Nitrates

[geezer]

ello all

Me nitrates are at 0 according to me test kits. I thought this was good until I read one of the pinned threads. How would I get this up to 10mgs or so?

I've done a gravel change so it will be cloudy for a few days. So the non light will help stop the slime algae and hairy one i'm hoping

 

[craynerd]

Dosing Potassium Nitrate ...

http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...products_id=522

 

[Themuleous]

First off I think we need to investigate why you've not got any NO3 in there. Is the tank cycled? It's very rare to have a tank with absolutely no NO3, unless you've got very very few fish and tons and tons of plants.

 

[geezer]

yep it's fully cycled! it has 22 fish in there at the moment. The nitrates were at 100 about 3 weeks back but it's slowly gone down each week and now it's zero.

I do 25% water change every week, could this be why?

 

[George Farmer]

How heavily planted are you? Do you have strong lighting or CO2 injection?

With your bio-load I'd suggest you do have nitrates, especially if you tested 100ppm previously. 25% weekly water changes will not be enough to reduce NO3 to zero over 3 weeks.

Your test kit may be dodgy.

Watch out for ammonia and nitrites if you've changed your substrate, as this will upset the beneficial bacteria population.

 

[geezer]

How heavily planted are you? Do you have strong lighting or CO2 injection?

With your bio-load I'd suggest you do have nitrates, especially if you tested 100ppm previously. 25% weekly water changes will not be enough to reduce NO3 to zero over 3 weeks.

Your test kit may be dodgy.

Watch out for ammonia and nitrites if you've changed your substrate, as this will upset the beneficial bacteria population.

i've got about 3 foreground plants and 3 background plants! forget the names of them now. I have some color intensifier t6, but it says 15 watts, but apparently it gives off more light than my old 100 watt one or something

Would adding some extra of bio support be ok because the some of the beneficial bacterial gone?


I'll test the water once the water has settled. it's still ike chocolate milk

I've never ever used co2 here. i got some squirty stuff and they said it might help

 

[geezer]

How heavily planted are you? Do you have strong lighting or CO2 injection?

With your bio-load I'd suggest you do have nitrates, especially if you tested 100ppm previously. 25% weekly water changes will not be enough to reduce NO3 to zero over 3 weeks.

Your test kit may be dodgy.

Watch out for ammonia and nitrites if you've changed your substrate, as this will upset the beneficial bacteria population.

Water is still brown and still cant see into the tank but it is getting better. Surprisingly when i put water in the test tubes to test, the water is clear so that must be a good sign

I did the tests:
amonia 0
nitrites 25
nitrates 10
ph 7.7

Guess I will have to do a 25% water change to get the amonia down? Hope someone will correct me if i am wrong!

Thanks

 

[TammyLiz]

Wait, what were those results again? You said ammonia 0 and then asked about water changes to get ammonia down.

If those results are right and nitrItes are 25 your fish are in trouble and yes, lots of water changes. It explains the 0 nitrAtes. The bacteria must have been severely affected by your substrate change.

 

[geezer]

sorry!!! I meant 25% water change to get the nitrites down.

So let me post this again!

amonia 0
nitrites .25 (forgot the decimal in there last time- sorry)
nitrates 10
ph 7.7

Am rather thick when it comes to all this stuff!

 

[Themuleous]

You had me worried there! The decimal is very important!!

 

[TammyLiz]

Oh, yes that's much better! It should sort out soon.

 

[geezer]

thanks both, the nitrite is about the same, but the nitrate is gone up to about 40, i get a feeling that's all part of the nitrogen process (i think)

I done a water change today and it's less cloudy now (the gravel is starting to settle!)

 

[TammyLiz]

thanks both, the nitrite is about the same, but the nitrate is gone up to about 40, i get a feeling that's all part of the nitrogen process (i think)

I done a water change today and it's less cloudy now (the gravel is starting to settle!)

Yes, the ammonia is converted to nitrIte and the nitrIte is then converted to nitrAte. So the nitrAtes will constantly be rising as your fish pee out ammonia. Ammonia and nitrIte should always be 0, otherwise, something has happened to your cycle. So yes, risting nitrAtes are completly normal, and that's why we should do weekly water changes, to get rid of them.