Nitrates off the chart!! Please help!

[fishphreak]

Ok yesterday I purchased a nitrate test kit. I have never tested my nitrates before (Big mistake!) I could not find salifert so I had to get aquarium pharmaceuticals. I will be throwing way all my test kits and get only Salifet just as soon as I can. But for the next few weeks this is what I will have to use.
My problem is my nitrates are 160 ppm. I have no idea how long they have been that way or what to do about it since I have never tested for them before.
Oh yeah my tank is about a year old at this point.
I really need some advice on what to do!
Here are my tank readings.
Temp 79
PH 8.15
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrate 160
Alk 11 dKH
Calcium 380 I think
For the calcium I have a Hagan test and I can't get a good color match. The color chart shows very pale colors and what is in my test tube is VERY dark. But I think it is probably somewhere around 380.
I don't know what other info you may need so let me know if you need more info.
Everything in my tank appears to be fine except for my brain coral. He will expand for a day or two then close up for a day or two then expand for another day or two and so on and so on.
Thank you so much,
Jessica

 

[angelofish]

I would double test it just to sure.Then do about 20% water changes every 3-4 days.
The following can create excess Nitrates
1-Dirty crushed coral
2-Dirty filter media
3-Feeding too much too often
4-Not enough water changes
5-Tap water
6-Trapped waste behind LR

 

[fishphreak]

I have a lot of cyano but other than that the cc doesn't appear to be dirty.
I just replaced my filter media a week ago
My fiance feeds the fish once per day and a very small amount (it is all gone in under 5 minutes). I don't feed them because I tend to over feed.
I do 15% water changes 2 times each month
I only use RO/DI water
There is nothing visible on the surface of the substrate behind the LR.
Does any of that sound like a problem??
Thanks for advice,
Jessica

 

[fishphreak]

I only have 2 gallons of water right now. There is only one store in my area that sells RO/DI water and they are closed today. I can get the water tomorrow though. Will it be ok until then?
Thanks again,
Jessica

 

[angelofish]

If the fish dont look stressed and everything seems fine keep your fngers crossed till tomorrow. Do you ever vacuum the crushed coral?Its famous for trapping waste below the surface. The cyno is a sign of excess nutrients.

 

[fishphreak]

I can't vacuum because it is too fine...it's like sand.
I am setting up a 75 gallon...should be up in a month. And I will be using dead sand and live sand. I know I have to wait at least a month after the set up for the tank to cycle then I can start moving stuff from the 29 to 75.
I just hope I will be able to keep everything alive until then.
Will water changes do the trick until then?
Thanks,
Jessica

 

[xnikki118x]

I had a nitrate problem a longggg time ago, and I used AmQuel + to get rid of it. It worked wonders.
I'm not incredibly fond of using chemicals to solve tank problems, but since you do your water changes and everything, I don't really know what could be causing it.
PS. AmQuel+ is safe for inverts, too. I've used it while keeping soft corals, anemones, crabs, snails, shrimp, nudibranches...

 

[ninjamini]

Why not just drop in some macro algie?

 

[1journeyman]

Sounds to me like the cc has gotten dirty. The cyano-bact. is another sign that nitrates and/or phosphates are too high.
Stick something down in the cc and stir some of it up good and see what turns up.

 

[cathy joe]

if you have never tested nitrates before, are you following the directions right. i was told that the test kit i have if you dont follow the direction right, you can get false readings. the nitrate test is sensitive

 

[viper_930]

Originally posted by 1journeyman
Stick something down in the cc and stir some of it up good and see what turns up.
Bad idea. The CC will release all the stored up nitrates from underneath if stirred.

 

[mystangt]

I had the same problem. The frequent 20% water changes every 2 days worked for me. Good luck

 

[shoreliner11]

With nitrates at 160ppm would the fish be showing signs of stress? For some reason I thought as nitrates got this high it was close to being deadly for many fish.

 

[thegrog]

Something sounds not right here.
I think your test kit may be bad. If your nitrates were around 380, your fish would be dead and your tank would smell like rotting fish. Buy a new kit of a different brand as well and compare.
Have you added anyting to the tank like Amquel+ or the like? These products cause some kits to read falsely high (another reason not to use them).

 

[lizzard]

TheGrog is right. There is no way your nitrate could be that high. My test kit only goes up to 20. Why? cause any higher, everything and anything in the tank would be dead long before it could get any higher. You must do doing the test wrong some how.

 

[fishphreak]

Thank you all.
I am sure I did the test right. I read the directions 3 times before I did anything. Then I had them out and followed along as I was testing. The color match card went as high as 160ppm and the color in the tube was slightly darker than that but not a whole lot. If I had to wager a guess I would say it is probably something like 200ppm.
I am also going to LFS today to have them test my water for me since I don't have another brand of test kit yet. And I will get as much RO water as I can in case I need to some major water changes.
That is the stranges thing...everything looks great except that by brain won't open fully every day. It is more like 2 days open 2 days closed, etc. And I had a clown goby die on the 23rd of this month. But I think he was almost 2 years old. I got him from someone who had to get rid of their tank. Plus he never acted right. He would only come out to eat then he would go lay in his plant the rest of day and night only coming out long enough to eat. The LFS told my fiance that he didn't seem right from the discription that my fiance gave him but he didn't tell me until he died because he didn't want me to worry. I really don't think it was the nitrates that killed him because according to the LFS he was never right to begin with.
I have been using limewater.
I started that lime drip on the 21st (this aquarium calander is so handy!). I only added 1 tsp (1/3 of the dosage recomended) to a gallon of water and started at 1 drip every 6 seconds.
When that finished on the 24th I started another lime drip of 1 tbsp to a gallon of water at a drip rate of 1 drop every 5 seconds.
My Ph and Alk never spiked or droped.
My PH is 8.15 and Alk is 10 KH
The only thing off is the nitrate. And I have no idea how long it has been off because I never tested for it until yesterday.
Is there anything I can do to keep this tank up for another 2 months until my 75 is ready?
I don't want to upgrade equipment for the 29 because I will have the 75 ready soon and it will have a sump with LR and LS, a good pump, and a really good skimmer.
Thank you so much,
Jessica

 

[traib]

Get macroalgae, use AZ-NO3, it works, and continue with water changes while you try to find out the source of the problem.

 

[fishphreak]

What is macro algae? Will my LFS sell it? They have sea weed is that macro algae?
What is AZ-NO3?
Thanks so much,
Jessica

 

[traib]

Your LFS probably has macroalgae--sounds like it. AZ-NO3 is a product that works anzymically to degrade nitrate in concert with your protien skimmer.

 

[fishphreak]

I went to the LFS today and had the owner test my water for me and he confirmed that my nitrates were well over 100ppm.
I got enough salt and RO water to do a 50% water change if I have to.
I thought my fish should be acting stressed and my corals half dead with my levels that high but they all seem fine except for the picky brain. I guess I just got lucky this time.
The LFS does have the algae but they said I should do the water changes and lower my nitrate levels then add the agae.
Thank you all so much for all the help,
Jessica