Bad Nitrate problem. Help

Drazn · 08-15-2011, 07:32 PM

I just tested my water and found my nitrates are almost off the charts. I think I have discovered the culprit. The intake hose for fluval filter is in a loop and my outake isnt in a loop but it dips down almost to floor then goes to the outake. Could that make a difference? I am going to do a WC later tonight. I hope that helps.

beaslbob · 08-15-2011, 07:55 PM

can't help with filter as I don't use filters.

IMHO the only reason you have nitrAte build up (or anything else for that matter) is the nitrAtes are not being consumed as they are being generated. Increase the consumption and the nitrates will fall. I use live plants for that.

my .02

susankat · 08-15-2011, 08:17 PM

The filter doesn't have anything to do with it. Nitrates are a by product of the waste that is produced in the tank, or you have high nitrates in your tap.

Test your tap water for nitrates; If it isn't high you need to do some 50% daily water changes to bring it down. Cut back on feeding as it sounds like your feeding to much. Add lots of plants and do weekly water changes.

Drazn · 08-15-2011, 08:48 PM

I would love to add some plants but I have Cichlids which will annihilate plants in a aquarium. So I am kind of stuck just doing the water changes i guess :(

susankat · 08-15-2011, 08:51 PM

Yep, sorry. After you get the nitrates down, you need to do weekly water changes based on what the nitrates are. You need to bring them down to at least 40. If the nitrates are at 80 you do 50% weekly, if they are like 60 then do 30%.

Drazn · 08-15-2011, 10:33 PM

Do you do add a water conditioner everytime you do a water change?

holly12 · 08-15-2011, 10:54 PM

You sure do.

Always want to be sure any new water put into the tank is conditioned so it doesn't hurt the fish.

NeonShark666 · 08-15-2011, 11:18 PM

Nitrates are the final product of the decomposition of Protien. They are easily removed with water changes. I would suggest, until your get your Nitrates down, you make all water changes with distilled or bottled drinking water. Cichlids don't usually bother Java Fern or Val. Most floating plants also won't be bothered. Remember large Cichlids are dirty fish and produce a lot of waste so frequent water changes are required.

susankat · 08-16-2011, 12:19 AM

I got some cichlids that will eat any plant that I put in the tank. I use them to get rid of excess duckweed

jrman83 · 08-16-2011, 06:04 AM

What size tank is this and how many/what type of cichlids are in it?

Drazn · 08-16-2011, 09:10 AM

I have a 100 gallon with 2 JD, 1 jag,1 Oscar and a Sailfin pleco. I do WC about every 2 weeks but Im guessing I need to do it more Often. I have been feeding my Cichlids the Tetra brand Cichlid food but now I am thinking seriously about feeding either Ken's Premium Floating Cichlid Pellets or Hikari Gold. I am still quite new at this and any help would be so greatly appreciated.

jrman83 · 08-16-2011, 09:20 AM

I take it you mean close to 100ppm when you say off the charts? Let your test results guide you in % of water change. Whatever % you change is the % your nitrates will drop - roughly. So if you had a reading of 100ppm and did a 50% water change, your new nitrate level would be about 50ppm after your water change - just an example.

If it really is at 100+ppm, you need to do about a 60-65% water change to get it to a reasonable level.

beaslbob · 08-16-2011, 12:37 PM

You could partition the tank with 1/4"sq eggcrate so that plants are in a small part and the cichlids can swim around the rest of the tank. that way both the plants and fish thrive.

what I did on my old 55g marine tank was cram in egg crate 3" from the back glass then add shop lights behind the tank pointing forward. The area between the back glass and egg crate formed an in tank refugium where I grew macro algaes and everything else was in front of that.

that tank had unmeasureable nitrates and phosphates for years.

Just a thought.

worth at most

.02

Drazn · 08-16-2011, 02:46 PM

it seems like everytime I do a water change my fish go in distress. I did a 50% last night and now all my fish are at the top gasping. I use Amquel plus as a water conditioner. Do you think that may have something to do with it? Any help on this is much appreciated. One of JDs is laying on the floor of the tank so this is not good. I checked my Nitrate which is now 5.0,Amonia is .25, PH is at 7.0. and Nitrite is .50.
_________________

susankat · 08-16-2011, 04:32 PM

Are you overdosing the amquel +? What is the temp of the water that you are putting in? should be as close to the tank as possible.

Amquel + if you over dose to much can cause problems.

holly12 · 08-16-2011, 05:32 PM

What type of filtration do you have? AmQuel Plus (says on the bottle) that it can cause lowered Oxygen levels for the first few hours after dosing.... so if you dose a whole lot, there is not going to be much O2 in the water for your fish to breathe.

