Major Nitrate Problem!!!!! Need Some Help!!!!!!

brokendeck

brokendeck

Active Member
Im having a big nitrate problem. Ive been testing my water the last few days and everything was under 12.5 I got one of my close friends started in the saltwater hobby and he came over the other day with his test kits. Showed him how to use them and we tested my water. Everything was good besides nitrate. Both of my tanks read 100m/l which is red on the chart. I used my test kit and it was 12.5
My test kit isnt even 2 weeks old. So I go to the LFS the same day and buy new test kits, which I just did 2 weeks ago. The new test showed 100m/l on the test. I havent had any fish die or anything happen to my corals. Everything is fine and growing. Kinda confused on how this happened. Everything is still growing and opened up like it always has been.
What am I suppose to do to get it back down? Ive done 50% water changes the last 2 days and it hasent even changed on the test yet. Anything else to try?
 
1snapple

1snapple

Active Member
Bad test I bet, I have high nitrates in my pico but i just leave them, everything is happy from acros to zoas
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Have a different LFS (if you have one) test your water as well as this one. My guess is that this new shipment of test kits may be bad.
What brand are they?
 
brokendeck

brokendeck

Active Member
i dont think the test kit is bad. to different brands from 2 different stores.
BTLD one is a terta and the other is api
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I didn't realize they were two different brands as well. 100 is really high for nitrates. Do you have corals in this tank?
For what it's worth, I don't care for Terta test kits at all and I have found API nitrate to not be very accurate. I prefer SeaChem nitrite/nitrate combo test kit for nitrate.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
With all due respect nitrate tests need to be performed spot on, make sure you are preforming the test procedure EXACTLY as instructed
 
brokendeck

brokendeck

Active Member
well i have performed them correct. must be at 100 bc i get home today and 2 of my fish in one tank are dead. so i guess ill keep doing 50% water changes till it shows a difference. not sure what else to do. ive also changed my filters to brand new ones.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
all i can say is scrubber.cheap-easy to make and works .
even at 100 i would think it would affect the corals before the fish.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Hopefully the test kits are all the same brand or at least measure the same nitrates.
Some test kits measure the nitrogen part of nitrates while most measure the total nitrates. the conversion factor is 4+ nitrogens for total nitrates.
The only reason you have nitrates is simply because your nitrate consumers are not keeping up with the nitrates being generated.
the best method IMHO is with various algaes like macro algaes.
mhy .02
 
brokendeck

brokendeck

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by beaslbob http:///forum/thread/384572/major-nitrate-problem-need-some-help#post_3369469
The only reason you have nitrates is simply because your nitrate consumers are not keeping up with the nitrates being generated.
the best method IMHO is with various algaes like macro algaes.
mhy .02
what would be my nitrate consumers?
the best method IMHO is with various algaes like macro algaes. what does this mean
^^^^what does this mean?
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I honestly think that if your corals are fine, something is going on with these kits, either user error, or they're bad. I am more inclined to think that the very large water changes you have been doing effected the fish more than the high nitrate level, especially since your corals are fine.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
you could have had a tank crash and caught it at the nitrate part of the cycle.i have never had a tank crash and i know alot of people that have had them out of nowhere.maybe the ammonia affected the fish before it made it to the nitrates?just guessing .what is the ph in the tank.i seem to have perfect tests all zero and sometimes get 7.8 ph.it doesnt seem to bother the tank and self corrects back to 8.2.from what i have read nitrates are not fatal to fish at levels of 150 or below but corals will die off.but hard to not believe all those tests from two different test kits.
 
brokendeck

brokendeck

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///forum/thread/384572/major-nitrate-problem-need-some-help#post_3369480
you could have had a tank crash and caught it at the nitrate part of the cycle.i have never had a tank crash and i know alot of people that have had them out of nowhere.maybe the ammonia affected the fish before it made it to the nitrates?just guessing .what is the ph in the tank.i seem to have perfect tests all zero and sometimes get 7.8 ph.it doesnt seem to bother the tank and self corrects back to 8.2.from what i have read nitrates are not fatal to fish at levels of 150 or below but corals will die off.but hard to not believe all those tests from two different test kits.
havent had any coral die off. ab to take a pic and post it for u guys. ph is at 7.7 at the moment.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
doing this for a long time and imo you can follow all the guidelines and still have a problem out of nowhere.just a bummer sometimes.somtimes we just cant put a finger on it.trying to trap the ocean in a little box is tough.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
yea they look sweet.imo you had a cycle come from somewhere and didnt see it untill it was nitrates.even though ammonia lasts for a short time its affects on fish could take a while to kill them.
what were the fish you lost ?
funny i have every one of the same corals in my tank.
i had one of those hawkfish a long time ago for about 20 minutes.i put him in my tank then had to leave the house.my wife called me 15 minutes later and said she found it on the floor.
 
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