fi]

how often are you doing your water changes? and at what percentage? how often are you changing your medium? carbon that is left in a filter for more than three weeks can leach toxins removed back into the tank. i change my carbon every two weeks. when i have tested for nitrates they are always miniscule, which is why i normally do not check them. i have gotten the ammonia and nitrites up there and never had a problem getting them down.

maggie

 

[StiX]

I'm at the end of my 'cycle' and nitrAtes have been soaring over 100! mega water changes to save me fishes

Which is why i always advise a fishless cycle, no stress to the fish!

NitrAtes will always be in the water, unless its marine then i believe theyr kept at 0 or as low as poss!) 20-40ppm is an ok range, anything too much higher and i't can become poisonus to the fish

 

[Andi]

Sunday the nitrAte was over 100, so I did a 50% water change (tap water is 40) this brought the nitrAtes down to 50 (strange). I have 5 young pristella tetras in there and didnt feed them yesterday.

Tonight the nitrAtes is back around 75 no dead plants and yesterdays change had a good gravel sweep.

Help

 

[wetwetwet]

When I first set up my tank I had very high nitrates - it comes out the tap at 50-60 and was usually well over 80 in the tank. Nothing obviously affected the fish but they did seem susceptable(sp?) to various ailments - never all together but the odd individual.

I now use NitraZorb in the filter- which I recharge (with salt) every 10-14 days and nitrates now kept at the 20-30 mark.

So you could try that - works for me

or get an RO unit

 

[Andi]

thanks www, I'd like to keep chemicals to a minimum if poss, but may have to resort to some if they don't clear soon.


Another 50% water change do any good??

 

[wetwetwet]

To be honest with the tap water that high I don't think its gona make a huge difference. As said before fish are quite tollerent of high nitrates, but imho its when they re in it for a long time they start getting problems...

As far as I can gather NitraZorb doesnt add any chemicals to the tank but removes just nitrate. It comes in a sealed bag which as said can be recharged in a solution of aquarium salt, and for me works great.

 

[Andi]

thanks www, NitraZorb it is then - will keep you all informed.

 

[semper fi]

Nitrazorb! i have a vengeance with this product! when i first started keeping fish and found out you were supposed to test the water and what the parameters should be i freaked when i saw the nitrites. were not that high just a hair over. rushed right out and got some of this. did as the instructions said and after fifteen minutes every single fish was laying on it's side barely breathing at the bottom of the tank. i panicked! filled up the bathtub with just straight tap water at 76 degreesand started scooping fish. my husband came homne to find his pregnant wife onthe floor stirring fish around the bathtub sobbing her eyes out. poor little fishies! never used the stuff again. just rely on old fashioned water changes.

have you ever tested your water out of the tap? sometimes in the us they flush the pipes for the water mains and the nitrates tend to be higher. always check the tap water and if the readings are not zero put them off til the next day or so.

maggie

 

[Andi]

sheesh - we all have a different story my tap nitrates are around 40 - 50. I had been using some of the water in my 10g hex doing regular water changes, I stopped this as the nitrAtes in there were probs higher than the tap. Confused? you bet!

 

[semper fi]

what kind of water do you have? you might want to let it set for a day or two before adding it to your tank. heard of some people doing this. seems strange that your nitrates are that high out of the tap.

not saying to not use the nitrazorb, just keep a close eye on your fish and be ready to get them out if they start acting funny. i did it in my african tank and the mbuna started before the nonmbunas.

maggie

 

[Andi]

hmm, where am I going to store up to 90 litres of water in my ickle flat??
I have only tested it once, after running the tap for about 10 mins. I live in the country don't you know - maybe its the pipes?

oh, and how do you keep the temperature up??

 

[William]

Theres a rule that its illegal for the water companies to supply water with nitrates over X amount, I can't remember what X is right now though