nitrate prof fish

[thresher9]

can fish become nitrate prof? supposedly I have 80+ nitrates for the past year, but nothing has died. no fish, shrimp, coral, plants, crabs, or other invertebrates have died. I did an 80 percent water change and the reading went down to 20 nitrates, but now back to 80 or more.... i can't really tell.

 

[2quills]

Sounds pretty nitrate proof to me.
Nitrate poisoning I think would be more like a very slow and prolonged process leading more towards lots of health issues and restricted lifespans.
Ammonia, no doubt is the more lethal and quicker way to kill your fish if that so happens to be your goal. Hopefully it's not.

 

[fishman7663]

Although there is no substitute for water changes, it depends on the chemicals you use. A certain dechlorinator such as Prime also removes the toxicity of nitrates and nitrites. It does not remove the nitrates from the system, just the toxicity, therefore the water changes take out the nitrates. So if you use Prime or any other "good" chemicals, that could have helped a little.

 

[btldreef]

Sounds like your test kit isn't reading accurate. Nitrates don't really bother most fish too much, but corals would be effected at nitrate levels that high for that long.

 

[thresher9]

well, the readings changed with a water change plus I went out and bought a brand new test kit and got the same results... :/
I don't put anything in the water except for carbon rocks, phosphate guard, and supplements/elements for the coral.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by thresher9 http:///t/392143/nitrate-prof-fish#post_3480479
can fish become nitrate prof? supposedly I have 80+ nitrates for the past year, but nothing has died. no fish, shrimp, coral, plants, crabs, or other invertebrates have died. I did an 80 percent water change and the reading went down to 20 nitrates, but now back to 80 or more.... i can't really tell.
One question...are you using an old API test kit? My nitrates were reading 80+...fish don't really care about nitrates but shrimp and coral do, yet with such a deadly readings, everything looked 100%....I did daily 5g water changes, and the nitrates would go down but by morning it was right back at 80+...so I purchased an aquaripure nitrate filter, changed from a canister to a sump system......turns out my API kit was outdated and the test results incorrect.
I purchased another API kit and had the same reading so I was sure the nitrates were off the roof high...Everyone insisted the API kits were not trustworthy...so I purchased another brand of test kit...readings were.... 1

 

[2quills]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/392143/nitrate-prof-fish#post_3480591
One question...are you using an old API test kit? My nitrates were reading 80+...fish don't really care about nitrates but shrimp and coral do, yet with such a deadly readings, everything looked 100%....I did daily 5g water changes, and the nitrates would go down but by morning it was right back at 80+...so I purchased an aquaripure nitrate filter, changed from a canister to a sump system......turns out my API kit was outdated and the test results incorrect.
I purchased another API kit and had the same reading so I was sure the nitrates were off the roof high...Everyone insisted the API kits were not trustworthy...so I purchased another brand of test kit...readings were.... 1
And the problem is that since the first two were off how do you really know that you can even trust the third? lol
Thresher: How does the tank look, algae wise? What kind of plants do you have?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/392143/nitrate-prof-fish#post_3480598
And the problem is that since the first two were off how do you really know that you can even trust the third? lol
LOL...I got Seachem test kits, they come with a regent so I can double check the accuracy of the test.

 

[thresher9]

Both test kits I used are API test kits.... they sound very unreliable. I'm going to go get a different kit brand and see what the nitrates really are. I used to have an uncontrollable amount of algae, but then once I got my tang and angel it was history. In my sump I have a refugium with good algae, the pink algae/coral stuff, and four mangroves.

 

[btldreef]

API nitrate test kits are known to read extremely high. Get yourself the SeaChem nitrite/nitrate combo. It's one of the more accurate ones, and as Flower mentioned, you can test its accuracy.
You said you are add things for the coral, what exactly are you adding?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by thresher9 http:///t/392143/nitrate-prof-fish#post_3480751
Both test kits I used are API test kits.... they sound very unreliable. I'm going to go get a different kit brand and see what the nitrates really are. I used to have an uncontrollable amount of algae, but then once I got my tang and angel it was history. In my sump I have a refugium with good algae, the pink algae/coral stuff, and four mangroves.
Great! Macroalgae is in my opinion the best method of removing nitrates and phosphates from the system...just be sure to stay on top of things and harvest it.

