My Nitrates are insane!!! Help

[tinysmajick]

I did a random testing yesterday after noticing that my fish were acting a little funny.
My nitrates tested off the chart!!! 200+
my nitrites tested 0
Alk-in between 240-300
PH- 8.1-8.2
Ammonia-0
sal.- 1.22
That was yesterday. I was told to do a water change and add some Bioenzyme and that would bring the nitrates down.
Today.... Everything is screwed! :scared:
nitrates, nitrites and ammonia are still the same
alk-120-180
ph-7.4!!!!!
sal.- 1.19. (attempting to raise)
I don't know what to do, I feel helpless.
My fish are all breathing super hard and aren't really moving much.
Someone please help.

 

[earlybird]

Yikes I think you are in trouble. Everything is off. You may have already lost your fish but I'm not sure. Get the fish out and in a hospital tank. What kind of fish, how many? Large water changes are needed. Don't know about the bioenzyme. Do you use crushed coral?
What could have happened over night to raise nitrates and throw you out of whack?

 

[joncat24]

I would suggest about a 25 gallon water change if u have the 55gal listed in your profile.
If you have the crushed coral as previously stated , I would remove it...add sand and then do a water change.
I would also suggest getting some chemi pure. It worked really well for me to lower nitrates.

 

[reefkprz]

2 50% water changes make sure the salinity and temp are exactly the same as whats in your tank. this is only harmfull if you creat a big swing in salinity or temp while doing it. (I cannot stress how important it is to be exact in this case) this will reduce existing pollution to 1/4 of what it is currently.

 

[reefkprz]

gravel suiphon heavy while doing these changes If you have CC or the pollutants will just spike again. look for anything dead and remove it. (snails crabs etc.)

 

[tinysmajick]

I don't know what happened

everything was fine until I started messing with things it seems.
Yes I do use c.c. I haven't had any problems with it....keyword haven't!
Yellow tang, snowflake eel, blue damsel, hermits, coral banded.
I lost my royal gramma last night.
My qt tank is cycling and is in the middle of a spike right now, I checked when I saw what was happening.
Thus, helpless.

 

[earlybird]

Are you measuring salinity or specific gravity? I think it's specific gravity in which case it should be between around 1.024-1.026 for a reef tank.

 

[tinysmajick]

To be honest I am TERRIFIED to do another change.
I just did one yesterday (30%). Everyone is super stressed.
I guess that they are probably already goners, so maybe I shouldn't be worry too much about stressing them out more.

At this point in time........I hate this hobby.

 

[reefkprz]

reducing pollutant will be better for them, they will be killed by all the toxins a little bit of stress from doing a water change is not going to hurt anything only help it.

 

[tinysmajick]

Originally Posted by earlybird
Are you measuring salinity or specific gravity? I think it's specific gravity in which case it should be between around 1.024-1.026 for a reef tank.

Well, I thought it was salinity but it probably is specific gravity.
Hydrometer. Yeah, specific gravity i'd say.
Sorry, little frazzeled at the moment

 

[autofreak44]

your fish are adapted to the nitrates right now so they are not gonners if you act quickly. just do water changes of the same temp and salinity and most of them should be fine.

 

[tinysmajick]

Thanks so much everyone,
I am going to make a mess again (water change). I will try to keep ya posted.

 

[earlybird]

reef,
What could cause a raise this much in one day? His alk and pH dropped a lot also.
Originally Posted by tinysmajick
sal.- 1.19. (attempting to raise)
?????

 

[hatessushi]

Originally Posted by earlybird
Yikes I think you are in trouble. Everything is off. You may have already lost your fish but I'm not sure. Get the fish out and in a hospital tank. What kind of fish, how many? Large water changes are needed. Don't know about the bioenzyme. Do you use crushed coral?
What could have happened over night to raise nitrates and throw you out of whack?
If you read that post, his nitrates did not raise over night. His nitrates remained the same overnight. However, the pH spiked downward into a dangerous area. Also he never said it was or wasn't a reef tank.
When Tiny performed the first water change the salinity dropped from 1.022 to 1.019, pH dropped off and nothing was said about temp. The new water change water temp, pH and SG should have been the same as the DT which it wasn't and cause the fish to stress. It is important to make sure the water change water is the same as the DT and that the water mixes for a few days.

 

[hatessushi]

Originally Posted by earlybird
reef,
What could cause a raise this much in one day? His alk and pH dropped a lot also.
?????

Water change water was not the same in temp, pH, Alk or sg as the DT.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by earlybird
reef,
What could cause a raise this much in one day? His alk and pH dropped a lot also.
?????
could be many things, the ph is bound to plummet with a massive death/ die off? biofilter overload, disturbed the bed when doing other water change? I dont know enough spefices to point out a cause. there are just wayyy to many variables, a random bacteria die off due to an aersol sprasy could cause it. its mind boggling the ammount off different things that could cause a tank crash.

 

[reefkprz]

though I would suspect crushed coral maintinence or lack thereoff could have played a part in the super high nitrates, CC is dangerous if not properly maintained.
we also dont know when the last water change was.
what filtration is available, how much live rock, what the feeding habits are, bioload of fish, Ahhhhhh

the variables are making my head spinnnnnnnnn. :scared:

 

[baloo6969]

woooo u dont have a Cucumber or something like that? My friend had one, it died, and his levels went off the chart over night.

 

[geridoc]

Nitrates cause toxicity in the same way that nitrites do. They convert the hemoglobin in the fish's red cells into methemoglobin, which does not carry oxygen very well, if at all. The fish suffocate - hence the rapid, labored breathing. There are several products on the market that can be used to prevent this action of nitrates. I have used Amquel Plus in one emergency situation, and in that limited test I got good results - the fish calmed down, resumed normal breathing and were fine so long as I continued to dose as recommended. The nice thing about these treatments (there are others besides Amquel Plus) is that they still allow the bacteria to remove the nitrates, so the situation will eventually cure itself.

 

[earlybird]

Good info everyone. HatesSushi thanks for clarifying it for me. I read his original post and only homed in on his figures.