high nitrates

soulsigma · May 21, 2009

Originally Posted by Rigdon87
http:///forum/post/3046891
The only thing in my canister are bio balls and live rock rubble. iam cleaning it and removing the bio balls out of it today along with a 30gal water change and new filter media in my wet/dry tommorow. when i clean the canister i just empty it and spray it out since its almost empty
wash inside really good with vinegar and water then rinse very good and proceed to spray it make sure you clean everything inside but do not mess with the ruble rock as this is your biological media where your bacteria has and will continual to establish itself. I have the fluval fx and all I have to change out are the prefilter sponges and the polishing pads. Please keep us posted

rigdon87 · May 21, 2009

im getting ready to start here in a minute and ill try the vinegar thing too.i have the fx5 too on my fw tank pretty decent filters IMO.ill let u kno how she goes here in a little bit

soulsigma · May 21, 2009

Originally Posted by Jayson417
http:///forum/post/3046832
I have one of these fuval 305's and my Wet / DRY basically same setup. My nitrates are fine 90% of the time its 0 but every now and then its at 10.
Do you think this could be the cause of why it jumps every now and then? I can't wash the fuval pad out as this is my main source of bacteria as the wet/dry was added on only a week ago.

Could be or it could be a result of over feeding, either way wash or replace the pads and use Gel Filter Cartridge Inoculant by Ecological Labs
Contains 2.5 million colony forming units per milliliter!
* Aquarium filter conditioner instantly establishes beneficial bacteria
* No-mess gel is perfect for foam, floss, bio-balls, and other media
* Helps quickly stabilize fresh or saltwater aquarium environments
Add beneficial bacteria directly to your aquarium filter media without mess. Convenient gel-based formula adheres to all brands and styles of filter media. Ideal for bio-balls, ceramic rings, floss, foam, and more. Contains 2.5 million colony forming units (CFU) per milliliter. Establishes instant biological activity to help stabilize aquarium environments. Great for after you clean or change media or replace filter cartridges. Also allows more frequent filter cleaning in systems with high solid loads without sacrifice to biological activity. Easy-to-use, flip-top squeeze bottle. For fresh or saltwater aquariums.

rigdon87 · May 21, 2009

HOLY CRAP!!!

You wouldn't believe the gunk in that canister filter and trapped in the bio balls!!I did a 30g water change and cleaned the filter out tomorow ill buy all new pads and carbon for the wet/dry.I just checked the params and everything is good,the trates didn't drop as much as i wanted them to(they went from 80 to 20).i just did this 3hrs ago but maybe they'll drop a little more when everything settles down??

salami trigger · May 21, 2009

HOW DO U LIKE THE FLUVAL FX 5 and WHAT SIZE TANK IS THAT ON.
LOOKS LIKE A GOOD FILTER.

rigdon87 · May 21, 2009

I have mine on my 180 fw well stocked and it does a greaaaaat job!! there designed to be used on up to a 400gal system.puts out some pretty decent flow to

.

salami trigger · May 23, 2009

Awesome.
Is it quiet tho...

rigdon87 · May 23, 2009

there pretty quiet. the only time you'd hear it is when it restarts and gets all the trapped air out.Its got a built in chip that shuts it off every 24hrs to releave any gas's that may have built up.

soulsigma · May 23, 2009

Originally Posted by Rigdon87
http:///forum/post/3047216
HOLY CRAP!!!

You wouldn't believe the gunk in that canister filter and trapped in the bio balls!!I did a 30g water change and cleaned the filter out tomorow ill buy all new pads and carbon for the wet/dry.I just checked the params and everything is good,the trates didn't drop as much as i wanted them to

i just did this 3hrs ago but maybe they'll drop a little more when everything settles down??

OK you got it to go from 80 to 20 which is a good thing because now you've learned the importance of weekly filter matence, post all of your parametrs please, ammonia, nitrite,nitrate, ph.

rigdon87 · May 23, 2009

yeah ill definatly be cleaning that every week...got some bad news though
amm.0
trite.0
ph.8.2
trates were 20 this morning but i just tested an hour ago and they have climbed to 40!!! what is goin on??I dont think im doing any thing wrong,im getting kinda sick of this!

rigdon87 · May 23, 2009

Now i just checked this morning with the lights off and it went back down to 20..what the %^&$ is going on??

ophiura · May 23, 2009

Nitrate test kits can be very touchy and if you leave them too long the reading may seem higher. It requires somne pretty consistent methods in testing. It is not really changing like that, the difference is IMO due to testing method.

florida joe · May 24, 2009

Originally Posted by ophiura
http:///forum/post/3048665
Nitrate test kits can be very touchy and if you leave them too long the reading may seem higher. It requires somne pretty consistent methods in testing. It is not really changing like that, the difference is IMO due to testing method.
I AGREE

soulsigma · May 24, 2009

Originally Posted by ophiura
http:///forum/post/3048665
Nitrate test kits can be very touchy and if you leave them too long the reading may seem higher. It requires somne pretty consistent methods in testing. It is not really changing like that, the difference is IMO due to testing method.
+1 you must use a timer so that you can keep track of testing because that type of fluctuation means something going on with the testing method you've employed or a faulty test kit.
OK parameters are coming along OK, mow that you have Cotton the nitrates down to ppm do another partial water change and test for results and post.

How much LR do you have in you DPT ?

rigdon87 · May 24, 2009

when i dip the test tube in the water should i just skim the surface or should i put it midway down the tank or does it matter?? i have 300+lbs in my dt.

florida joe · May 24, 2009

We test for nitrates in the water column so it does not matter as long as you have good water movement

rigdon87 · May 24, 2009

ok thanx

.now about the WC, I just got a desjardini(sp?) sailfin about 3days ago, is it alright to do another wc or should i let him get used to my tank a little more before i do another??

soulsigma · May 24, 2009

3-days yeah go ahead and do the pwc and also check your filter pads to see how much wast they have collected , you may want to just rinse them off in the water your are taking out of the tank , do the same with the bio-balls if you are still using them and then post your new results so we can continual to help you ou

rigdon87 · May 24, 2009

I might do a 15-20g wc tomorow but i already cleaned my filter pads and all my bio balls they day i did that 30g wc

soulsigma · May 24, 2009

Originally Posted by Rigdon87
http:///forum/post/3049060
I might do a 15-20g wc tomorow but i already cleaned my filter pads and all my bio balls they day i did that 30g wc
But your also dealing with a nitrate problem which you are trying to keep in check.
Understood but you want to check them out to get a feel for how long you can go until they need to be cleaned and/or replaced. The point is to catch is to catch your canister filter before any issues arise (nitrate factory).
IN THIS HOBBY BAD THINGS HAPPEN FAST AND GOOD THINGS COME SLOW. IT IS BETTER TO TAKE FAST ACTION NOW TO AVOID HAVING TO TRAVEL DOWN THE PATH OF REACTION

high nitrates

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