I have been doing 10-20% water changes now for the past 4 days and the Nitrate levels in my saltwater tank are still very high. All the other levels (ammonia, nitrite, PH, etc.) are safe. The tank has been running for over a year now. What is going on?
2006-12-29 13:14:25 · 7 answers · asked by Santa 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
55 gallon tank with 3 fish....Nitrate pushing 150ppm
2006-12-29 14:05:05 · update #1
If your feeding habits are sloppy it could be the cause. If the tank has been slightly overfed for a year and you are doing what most people recommend for marine tank water changes*, there may be some deep set waste. Changing the direction of your circulation can help but more water changes and a regular schedule of testing and maintenance is sometimes necessary.
It could be what Mbuna guy said, especially if you are in the USA, there is often nitrates in the water.
Nitrates are a problem above 10-15 ppm in marine tanks that don't have corals, if there are corals in the tank then nitrates should stay below 5 ppm.
*Most people say that once a month a 10% w/c is all that is necessary, I find that it is all about your setup. I have ran marine tanks that could go months without a w/c, and others that required it twice a week at 30%.
-At 150 ppm, it is probably a feeding issue, a long term one. More circulation and rearranging the live rock could help (if you don't have live rock, get some). Keep up the water changes, do larger ones and use a gravel siphon. If the nitrates are coming from your tap water then you have to start buying water. Live rock and lots of circulation (20+ cycles of the tank per hour) can help. If your fish are any more than 3" than you may need to be in the higher range of w/c's long term, and keep the feeding down.
2006-12-29 13:37:35 · answer #1 · answered by Johnny 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nitrate until it gets very high isn't really a problem; but the best thing to do is go to a pet shop that has a saltwater specialist (not Petco, or Petsmart, they tend to not have a clue what they're talking about) and ask them about lowereing nitrate. They will probably recomend either a product called De-nitrate, or if the levels are especially high, Matrix. Both of these products are placed in the filter box, and take a couple weeks to show much effect, but they will lower it a great deal once they kick in. The only other solution I can think of is to add plants such as maiden hair to try and absorb the nitrate, but depending on what kind of fish you have, they may not last long.
2006-12-29 21:25:32 · answer #2 · answered by maggot_hex 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What is your ppm reading of nitrates? Just curious. Also you should check the nitrates in your tap water. Some tap water has nitrates in it. If your tap has no nitrates, and you still have high nitrates that you can't get down in your tank, it means the tank is overstocked. Removing fish is the only way to stop nitrates from going up too fast. Plants also eat nitrates, so they may help. Also try running a protein skimmer. These tend to cost quite a bit of money though.
2006-12-29 21:53:50 · answer #3 · answered by fish guy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We had a saltwater tank before my husband had his triple by pass 3 years ago. We would use store bought water to help with nitrate levels. You have to also watch how much food you give your fish. The food that settles to the bottom of the tank will cause your nitrates to go up.
2006-12-29 22:20:04 · answer #4 · answered by gemini93 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you had your tap water tested for nitrates? Tap water often has nitrates in it so water changes aren't effective in lowering pH.
2006-12-29 21:24:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think I'm a nitrate level 2
2006-12-29 21:16:12 · answer #6 · answered by Tiffi Poodle Pie 69 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
sorry can't help you there
2006-12-29 21:18:32 · answer #7 · answered by Techman2 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