Always make sure you have filters and air stones running at high when you first does with AmQuel and make sure you don't over dose.

jrman83 · 08-16-2011, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drazn

it seems like everytime I do a water change my fish go in distress. I did a 50% last night and now all my fish are at the top gasping. I use Amquel plus as a water conditioner. Do you think that may have something to do with it? Any help on this is much appreciated. One of JDs is laying on the floor of the tank so this is not good. I checked my Nitrate which is now 5.0,Amonia is .25, PH is at 7.0. and Nitrite is .50.
_________________

Make sure you're only adding enough for the water you're replacing.....not enough for the entire tank.

Drazn · 08-17-2011, 04:42 AM

Oh no. I was under impression that you put enough amquel for the entire tank.

Drazn · 08-17-2011, 04:47 AM

Oh crap. I just discovered that my girlfriend put the amquel in for 100 gallons then I did. Oh my poor fish.

jrman83 · 08-17-2011, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drazn

Oh crap. I just discovered that my girlfriend put the amquel in for 100 gallons then I did. Oh my poor fish.

You should probably do a pretty good water change. I would do 50% and the put just enough conditioner for the water you replaced, maybe a little under. Not a good idea to have two people that add things like that to your tank for that very reason.

08-15-2011, 07:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
Drazn Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 10 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Bad Nitrate problem. Help I just tested my water and found my nitrates are almost off the charts. I think I have discovered the culprit. The intake hose for fluval filter is in a loop and my outake isnt in a loop but it dips down almost to floor then goes to the outake. Could that make a difference? I am going to do a WC later tonight. I hope that helps.

08-15-2011, 07:55 PM	#2 (permalink)
beaslbob beaslbob's Photo Gallery Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 3,325 My location Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 339 Times Said "Thanks" 32 Times Was Thanked 835 Times in 761 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help can't help with filter as I don't use filters. IMHO the only reason you have nitrAte build up (or anything else for that matter) is the nitrAtes are not being consumed as they are being generated. Increase the consumption and the nitrates will fall. I use live plants for that. my .02 __________________ fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

08-15-2011, 08:17 PM	#3 (permalink)
susankat Pleco n bn breeder n BOSS susankat's Photo Gallery Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 5,417 Name: Susan Location: Tulsa, Ok Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 2,082 Times Said "Thanks" 1,610 Times Was Thanked 1,808 Times in 1,549 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help The filter doesn't have anything to do with it. Nitrates are a by product of the waste that is produced in the tank, or you have high nitrates in your tap. Test your tap water for nitrates; If it isn't high you need to do some 50% daily water changes to bring it down. Cut back on feeding as it sounds like your feeding to much. Add lots of plants and do weekly water changes. __________________ SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!! 220 Tank build http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

08-15-2011, 08:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
Drazn Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 10 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help I would love to add some plants but I have Cichlids which will annihilate plants in a aquarium. So I am kind of stuck just doing the water changes i guess :(

08-15-2011, 08:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
susankat Pleco n bn breeder n BOSS susankat's Photo Gallery Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 5,417 Name: Susan Location: Tulsa, Ok Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 2,082 Times Said "Thanks" 1,610 Times Was Thanked 1,808 Times in 1,549 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help Yep, sorry. After you get the nitrates down, you need to do weekly water changes based on what the nitrates are. You need to bring them down to at least 40. If the nitrates are at 80 you do 50% weekly, if they are like 60 then do 30%. __________________ SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!! 220 Tank build http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

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08-15-2011, 10:33 PM	#6 (permalink)
Drazn Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 10 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help Do you do add a water conditioner everytime you do a water change?

08-15-2011, 10:54 PM	#7 (permalink)
holly12 Dude.... wait..... what? holly12's Photo Gallery Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 3,074 Name: Holly Location: Canada My location Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 815 Times Said "Thanks" 672 Times Was Thanked 528 Times in 515 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help You sure do. Always want to be sure any new water put into the tank is conditioned so it doesn't hurt the fish. __________________ 20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981 36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

08-15-2011, 11:18 PM	#8 (permalink)
NeonShark666 Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 806 Name: Jim Location: Salem, Oregon Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 78 Times Said "Thanks" 4 Times Was Thanked 247 Times in 237 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help Nitrates are the final product of the decomposition of Protien. They are easily removed with water changes. I would suggest, until your get your Nitrates down, you make all water changes with distilled or bottled drinking water. Cichlids don't usually bother Java Fern or Val. Most floating plants also won't be bothered. Remember large Cichlids are dirty fish and produce a lot of waste so frequent water changes are required.

