Nitrate- How To Lower It?

[andybuc01]

Hi,

I had some problems a few weeks back with high nitrite and ammonia levels in my tank.

Since then i have got both down to zero thanks to advice from people on this forum.

Clearly now my 2 filters have taken proper effect and are doing a good job, but i have just done a water test today and the nitrates are really high. 160ppm!!

I have been reading in my teat kit that this is caused by the filter converting ammonia and nitrite to nitrate. How dangerous is this? and how do i get the levels down? I will do big water changes to get it down now, but how do you keep it down?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Andy

 

[jaylam]

Hi,

I had some problems a few weeks back with high nitrite and ammonia levels in my tank.

Since then i have got both down to zero thanks to advice from people on this forum.

Clearly now my 2 filters have taken proper effect and are doing a good job, but i have just done a water test today and the nitrates are really high. 160ppm!!

I have been reading in my teat kit that this is caused by the filter converting ammonia and nitrite to nitrate. How dangerous is this? and how do i get the levels down? I will do big water changes to get it down now, but how do you keep it down?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

And

High nitrates are bad for the fish, you need to do a big water change, about 40% then if you do water changes every 2 weeks say 20% it should keep them at a stable level.

 

[SlyPolak]

Water change, then another water change, and another water change... them maybe another water change.... an hour apart... thenyour nitrates should go down

 

[andybuc01]

Thanks for responses. Am changing water now.

Once the water changes get it to a good level will it remain low with regular weekly changes?

Is this big peak just because i had so much nitrite and ammonia in the water previously and it has all been turned into nitrate? I was changing about 50% of the water daily to get the nitrite and ammonia down and when it got to zero then started changing every 2-3 days.
That is what i have been doing up untill now.

Andy

 

[jaylam]

Thanks for responses. Am changing water now.

Once the water changes get it to a good level will it remain low with regular weekly changes?

Is this big peak just because i had so much nitrite and ammonia in the water previously and it has all been turned into nitrate? I was changing about 50% of the water daily to get the nitrite and ammonia down and when it got to zero then started changing every 2-3 days.
That is what i have been doing up untill now.

Andy

It sounds like it was still cycling, once the ammonia and nitrite are down to zero normally they stay around there you just might see nitrate spikes due to left over food in the tank, fish wast etc and doing water changes gets these down.

 

[andybuc01]

Thanks.

Just done a good water change. Will do same again tomorrow, then take it from there.

Andy

 

[jaylam]

Thanks.

Just done a good water change. Will do same again tomorrow, then take it from there.

Andy

Cool, let us know how you get on.

 

[andybuc01]

Thanks.

Just done a good water change. Will do same again tomorrow, then take it from there.

Andy

Cool, let us know how you get on.

Have done a 50% change again today and they are looking pretty happy. Down to around 40ppm now. Will do another big change tomorrow.

Will keep you informed.

Thanks for the advice.

Andy

 

[doresy]

Just to be on the safe side check your tap water for nitrate too

 

[andybuc01]

Just to be on the safe side check your tap water for nitrate too

Hi Dorsey,

Why do you say that? I have heard that your tap water can contain Nitrate, but what do you do if it does??

Many thanks,

Andy

 

[doresy]

Just to be on the safe side check your tap water for nitrate too

Hi Dorsey,

Why do you say that? I have heard that your tap water can contain Nitrate, but what do you do if it does??

Many thanks,

Andy

Some rural areas have a high nitrate level straight from the tap but where ever you are you need to know what levels are in your tap water so you know where you are starting from when you do water changes

 

[CentrarchidFan]

Although not ideal conditions, your fish are accustomed to the high nitrate levels. If you haven't had any fish deaths or your fishes aren't showing any overt signs of stress, then they are not in any imminent danger in the short term. Massive daily water changes for the sole purpose of reducing the nitrate level would be more stressful than short-term exposure to high nitrate, unless you have some species that are extremely sensitive to nitrate.

Try a largish water change (but not over 50%) twice weekly and ensure that you are not overfeeding. Unless your tank is overstocked, you should see a gradual decline in nitrates. Once your nitrates have stabilized using this approach and if you desire to lower them further, consider one of the new biodegradeable polymer products on the market to further lower your nitrates. Tetra's Nitrate Minus in the UK and Instant Ocean's Natural Nitrate Reducer in the USA (same product as near as I can tell) added twice weekly to your tank as a food source for denitrifying bacteria will lower your nitrates. (The Instant Ocean product is advertised for saltwater only, but that is bunk. It works well and is safe in freshwater based on my experience.) You could go ahead and start adding a such a product now to bring down your nitrates, but it should be thought of as an adjunct to good aquarium maintenance practices and not a substitute for them. My heavily stocked 55 gallon with twice weekly 25% water changes went from 25-30 ppm nitrate to 10-15 ppm nitrate with twice-weekly additions of Instant Ocean Natural Nitrate Reducer. I would emphasize that it might take weeks or even a couple of months before a biodegradeable polymer product can show results, so hang in there for awhile if you decide to give it a go.

 

[andybuc01]

Although not ideal conditions, your fish are accustomed to the high nitrate levels. If you haven't had any fish deaths or your fishes aren't showing any overt signs of stress, then they are not in any imminent danger in the short term. Massive daily water changes for the sole purpose of reducing the nitrate level would be more stressful than short-term exposure to high nitrate, unless you have some species that are extremely sensitive to nitrate.

Try a largish water change (but not over 50%) twice weekly and ensure that you are not overfeeding. Unless your tank is overstocked, you should see a gradual decline in nitrates. Once your nitrates have stabilized using this approach and if you desire to lower them further, consider one of the new biodegradeable polymer products on the market to further lower your nitrates. Tetra's Nitrate Minus in the UK and Instant Ocean's Natural Nitrate Reducer in the USA (same product as near as I can tell) added twice weekly to your tank as a food source for denitrifying bacteria will lower your nitrates. (The Instant Ocean product is advertised for saltwater only, but that is bunk. It works well and is safe in freshwater based on my experience.) You could go ahead and start adding a such a product now to bring down your nitrates, but it should be thought of as an adjunct to good aquarium maintenance practices and not a substitute for them. My heavily stocked 55 gallon with twice weekly 25% water changes went from 25-30 ppm nitrate to 10-15 ppm nitrate with twice-weekly additions of Instant Ocean Natural Nitrate Reducer. I would emphasize that it might take weeks or even a couple of months before a biodegradeable polymer product can show results, so hang in there for awhile if you decide to give it a go.

Hi,

Thanks for your help.

My fish all seem pretty happy although i have just had an outbreak of Ich which i hopefully have under control with medication. I'm pretty sure that this has been bought on by the stress of all the water changes, poor water conditions and possibly some recent additions to the tank.

All of my problems have arrisen from me not allowing the tank to cycle long enough before adding fish. A foolish mistake that i will never make again.

My tank is 350 litres and is home to approx 30 Mbuna. As a community they are getting along great with no bullying. I am very pleased with that. About 18 of them are adult 4-6ins. I imagine as the smaller ones get bigger i will have to get rid of some of my lesser favorites. Things can't be that bad as i also have a yellow lab that is holding. Does this sound over-crowded? I am using a Rena xp3 and a Tetratec1200 for filtation.

I did a water test today before a water change and the reading were:
Nitrate 30ppm
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0

Regards,

Andy

 

[andybuc01]

Checked my tap water today and it reads around 30ppm!! That sucks. I am trying to get the nitrates down and it's coming out the tap at 30!