Nitrates Rising...

[sophos9]

Hi, my nitrates are currently sitting around 60ppm, there are no current signs of stress. I'm pretty sure this is down to a dead fish which died about a 10 days ago - I've looked around but cannot see it anywhere?

I'm doing 25% changes although these dont seem to reduce the nitrates by much, skimmer is on 24/7 dry skimming, is this better to change it to until things die down?

After a fish has died, how long before it finished its breaking down?

 

[AK77]

It depends on how big the fish was and what CUC you have in your tank. One of my chromis diappeared a couple of weeks ago, but he was only a tiddler. I never found the remains, however the hermits and shrimp would have demolished it.

60ppm is pretty high if you have inverts in your tank and very high if you have corals. You could throw a nitrate absorbing pouch in somewhere, up the water changes to 50%. You are lucky that the ammonia didn't spike too high!!

 

[sophos9]

Was a mandarin so pretty big...

I know mate, currently the corals are thrieving which is wierd and fish are no showing any signs of stress, will get a few close water changes going on - that will help. At 10 days I would have thought the spike were at their worst. Until this point the highest I have hit is 5ppm nitrates!

CuC is about 14 red-legged hermits so they would have probably homed in quick right?

 

[AK77]

Yeah I would have thought that the hermits would have homed in pretty quickly, as would any bristleworms and the like. Shrimps are by far the best though IMO for the sheer speed at which they will "attack" a food source. I had some coral arrive yesterday and one of the frogspawn heads had (for whatever reason) died in transportation. My fireshrimp devoured it within the space of about an hour

I'd definitely up the water changes to 50%. 1 of 50% is going to shift a higher concentration of pollutants than 2 of 25%, so it should really help kick the nitrates. Shame about the mandarin. Mine is probably my favourite fish in the tank.

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, agreed, 50% waterchanges are the way to go. Even if it puts some of your rocks in the air for a few mins, its no big deal so long as the temp and salinity of the new water matches the old you'll be fine. Also remember, Nitrates won't bother fish, and most corals (especially softies) can tolerate 60ppm for a while (weeks-month). The organisms that really suffer with high nitrates are shrimp, sea slugs/nudibranchs, and anemones.

 

[sophos9]

Thanks guys! The mandarin is not the 'good' one, he is doing real fine!! It was the one I bought that never moved... Will get those changes done!