08-16-2011, 12:19 AM	#9 (permalink)
susankat Pleco n bn breeder n BOSS susankat's Photo Gallery Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 5,417 Name: Susan Location: Tulsa, Ok Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 2,082 Times Said "Thanks" 1,610 Times Was Thanked 1,808 Times in 1,549 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help I got some cichlids that will eat any plant that I put in the tank. I use them to get rid of excess duckweed __________________ SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!! 220 Tank build http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

08-16-2011, 06:04 AM	#10 (permalink)
jrman83 ....has no life.... jrman83's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 9,468 Name: Ben Location: White Plains, MD My location Feedback: 16 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 3,382 Times Said "Thanks" 478 Times Was Thanked 2,431 Times in 2,286 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help What size tank is this and how many/what type of cichlids are in it?

08-16-2011, 09:10 AM	#11 (permalink)
Drazn Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 10 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help I have a 100 gallon with 2 JD, 1 jag,1 Oscar and a Sailfin pleco. I do WC about every 2 weeks but Im guessing I need to do it more Often. I have been feeding my Cichlids the Tetra brand Cichlid food but now I am thinking seriously about feeding either Ken's Premium Floating Cichlid Pellets or Hikari Gold. I am still quite new at this and any help would be so greatly appreciated.

08-16-2011, 09:20 AM	#12 (permalink)
jrman83 ....has no life.... jrman83's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 9,468 Name: Ben Location: White Plains, MD My location Feedback: 16 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 3,382 Times Said "Thanks" 478 Times Was Thanked 2,431 Times in 2,286 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help I take it you mean close to 100ppm when you say off the charts? Let your test results guide you in % of water change. Whatever % you change is the % your nitrates will drop - roughly. So if you had a reading of 100ppm and did a 50% water change, your new nitrate level would be about 50ppm after your water change - just an example. If it really is at 100+ppm, you need to do about a 60-65% water change to get it to a reasonable level.

08-16-2011, 12:37 PM	#13 (permalink)
beaslbob beaslbob's Photo Gallery Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 3,325 My location Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 339 Times Said "Thanks" 32 Times Was Thanked 835 Times in 761 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help You could partition the tank with 1/4"sq eggcrate so that plants are in a small part and the cichlids can swim around the rest of the tank. that way both the plants and fish thrive. what I did on my old 55g marine tank was cram in egg crate 3" from the back glass then add shop lights behind the tank pointing forward. The area between the back glass and egg crate formed an in tank refugium where I grew macro algaes and everything else was in front of that. that tank had unmeasureable nitrates and phosphates for years. Just a thought. worth at most .02 __________________ fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

08-16-2011, 02:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
Drazn Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 10 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help it seems like everytime I do a water change my fish go in distress. I did a 50% last night and now all my fish are at the top gasping. I use Amquel plus as a water conditioner. Do you think that may have something to do with it? Any help on this is much appreciated. One of JDs is laying on the floor of the tank so this is not good. I checked my Nitrate which is now 5.0,Amonia is .25, PH is at 7.0. and Nitrite is .50. _________________

08-16-2011, 04:32 PM	#15 (permalink)
susankat Pleco n bn breeder n BOSS susankat's Photo Gallery Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 5,417 Name: Susan Location: Tulsa, Ok Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 2,082 Times Said "Thanks" 1,610 Times Was Thanked 1,808 Times in 1,549 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help Are you overdosing the amquel +? What is the temp of the water that you are putting in? should be as close to the tank as possible. Amquel + if you over dose to much can cause problems. __________________ SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!! 220 Tank build http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

08-16-2011, 05:32 PM	#16 (permalink)
holly12 Dude.... wait..... what? holly12's Photo Gallery Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 3,074 Name: Holly Location: Canada My location Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 815 Times Said "Thanks" 672 Times Was Thanked 528 Times in 515 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help What type of filtration do you have? AmQuel Plus (says on the bottle) that it can cause lowered Oxygen levels for the first few hours after dosing.... so if you dose a whole lot, there is not going to be much O2 in the water for your fish to breathe. Always make sure you have filters and air stones running at high when you first does with AmQuel and make sure you don't over dose. __________________ 20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981 36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

08-17-2011, 04:42 AM	#18 (permalink)
Drazn Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 10 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help Oh no. I was under impression that you put enough amquel for the entire tank.

08-17-2011, 04:47 AM	#19 (permalink)
Drazn Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 10 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Bad Nitrate problem. Help Oh crap. I just discovered that my girlfriend put the amquel in for 100 gallons then I did. Oh my poor fish.

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