Nitrates Over The Chart

[Pnmark]

Helppp! We have a problem... all of a sudden ... on Thursday 9/15 we had our water tested, ammonia was just a lil high everything else was fine. We did a large 9 gallon water change in a 37 gallon tank on 9/16. Since then we kinda got crazy and add and bubble anemone, green poylps & clove poylps. We had our water tested last night 9/22 to make sure the ammonia went down. The NITRATES boomed off the chart.

Nitrates read at 160 or over the chart reading
Ammonia .25
Ph 7.7

Nothing has died besides before our 9 gallon water change on the 15th & replaced our hang on filters, we were losing some coral before that, but we pin pointed it down to be the new bulbs on our tank, and we didn't know we should limit the light exposer when you add new bulbs.

So scared out of our whits we did a 4 gallon water change last night (9/22) and the LFS had us get 2 products called

Prime which is said to remove chlorin, chloramine, ammonia, detoxifies nitrite & nitrate and provides a slim coat (per the bottle)

and

Reef Builder is said to raise carbonate alkalinity

Does this sound efficent enough to help lower the NITRATES from 160?? Or are there other secrets anyone may have?

[Reefland]

Nitrates are being introduced into your aquarium or there is a lack of nutrient processing in the system. Do you use tap water for your water changes? If so, this is your first starting point. Your going to need to use distilled water from the grocery store or RO/DI water from a LFS or through your own unit. Also, what kind of filtration are you using? Liverock? Sandbed?

Secondly on this lighting thing, what kind of lighting are you running and what did you change to?

[Pnmark]

Nitrates are being introduced into your aquarium or there is a lack of nutrient processing in the system. Do you use tap water for your water changes? If so, this is your first starting point. Your going to need to use distilled water from the grocery store or RO/DI water from a LFS or through your own unit. Also, what kind of filtration are you using? Liverock? Sandbed?

Secondly on this lighting thing, what kind of lighting are you running and what did you change to?

As far as the water... we only use distilled.. ( we get it from walmart, hope its good) we found out all about Tap water when we started out a year & a 1/2 ago

Our lighting is now 110 watt 50/50 power compact lights prizm ( with the purple and white lights ) that we NOW run for 6 hours a day. --- WE did have the same watts but all white bulbs... we liked the purple better so we switched

hang on protein skimmer and tetra power filter about 50 lbs of live rock and 3 inch deep of live sand


*** my husband thinks the large change in the nitrates came from when we bought the anemone on Saturday 9/18... when he released the anemone in the tank, he also added in the LFS water that was in the bag *** could that make that large of a change in our nitrates?

[Reefland]

I don't think that would have made the change. That large of a change in Nitrates in the matter of a week is something significant, something that would also cause problems with your livestock if the previous results were very low. Might ask for a retest...

[Pnmark]

I don't think that would have made the change. That large of a change in Nitrates in the matter of a week is something significant, something that would also cause problems with your livestock if the previous results were very low. Might ask for a retest...

Yes, its strange. We bought our own test kit last night after finding the results so we could watch it at home. After doing the 4 gallon water change when we got back home, we would just give it a shot and see what our test results would show..... and we got the same results a nitrate reading of 160.. it went to the darkest red that the chart would read... I guess we can just watch it over the next few days.. and see if the new chemicals will help knock the nitrates down. I'm just afraid of losing our new coral.. and or fish

[yankeebobo]

I would take it a step further on this one. I'd test once and yet again. Then take a sample to the LFS (or wherever you tested). It could be their test kits that have crapped out. Perhaps the one that performed the test missed something.

[Reefland]

And for safe precaustions you might test the distilled water you use (I know my Salifert kits test fresh and salt water) and if the nitrate is low there, do another water change.

