Help Fast!!!!!!!!!

jessica47421

jessica47421

Active Member
i tested my water this morning and the nitrates was around 10. i took a sample to the lfs and it tested around 160, the water is red when tested......what would cause it to go up that much that fast? when i got home form lfs i tested again to see if maybe their testing kit was old or not shaken good enough and it was the same here. pls help fast. i got water to do a 10% water change bc that is all the containers i had and the lfs is a ways from here. i have been having a nitrate problem for some time just NEVER this high.
 
cannonman

cannonman

Member
You need to do more than a 10% asap, at least 50% imo and figure out what has caused this asap, did something die?
 
jessica47421

jessica47421

Active Member
no nothing has died. i only got 10% should i go ahead and do that now? everything is acting fine, i have two anenomes that are open and looking better than ever, what could cause this?
 
jessica47421

jessica47421

Active Member
should i do the 10% then do another tomorrow i will drive back up there and get more tomorrow if need be? i just want this fixed. i have been fighting the nitrates for awhile now
 
K

kari maureen

Guest
I'm no expert by any means, but I have dealt with major high nitrates more than once in my life... Did you by any chance overfeed your fish? When was the last time you tested your water? And in my opinion, I'd do a 30 percent water change.. Thats how much I do water changes about three times a month anyway, how often are you doing water changes? Usually 30 percent water changes three times a month will bump that nitrate level down. Good luck, and don't panic, your in good hands here with all these salt water lovers around!! :)
 
jessica47421

jessica47421

Active Member
the thing is i just went to the lfs today and got 10% water that is all i have, i cant get more until tomorrow evening........should i do the 10% now ?????? it will be 1 yr old in feb. and it is nitates.
could it be the canister that is causing all this? i have had nothing die, and the water was just checked this am and it wasnt near this high. i test it at least 3-4 times a week bc i have been having this problem.
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
I'm curious about the cannister filter. Some of those things need to be cleaned out to keep the trates down. Filter sponges, bio-balls, bio-media.
If there is anything that could hold crud on it, clean it. Along with whatever water you can change for now.
Might be somewhere to look.
 
coraljunky

coraljunky

Active Member
Originally Posted by GrouperGenius
I'm curious about the cannister filter. Some of those things need to be cleaned out to keep the trates down. Filter sponges, bio-balls, bio-media.
If there is anything that could hold crud on it, clean it. Along with whatever water you can change for now.
Might be somewhere to look.

Definitely
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
Originally Posted by jessica47421
should i get a sump and get rid of the canister?
Everybody has different opinions on this. Personally, I prefer a sump. I can first stage filter with a sock, then second stage with a good skimmer. A skimmer is HIGHLY recommended. IMHO the most important tool to success.
Also with the addition of a sump, you increase the water volume which creates a slightly more stable enviroment.
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
Originally Posted by jessica47421
could i add a hob skimmer to a 30 gal sump ?
You can put it on the sump, or the tank itself. There are some good ones out there. Is this for the 55 in your profile?
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
There is no reason, IMO, to rush to do huge water changes if your nitrate levels are that high. Large frequent water changes can cause more stress than the nitrates. High nitrates, over long periods, can be a problem...but short term they are not so critical that I would risk really big water changes.
You need a plan - a consistent strategy to handle this.
I have, BTW, worked on systems that were chronically over 150ppm on nitrates...long term...
This is possibly a different issue. I would start a plan of doing 30% water changes, perhaps once a week. Watch your feeding closely. Assess your stock level honestly. Be good with cleaning sponges and stuff that may accumulate waste.
I suppose before you do anything - get the readings verified at another store.
But I would NOT personally start doing drastic large water changes.
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
A skimmer would definitely help. Although, I have no clue how you could go from 10-160 on the trates in a day. Freaky.
Some searches on here for HOB skimmers will help if you can get one. I did a search before on the subject and found the Aqua C Remora to be well liked.
 
jessica47421

jessica47421

Active Member
sorry what is BTW?
also i will do the 10% tonight just to help it some.
do you think getting rid of the canister and getting a sump would help long term ophiura
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
No, not necessarily. If they are full of crud and old food and waste, both will be problems. A sump, in and of itself, is not a filter in any way. The canister typically has mechanical, biological and chemical filtration. But you should be cleaning that at least once a month. The biggest problems in these systems tend to come from the sponges (mechanical filter) that are not properly cleaned.
IMO, the nitrate does not go from 10 to 150+ in a day. Something is not quite right there.
 
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