High levels of phosphate and nitrate in my tank...?

Question

how do i get these levels down? i have a 10 gallon tank. ive been doing regular half water changes and keeping the light off most of the day and reduced the amount of food i feed my fish. [i have one fish, a pretty large sasara comet goldfish] my tank is about 2 years old and i havent had any problems until about 2 weeks ago when this started. my tank is extremely cloudy. is my fish in danger because of the levels and cloudiness?

Answer 1

Cloudiness isn't going to be harmful to your fish, but the cause could be. Milky or white cloudiness is a bacteria bloom that is there in response to the higher levels of ammonia and nitrite being produced be a large fish in a fairly small environment. High phosphates shouldn't be a problem unless they get so high as to cause chemical burns and that's highly unlikely. Nitrates shouldn't be a problem as long as you can keep them under about 150 or so. Far better to be much lower of course, but not a health concern for the goldfish either. The only real way to reduce either phosphates or nitrates is through water changes, but if this doesn't seem to be doing the job I would wonder about your tap water. You might check the phosphate and nitrate levels from the tap. Some plants in the tank would help reduce the nitrates somewhat and in the case of certain floating plants, like Riccia sp. for example, would help reduce the phosphates as well but not a very large reduction.

I would say check your tap as a potential source of both contaminants and change to bottled water for a while if need be.

MM

Answer 2

Did anything happen with your tank around two weeks ago? It sounds like something disrupted your biological filter (bacteria). Were any medications used in the tank around that time, large water change, filter pads changed, or electric out for a while allowing the filter pad to dry? These are just some of the things that I can think of off the top of my head.

Lighting isn't going to affect the nitrite and phosphate levels , but it will keep algae from growing as quickly. Did you happen to have an aglae problem before two weeks ago? If you've been turning the lights off to try and kill the algae, the dead/dying algae may have contributed to your high nitrate/phosphate levels.

I agree that 50% is too large to do at one time. A 25% change would be better. This should be done weekly, but you don't say how often you do your changes. If you're doing 50% every other week, change to 25% each week. If you're doing 50% each week, do twice-weekly changes until you get your levels down. Also, do you use a gravel vacuum to clean any debris that's accumulating in the gravel? If you aren't siphoning up the gunk, just changing the water from the top, more nitrates and phosphates will be produced as excess food and feces decompose.

Also, test your water source as was already suggested. If there's high nitrate and phosphate there, doing water changes won't make a difference. Phosphate can be added by your water supplier as a way of preventing pipe corrosion - maybe their dosing system is malfunctioning.

If the water supply is the problem, you may need to dilute your water with distilled or reverse osmosis water to get the levels in acceptable ranges. There are also resin pads (available at better pet/fish stores to remove phosphate and other chemicals that you can put into your filter - this is similar to a carbon pad, but these target more specific chemicals.

You don't specify your levels, so there's no way of telling how your fish will react - phosphorous is more of a problem in saltwater tanks and because it encourages algae growth - this shouldn't harm your fish. Nitrates can become toxic above 50 ppm, depending on the sensitivity of the particular species.

Answer 3

Experienced fish owners suggest that periodical water changes in the tank must be done to keep a low nitrate level. The fish naturally produce ammonia through the excretion process and the level of nitrates changes every day. It is good if a saltwater aquarium has a nitrate concentration of maximum 20 parts per million. Freshwater aquariums must have at the most 50 parts per million in nitrate levels. But not just changing the water helps to keep an optimal level of nitrates. There are also some protein skimmers available that regulate the nitrate levels. Still, don’t forget that no amount of proteins can remove the debris from the tank. You need to change the water in order to eliminate organic fish waste.

Answer 4

10 gallons was an okay size for a small goldfish until she grew. im looking into getting a bigger tank but until then i need to fix the levels. my tank was fine for 2 years until i went away for a week to florida, i came back and it was cloudy. my dad had cared for the tank while i was gone (he has 3 large fish tanks of his own so i thought he was well qualified). all he said he did was change the filter pad. i had called two pet stores and they both told me to do half water changes daily until the cloudiness goes away and the levels will go down. tap water has always been fine. what other water supply would there be for me to use?

Answer 5

There is no way to completely scavange nitrates and/or phosphates from aquarium water aside from decantation. Start by draining the tank, washing all rocks, hardware, etc, with white vinegar, rinsing, then refilling the tank. Turbidity (cloudiness) is usually associated with algea formation which can be broken up using an aerator. This pummels O2 into the planktons, oxidizing them to CO2 and NO2. You also need to make sure that your filtration system is sufficient to circulate a ten gallon tank at least once an hour. Turbidity can hurt your fish, as it scavanges O2 from the water.

Answer 6

ITs very true that half water changes are bad to the "CYCLE". You wnat to change 20% - 30% a WEEK and only the last week of a month do a 50%. I know gold fish are cloudy and dirty ,but have patiance. And yes do check your water and FILTER to see if anything is wrong.If this keeps going on, change only 10% -20% a day to reduse this. Maybe add some artifictial bacteria.

Answer 7

The phosphate can be caused by your water supply, you might want to check it. Also the nitrite is coming from your cycle, do a water change and eventually your nitrite will drop on its own. You could also try putting in some real plants which will lower it

Answer 8

10 gallons is a small tank. Half water changes is too much. You've probably screwed up the cycle.
How is your tap water. Allow the sample to out gas for 24 hours before testing.

Answer 9

High phosphate levels are caused from tap water, dead fish, and dead plants. Read http://www.fishlore.com/Maintenance.htm on how to properly clean your tank.

The nitrate levels are caused from the nitite converting to nitrate. The only fix for this is a partial water change.

Good luck!

Answer 10

Nitrate is a good indicator that YOUR TANK IS TOO DIRTY!!! When your biofilter (tiny bacteria that are good for your tank) converts ammonia and nitrite(No2) into nitrate(No3), the nitrate levels go up. Ammonia and nitrite come from too much poo and waste in the tank, so you need to clean it out!
Nitrate doesn't harm your fish as much as ammonia or nitrite, which are both toxic.

Remember:

Poo&Waste=Ammonia&Nitrite

Ammonia+Nitrite+Biofilter=nitrate