[Pnmark]

And for safe precaustions you might test the distilled water you use (I know my Salifert kits test fresh and salt water) and if the nitrate is low there, do another water change.

that sounds like 2 GOOD Ideas thank you for all your time

[Peterock]

I would difently switch to salifert test kits and you might also want to get the water you get from wallmart tested for Phos it might say its at 0 but can you really trust everything you read and see, just to be sure. If they are still high start using some nitrate sponge this will bring it down in a few days.

[saltjunkie]

did you sya you took a filter off the tank??

and on the hang on filter.. how often do you change the filter media??
Prime ..
good stuff..
all i use is tap water, except for water changes.. i have used it since i started in this hobby.. good stuff..
that reef builder..
check its contents.
i personally would not use it..
not saying anything is wrong with itt.. i would just rather use a 2 part system like B-ionic..
And, how much and how often do you feed?

[yankeebobo]

God I would hope Walmart has good quality water. But then again, with all the publicity around them lately, wonder if they are cost cutting somewhere.

Frequent water changes will help bring it down - that is if your source water is clean. But do let us know if you find the 'source' or culprit of the sudden spike. I'm a bit curious - and I believe a few here are.

[Pnmark]

And for safe precaustions you might test the distilled water you use (I know my Salifert kits test fresh and salt water) and if the nitrate is low there, do another water change.

Good News !!


Wal-mart's distilled water..... tested at 0ppm for Nitrates at least thats 1 less worry

[Reefland]

Ok here's the next test. Mix up a batch of water for a new water change and let it sit for 24 hours mixing (should use a powerhead for mixing or at least an airpump for aerating) and then test again for Nitrates.

[Pnmark]

Ok here's the next test. Mix up a batch of water for a new water change and let it sit for 24 hours mixing (should use a powerhead for mixing or at least an airpump for aerating) and then test again for Nitrates.

we'll give that a try

[Pnmark]

did you sya you took a filter off the tank??

and on the hang on filter.. how often do you change the filter media??
Prime ..
good stuff..
all i use is tap water, except for water changes.. i have used it since i started in this hobby.. good stuff..
that reef builder..
check its contents.
i personally would not use it..
not saying anything is wrong with itt.. i would just rather use a 2 part system like B-ionic..
And, how much and how often do you feed?

Thats correct! We do use a hang on filter. Husband changes the filters 1 time a month... ?!?!?

as far as feedings.... we feed 1 time a day...as much as they will eat in 3 mins...was feeding a combination of nori, frozen brine shrimp, and flake food... switching it up on different days.... however last night we did pick up the froze vials of Marine PLankton and Coral Plankton and some live brine shrimp... we were going to give that a try....LFS recommends feeding the coral plankton when the lights are out... and the marine plankton when the lights are on... also adding some brine shrimp or mythis shrimp to the diet

[Reefland]

Hi Pnmark,

I just dropped a thread into your aquarium log forum regarding your nitrate issue:
http://www.reefland.com/myaqlog/foru...27&userid=6871

[zhenya]

Hi Pnmark,

Can you fill out your tank information in your profile? This way we can look and see what type of filtration you are using, size of tank and what else applies.
That's the first place I usually look to get this information without bothering the poster about it.

I really believe that perhaps what is going on is that there is some sort of imbalance between the nutrient input/ export.
Most likely the export mechanism needs to be looked at/changed. If there is a way to take offline your filters and replace them with a sump?
I once, when I first started about 7 years ago had a real battle with NO3 that were never below 80ppm...untill I got rid of my wet/dry and all of the sponges and just relied on my live rock and sand to deal with Nitrogen.
NO3 dropped like a rock in about 2-3 weeks to almost zero.

[Coral Polyp]

Are you using a Wet/Dry filter?

[Pnmark]

Are you using a Wet/Dry filter?

We are using a Whisper Filter 60 (Whisper 60 has two media areas), with 2 Whisper Bio-Bags. This was the recommended filter to use when we purchased our tank 1- 1/2 years ago by the LFS.

[Reefland]

How often do you clean or replace those cartridges?