High nitrates

[hnf2k]

i tested my water the other day, and my ammonia was 0, nitrites 0, ph 8.2 i haven't added anything new to the tank recently. so i was just curious why my nitrates were high. i had 2 ideas why i thought they might be, tell me if im right...
1 - i have bioballs, and i think i was told that bioballs lower ammonia but raise nitrates, that true?
2 - i'm using tap water.
is this a bad problem? is there anyway for me to fix the nitrates or just let it be. i did a water change about 3 days before i tested the water.

 

[hurley]

I dont know about the bio balls but the water change should have lowered the nitrates. Im wondering if it is the fact that your using the tap water.

 

[twoods71]

What is your nitrate level?
A water change will reduce your nitrate level unless you are adding nitrates at the same time.
Bioballs, LR, substrate, filter media, anything that will harbor the proper bacteria will convert ammonia to nitrites to nitrates.

 

[sal t. nutz]

Everything that you have in your tank for Biomedia will create Nitrates like TW said. This is not a bad thing. If you didn't have anything to convert the Ammonia>Nitrites>Nitrates, you would just have Ammonia, and everything would die within hours. The trick is, finishing the cycle and getting Nitrates>Nitrogen Gas. You LR and DSB should help with that, but the DSB takes months to establish. You only option right now is water changes. Keep in mind that, Nitrates up to around 60 ppm is usually tollerable for a Fish only tank. Some studies have proven even higher, like 150 ppm, but I wouldn't let it get that high. Test your tap water and see if it has Nitrates, you may be resupplying them with your water changes. If it tests ok, then just do small water changes and try to keep them under control until your DSB and LR can take over.

 

[simm]

I had the same problem but I found out why mine had gone throught the roof. I had found 3 dead snails under some rock. Might check for that. Also over feeding will cause it.

 

[surfnturf]

Your tap water may not have contributed to the nitrates at all, test it, if it's negative you can rule that out. I would keep a close watch on your nitrates, check it every 2-3 days and do small water changes to bring it down gradually. Check your skimmer, make sure you clean out the foam throat at least every other day, otherwise it will not function correctly. Also check to make sure it is adjusted correctly. HTH

 

[surfnturf]

Sorry Sal T., didn't read your post, yeah, like he said

 

[hnf2k]

my nitrate level is around 40-50. i did find a few dead snails the other day. they can't upright themselves to they fall off and die. what waste. i also have a feeling that i might have a dead gobie under some live rock and the hermits just buried him. not too sure about that though because i dont have any ammonia. but i will check. i'm out of my test kit, so im gonna hafta run to the lfs today and get some more. thanks for the help guys.

 

[simm]

Yea Id check. Just those few snails will sky rocket it. Did mine.

 

[sal t. nutz]

lol Surf

 

[hnf2k]

well as far as overfeeding. i am overfeeding, but on purpose. i only have 3 gobies, but i i lost a few fish to ick. so i still have a bunch of hermit crabs that have nothing really to eat, because nobody is pooping a lot or anything. so i have been feeding more so this way my hermits dont starve to death like some of my snails are.

 

[twoods71]

IMO 40 - 50 ppm nitrates is not horrible, not a good level, but not horrible.
No need to panic at that reading but I would work on getting the level down. All your critters will thank you for it.

 

[surfnturf]

high nitrates can affect snails and crabs to a much higher degree than fish. I haven't had a problem with dwarf hermits, but I think turbos are somewhat sensitive, I would try to get those levels down (gradually).

 

[hnf2k]

what breaks down nitrates?

 

[sal t. nutz]

Anaerobic bacteria. They exist in you LR and will grow in the deep part of your DSB, but that will take some months.

 

[twoods71]

The above posts sums it up well.
For now your best bet is water changes.
Just make sure you are using a pure high quality water source.
I get my water from a vending machine that goes through several fitration processes and for 25 cents a gallon I couldnt ask for a better deal.

 

[hnf2k]

hmm. my water source i would bet is anything put high quality. i live in ny, so i doubt i have great tap water. i do have an ro/di unit, but i still haven't found a plumber to hook it up. so as of now im running on all tap water.