Nitrates 4 Sale! (free)

vkuroczka

vkuroczka

Member
Help! Ok heres the story.... I can't seem to get my nitrates to go down
... they are at 80! I lost my tank to ich a few weeks ago,... one survivor though my flamehawk fish, did a 50% water change yesterday with "Real Ocean Water" (I swear by this stuff). What else is there that I can do? "Calling out to you expirienced saltwater fish gods!"

Heres my set-up:
Had tank for 6 years with no deaths until recently
80 gal. saltwater (did 50% water change yesterday and used "Real Ocean Water")
Fluval 404 filter (with activated carbon and that nitrate filter stuff you can cut up and place in the filter itself)
Skimmer
9lbs of live rock (working my way up slowly)
flamehawk fish
jewel damselfish X 1
Crushed coral for sea floor
Nitrates: 80
Nitrites: 0
pH: 8.2
Amm.: 0
Temp: 82 F
Spec. Gravity: 1.026
Cu:0.25 (trying to cycle out with carbon from ich)
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
Actually real ocean water tends to be bad since you probably get it close to shore where there's likely many pollutants. I would test that first prior to putting it in the tank. Aside from that I'd guess ich = death = ammonia = nitrates = many more water changes in your future.
You also don't have nearly enough LR to handle the nitrates produced from fish waste.
It sounds like you have no cleaning crew to pickup leftover food which equals more nitrates.
Crushed Coral is a known nitrate farm and you'd be better off with a sand bed.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
How did you treat the tank for ich? How do you care for the CC bed? They need to be kept very clean or nitrates will build up.
 
vkuroczka

vkuroczka

Member
"Real Ocean Water" is the name of the water, I get it boxed and shipped to me... it's all pure and stuff.. i test it before I add any to my tank.. my only problem with clean up crews is that its a gourmet food for my flamehawk.. he eats them like crazy!! I had snails and shrimp but I would watch him with my own eyes... amazing let me say.. I dunno.. how much of a water change should I do next and when?
 
vkuroczka

vkuroczka

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/2572276
How did you treat the tank for ich? How do you care for the CC bed? They need to be kept very clean or nitrates will build up.
I treated it at first with hyposalinity, increase in temp. and then added copper. CC I suction with one of those hoses you can get at the fish store... I do it everytime with water changes.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Nitrates of 80ppm shouldn't affect fish, inverts (corals included)--yes; but fish are not nearly as sensitive to nitrates. This seems to be a fairly recent school of thought. With fish & nitrates, the lower the better, but I've never seen any documentation that a reading of 80 ppm is dangerous. Copper (I swear by Cuprimine brand used with a Seachem test kit, then removed with Cuprisorb) can be hard to monitor and it may be the culprit.
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
Oh lol, "Real Ocean Water" is a brand of water. Sepultian was able to help me out a lot with my emergency recently, so I'd go with whatever he says.
 
vkuroczka

vkuroczka

Member
Originally Posted by FireRescue
http:///forum/post/2572285
You need alot more live rock that is for sure.
I know that I need a lot more rock about 160 pounds I think... I'm slowly buying it every weekend... at 6 bucks per pound at my LFS... it adds up :0)
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
You can get the LR a lot cheaper online. Also, if you're adding LR every week you run a great risk of ammonia spikes. Curing it will only do so much(assuming you're doing that).
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2572294
Oh lol, "Real Ocean Water" is a brand of water. Sepultian was able to help me out a lot with my emergency recently, so I'd go with whatever he says.
Oh I just have to sorry sir Q
Only I am allowed to call Sep Sir Q even if she is of the female persuasion
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by vkuroczka
http:///forum/post/2572300
I tested for CU its only 0.25 which is a safe level for fish correct??
It usually is, but some fish (flame angels and others) have a rep of being very sensitive to copper. A tech at Seachem told me many lfs regularly keep tanks at .30 as a preventative. I checked with 2 stores and both do just that. Many online dealers always treat with copper also.
 
vkuroczka

vkuroczka

Member
Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2572305
You can get the LR a lot cheaper online. Also, if you're adding LR every week you run a great risk of ammonia spikes. Curing it will only do so much(assuming you're doing that).
its already cured at the LFS.... and I add every two weeks (pay check :0) ) never have had any ammonia spikes that I know of... I test every week.
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
If you only have 9 lbs of Live Rock then you can't have been adding it for very long. Personally I have trust issues with LFS's, I'd still cure it myself even if they said it was cured already. Also, if the rock spends anytime at all out of water there should be at least some die off.
 
vkuroczka

vkuroczka

Member
Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2572319
If you only have 9 lbs of Live Rock then you can't have been adding it for very long. Personally I have trust issues with LFS's, I'd still cure it myself even if they said it was cured already. Also, if the rock spends anytime at all out of water there should be at least some die off.
I haven't been adding it for very long.. after ich killed the tank then I started adding it... where would you reccomend that I buy LR from online?? I dunno, are you allowed to say on this blog?? (rules?) I also just went and bought some turbo snails... hopefully they'll make it :0)
 
michaeltx

michaeltx

Moderator
I wouldnt buy anything else for the tank until you get the Cu out it is deadly for inverts thats why it is so effect on ich. you risk any and all inverts dying in the near future. Cu is not recomended to be used in a tank with any LR or inverts. it will stay in the rock and cause you problems later in the tank life an inverts.
Your probably seeing a combo of problems from adding the Cu to the tank with inverts and the inverts dieing off causeing the nitrates to rise.
any inverts that you add including LR in this tank with the Cu is not a good idea. get teh Cu problem takin care of them work on rebuilding the system with new LR and sand IMO thats the only way you are going to completely get rid of the problem.
IMO
Mike
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Like MichaelTX said: copper + inverts= dead inverts. I should have mentioned this earlier. I don't say everyone should do this; but I use copper in my QT with all new fish. My QT has nothing that can absorb & store copper, so its easy to remove. A good test kit is a must.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Your probably seeing a combo of problems from adding the Cu to the tank with inverts and the inverts dieing off causeing the nitrates to rise.
This is the problem that I see as well.
 
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