High Nitrate Levels...?

Question

In a 30 gal tank which was only up for about 2 months. We had air stones in it and a couple of fish. The fish seemed fine then one day in a 30min span they were dead. We cleaned out everything put back in live plants, no fish. We used a Nitra Zorb pouch AND a Prime and done routine water changes and we still have high levels. The filter is a Bio filter. Can anyone please help answer this problem? We've tested our tap water and it's fine. We are afraid to put a few fish back in until this is fixed.

Answer 1

are you sure it was nitrate? or do mean nitrite which is Toxic to fish? Nitrate is less toxic and usually at the end of the cycle.

need more info.

Answer 2

How do you know it was a high Nitrate level that killed them. Did you have a serious algae problem. This is caused by high Nitrate. Do you check your aquarium water or just your tap water? Checking the tap water is fine, but high Nitrate is usually a result of the Nitrogen cycle, very rarely from tap water. Nitrite results from Ammonia being broken down by beneficial bacteria and is further reduce to Nitrat by different bacteria. If you have the beneficial bacteria present, which it will naturally develop as the water sits. Did you do weekly water changes? 20-25% every week is plenty. What kind of fish did you have. When starting a tank you should have no more than 2-3 small fish. If you had a couple of large fish they may have suffered an ammonia spike as the bacteria colonies develop. Look here for more info

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=652

Answer 3

The very first thing that comes to my mind is a bad or expired test kit. There seems to be no source of nitrate for the tank, so maybe there isn't any and the kit is wrong. Try a new kit or take a sample to a store that will test it for you.

Scond, test the tap several times during the day and be sure to test it right before a water change. Nitrate levels in public water supplies can change at the drop of a hat. Some never, ever have , nitrates, some always do and some change like the wind. Your city might get water from several sources only one of which is nitrate free and you tested when the water was ok. You can also call the water department to ask about this, but be sure to get to the water quality department not the help desk and be sure to explain it's for your aquarium and not that you think something is wrong with the water for people. They can get really defensive about that. LOL

Other than those two things the only thing I can say is possibly there is a source in the gravel or something?

Tough one, best of luck finding your answer!

Answer 4

Just because you have a biofilter, does not mean it is working. Sometimes they are tough to start and if you just rinse it with tap water the chlorine will kill any bio growth and you are back at square one. I use biozyme add a small amount daily for a week then weekly as needed you can put it right on the biofilter and this will help jump start the biofilter working properly. I would not use live plants and concentrate on just getting the tank stable without them.

Good luck!
-maria

Answer 5

The filter may be internally dirty & is leaching the Nitrate back into the tank.As Nitrate slowly builds up over time, the best bet is to perform 20% weekly water changes, using a dechlorinator.

Answer 6

besides nutrition/beverages, fertilizer includes HEAVY doses of nitrates. i won't be able to even walk contained in direction of the front of a Lowes or abode Depot, because of the fact that's the place they pile up their bags of fertilizer. that is how I found out i develop into critically allergic to nitrates interior the 1st place, because of the fact I blacked out using with the aid of an intersection for greater or less 5 -10 seconds (judging via the area) thankfully i develop into going so sluggish, I did hit something and there develop into no different site visitors on the time. for particular, i develop into freaked out. next, I collapsed whilst strolling between some bags stacked in front of Walmart. i did no longer black out, yet i could no longer communicate or flow... i develop into paralyzed for half-hour. i does no longer enable anybody call an ambulance because of the fact it would befell until now and that they might say why this develop into happening to me and that i could no longer locate the funds for yet another $800 journey for no longer something. they basically have been given me to my automobile and that i waited half-hour for it to pass. ultimately, when I advised my scientific expert of those 2 episodes, he suggested it had to be led to via the nitrates interior the baggage of fertilizer. So i won't be able to even flow into those save in the process the Spring, while those bags are there now, because of this! while it occurs, i'm vulnerable for days too. So be conscious that risk too

Answer 7

what were the ammonia and nitrite levels? Nitrate is the ending product of the nitrogen cycle. Test the others and read up on the nitrogen cycle and see if that helps. If the tank was only up for 2 months, one of them should have been for cycling.

Answer 8

More water changes are all you can do, and switch to liquid test kits if you are using strips (strips are often wrong). You must have really soft, unstable water. You can add baking soda or crushed coral to raise the ph, but ph swings can also kill fish. You wouldn't want to add fish in until you got the water stabalized.

Answer 9

maybe take out the plants -- they produce nitrates. also the biowheel in your biofilter is made to produce nitrates. a good water change should knock them down to nothing. maybe add some fish to add ammonia? i don't know -- very strange.