 

[thresher9]

for the coral I'm adding (according to the bottle) essential vitamin and trace mineral supplement for reefs. specifically, vitamins A, B1, B6, and C..... Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Iodine, Potassium, and Strontium. Also, Does Not contain gluconates, phosphates, or nitrates which is good. I can get more specific with the ingredients, but the list is very long, filled with scientific words, so I'm deciding not to, at the moment, type it out. But I can if you want me too.

 

[btldreef]

Everything in that bottle is already in a quality salt mix and you'd be adding it into your tank with each water change. Don't buy any more of that stuff, you're wasting your money, unless you plan on never doing water changes. Most of those bottled additives like that are basically concentrated water changes.
One other question, are you using RODI water?

 

[thresher9]

no I don't use RO/DI water, I don't need to because I have well water/spring water. It's as clean as you can get it, nothing added. I have tested it before and it's perfect, plus I've been using it strait out of the faucet for years and nothing bad has ever happenned. It is very nice to be able to pump out and make fifty gallons of salt water and it being the right temperature, it makes water changes less of a nightmare.

 

[btldreef]

It might be fine for drinking, but even well water usually isn't okay for a tank without being treated. Do you have a TDS meter? If not, I'd invest in one and see what your readings are. Things that are okay for us to drink, and even okay for fresh water, aren't necessarily okay for salt.

 

[forestaquarist]

What is a DTS meter? I am also thinking of buying a RO filter. I heard it costs around $260 for a good one but don't remember the brand. Any good recommendation?
My tank's nitrate is 40. I have one anemone, 4 shrimps and some crabs, and one starfish. Usually, the nitrate would go down to 20 when I do 25 gal water change (my tank is 75 gallons plus the sump is of around 20 gallons). I have not started to put corals yet but plan to. I will start from something that is easy. But, would the nitrate level of 40 kill corals? Just not sure when should I start to put corals in.

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForestAquarist http:///t/392143/nitrate-prof-fish#post_3480981
What is a DTS meter? I am also thinking of buying a RO filter. I heard it costs around $260 for a good one but don't remember the brand. Any good recommendation?
My tank's nitrate is 40. I have one anemone, 4 shrimps and some crabs, and one starfish. Usually, the nitrate would go down to 20 when I do 25 gal water change (my tank is 75 gallons plus the sump is of around 20 gallons). I have not started to put corals yet but plan to. I will start from something that is easy. But, would the nitrate level of 40 kill corals? Just not sure when should I start to put corals in.
In simple terms, a TDS meter tests how much bad stuff is in your water.
It tests Total Dissolved Solids such as minerals and metals, some of which can be harmful to corals, etc. Some are as cheap as $15-20 and can be found in places like Home Depot.
Keep an eye on that anemone, they do not like nitrates, especially nitrate levels above 10/15ppm. How long have you had it?
Air Water Ice RO/DI filters are the ones that I prefer and they run about $150, give or take the model.

 

[thresher9]

Ok so I know I have hard water, probably 200ppm. The fish store was closed so I couldn't get a test kit or have them test my water. I'm going to try again in a week on tuesday since it's almost an hour away and i'm driving by it then. but I got some nitrate (plus others) reducing stuff and also something to take harmful metals out of the water, covering the hard water problem. I did test my tap water and the nitrates are zero there are just metals in it like maybe iron, manganese, and strontium.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by thresher9 http:///t/392143/nitrate-prof-fish#post_3481006
Ok so I know I have hard water, probably 200ppm. The fish store was closed so I couldn't get a test kit or have them test my water. I'm going to try again in a week on tuesday since it's almost an hour away and i'm driving by it then. but I got some nitrate (plus others) reducing stuff and also something to take harmful metals out of the water, covering the hard water problem. I did test my tap water and the nitrates are zero there are just metals in it like maybe iron, manganese, and strontium.
Hi,
Go to walmart or your grocery store and get some RO water...purchase the 5g jugs at home depot...but if your smart...do not use your tap water and get your own test kits, not count on the LFS. Order what you need online, you don't need to depend on only what the LFS offers.
Mixing your own saltwater is easy and much cheaper

 

[thresher9]

that would cost way too much. a 65gal tank plus a 55gal sump for every large water change and little ones will add up. I already have a ton of 5gal buckets . I was going to ask the LFS to test it because they might not of carried a test kit other than API. I have two test kits, but they seem to be unreliable, reading 80 plus for nitrates, but the coral and shrimp are fine.