High nitrates, i need help guys...

charlied

charlied

Member
i just ran a few tests to check the water that i do the water changes with and also to check that my test kit is in fact working correctly..
tap water = 10ppm
RO water = 0ppm
tank water = 160+ ppm
water store doesn't open until 10 so i have anonther hour and a half to wait. im going to get my 4 - 5 gallon jugs filled, mix the salt and let it sit for at least 3 or 4 hours inside the house to stay at a good temp since i am going to change out so much at once. hope this works.
does anyone have a suggestion of what size / model / brand of power filter i should use, or is the one i have now good. i attached a pic of the one i have. any opinions on these?
thanks again for all the help from everyone!
charlie
 
dragonladylea

dragonladylea

Member
Okay, somone correct me if I am wrong but you DON'T want to do a "couple of 50% water changes today" with the bio load you have doing that drastic of a water change will possibly put you through another cycle which means high ammonia etc. If you didnt have the number of fish you do I would say okay but with that load you might have to be a little more conservative on the water changes. :notsure: :notsure:
 
charlied

charlied

Member
alright, how about 50% today, 50% a few days after. maybe wait a week? and about 10-15 gallons every week after that. hows that?
charlie
 
stanlalee

stanlalee

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dragonladylea
Okay, somone correct me if I am wrong but you DON'T want to do a "couple of 50% water changes today" with the bio load you have doing that drastic of a water change will possibly put you through another cycle which means high ammonia etc. If you didnt have the number of fish you do I would say okay but with that load you might have to be a little more conservative on the water changes. :notsure: :notsure:
I posted a simular question about large water changes not too long ago and it seems that the tank cycling isn't the concern but the issue is making sure the new water is as close to the tank water as possible ex. pH, dKh, salinity, temp need to be closely matched to the water already in the tank to avoid shock. I would only recommend doing that technique with critically high levels where it must be dropped immediately. I would say 160ppm merrits a quick means of nitrate reduction.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
In my opinion you should change a few things:
1 - As already suggested, get a second opinion with a new test kit.
2 - As already mentioned, do larger water changes.
3 - Remove the canister filter and the power filter completely. The canister filter can be used for carbon to polish the water but only run the carbon for 48 hours and then throw it away. You can do that about once a month as needed to remove any yellowing of the water.
4 - Add a whole lot more waterflow. And then add some more waterflow. Make sure there are very few dead spots and absolutely no dead spots over the sand bed. For the sand bed to be healthy it need a lot of water flowing across it. Same with the rocks.
If you get 1000gph or more flowing all over the tank then the sand and rocks will be able to remove the Nitrate for you. It should take about 3 months but that will be a permanent solution. There's really no hurry unless you're having algae problems.
5 - An algae scrubber can also be helpful. If you're not familiar with that do a search on "Refugium". Most hobbiests incorrectly think of their algae scrubber as a refugium but it's the result that counts ;)
 
ruaround

ruaround

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dragonladylea
Okay, somone correct me if I am wrong but you DON'T want to do a "couple of 50% water changes today" with the bio load you have doing that drastic of a water change will possibly put you through another cycle which means high ammonia etc. If you didnt have the number of fish you do I would say okay but with that load you might have to be a little more conservative on the water changes. :notsure: :notsure:
I would totally agree...if you change out all the water in a matter of days you are going to be in a constant state of cylcle...do a search on water changes...you shouldnt change out more than 30% (some say 35%)...IMO keep to the small water changes, just do em more often...
 
three boys

three boys

Member
seems like alot of evaporation to me, but anyways i have cc & w/regular water changes, nitrates stay low. Your are very high!
 
benter

benter

Member
Im not quite sure how large water changes would affect the ammonia levels, unless your water was way different and you killed off some of the nitrifying bacteria.. I don't think that the water itself has any ammonia reducing properties, anyone else? Don't get me wrong I am by no means an expert..that just seems a little confusing to me, I thought all the ammonia reduction was done by your bacteria already established in the tank, as well as your filter..whatever that may be., I would even think it would lower your ammonia levels??
 
stanlalee

stanlalee

Active Member
well I always do 50-60% and have yet to start a new cycle. Hell when I moved I changed 100% of the water, just transporting the liverock and substrate submerged in buckets of tank water and still no recycling.
 
charlied

charlied

Member
alright guys here is what i have done so far.
Added another PC light (130 watts) thats 390 total watts
Added a Emperor power filter (400gph + existing 250gph emperor)
Added another max1200 to my existing max1200 power heads
screwed around with the skimmer, added new silicone airlines
changed out about 18 gallons with fresh RO water
adjusted the powerheads whereas to not have any dead spots
thats about all i can think of for the time being. i think i need to make a sump. i think it would really help me out. i will check the nitrate levels in the morning and hopfully i will see some significant change. if this doesnt start to help, im thinking about taking all my fish to the LFS for a while and completely recycleing my tank until things get back to normal. i dont know what else i can do without causing even more harm to my fish.
i am still open to suggestions and i appriciate everyones help. i was about to lose it and call it quits on this hobby. thanks guys.
Charlie
 
ricks280

ricks280

Member
charlied,
i would reccomend investing on live rock for a 55 you should have around 35kgs plus, make sure that you add cured rock just in case add a bit at the time i have the same filter in my small tank as you have however i removed the cartrige just kept the bio/w.
plenty of water flow and a good skimmer.
(rick)
 
benter

benter

Member
Charlie..don't forget the test kit..it could be flawed itself..Try taking a sample to the other lfs tommorrow, if you still have the crazy readings..
 
charlied

charlied

Member
alright, next things on my to do list:
add 35lbs more cured live rock
take my water to be tested
damn nitrates :mad:
 
sillynecco

sillynecco

Member
I dont know if it was mentioned above, but you think there is too many fish in there for a 55g?
Could there be something dead in there?
 
charlied

charlied

Member
alright, i just ordered 200 nassarius snails for about $20. i dont plan to use all 200, prolly trade them at the LFS for store credit.
how many should i keep in my tank? should i remove the other turbo snails etc. that i have?
i was thinking maybe 10-20 nassarius, trade the rest at the LFS maybe i can get a few pieces of LR. :thinking:
charlie
 
charlied

charlied

Member
"Nassarius Obsoleta reef cleaning algae snails
they feed on detritus & algae
safe for all types of marine and reef aquariums
they eat slime algae - red carpet algae"
item 7727969551 on that auctions site everyone talks of.
 
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