Nitrates

[gbwedu]

Hi, I,m new to this hobby. Still trying to learn everything. I bought a 125g tank which came with everything except water. Everything is at 0 except my nitrates which is at 20-40. I have had the tank for 3 months and I have changed just about every inch of water in the tank, cause everywhere I have read says this is how you get the nitrates to come down. I have only 9 fish in my tank, a cleaner shrimp, 5 peppermint shrimp and a clean up crew. I have a bio-filter with balls. Please can someone help me??????? Please tell me what to do about the nitrates. Oh! the tank and sand and live rock that came with the tank is suppose to be at least 5 years old. Is my tank cycled? How do I know for sure that it is. I'm I worrying to much about the nitrates?

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by gbwedu
http:///forum/post/3117438
Hi, I,m new to this hobby. Still trying to learn everything. I bought a 125g tank which came with everything except water. Everything is at 0 except my nitrates which is at 20-40. I have had the tank for 3 months and I have changed just about every inch of water in the tank, cause everywhere I have read says this is how you get the nitrates to come down. I have only 9 fish in my tank, a cleaner shrimp, 5 peppermint shrimp and a clean up crew. I have a bio-filter with balls. Please can someone help me??????? Please tell me what to do about the nitrates. Oh! the tank and sand and live rock that came with the tank is suppose to be at least 5 years old. Is my tank cycled? How do I know for sure that it is. I'm I worrying to much about the nitrates?

WELCOME!!
If you keep fish only, they don’t really care about nitrates..inverts however care very much if they are high. So in a reef, lower nitrates are important…
How are you cleaning the bio balls? Do not rise them in fresh water… try rinsing them by swishing them around in a bucket of saltwater to dislodge materiel. Don’t scrub them, just swish them around. The same goes for filter pads.
The good bacteria is being destroyed when you rinse in fresh water, or replace the pads altogether. Being too clean is bad for saltwater tank.

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by gbwedu
http:///forum/post/3117438
Hi, I,m new to this hobby. Still trying to learn everything. I bought a 125g tank which came with everything except water. Everything is at 0 except my nitrates which is at 20-40. I have had the tank for 3 months and I have changed just about every inch of water in the tank, cause everywhere I have read says this is how you get the nitrates to come down. I have only 9 fish in my tank, a cleaner shrimp, 5 peppermint shrimp and a clean up crew. I have a bio-filter with balls. Please can someone help me??????? Please tell me what to do about the nitrates. Oh! the tank and sand and live rock that came with the tank is suppose to be at least 5 years old. Is my tank cycled? How do I know for sure that it is. I'm I worrying to much about the nitrates?
am I the only one who finds this thread hard to believe

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3117454
am I the only one who finds this thread hard to believe

Why???

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3117458
%% Why???
125-gallon tank running for 3 months with 9 fish everything at zero except nitrates. Yet they ask if their tank is cycled. Either they got into something way over their head without a bit of research or it’s a prank thread

 

[gbwedu]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3117450

WELCOME!!
If you keep fish only, they don’t really care about nitrates..inverts however care very much if they are high. So in a reef, lower nitrates are important…
How are you cleaning the bio balls? Do not rise them in fresh water… try rinsing them by swishing them around in a bucket of saltwater to dislodge materiel. Don’t scrub them, just swish them around. The same goes for filter pads.
The good bacteria is being destroyed when you rinse in fresh water, or replace the pads altogether. Being too clean is bad for saltwater tank.
I have not cleaned the bio balls. The manager at the well know pet store where I bought the filter system, told me to never clean the balls. Am I trying to keep the tank to clean?

 

[gbwedu]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3117472
125-gallon tank running for 3 months with 9 fish everything at zero except nitrates. Yet they ask if their tank is cycled. Either they got into something way over their head without a bit of research or it’s a prank thread
Sorry, as I said, I have only been at this about 3 months. I have read,bought books,asked questions, and have done everything that I have been told. I really thought this would be a helpful site. I guess I was wrong!

 

[truperc]

The site is very helpful. Florida Joe is just remarking that your situation would not be a typical one.

 

[saltyjewell]

Are you using tap water? There's lots to read here about the DI/RO system(did I get that right?)
I can't get my nitrates below.10 usually sits at .20 and I'm blaming it on the tap water now. I have filter materal to take it out but I still get a reading even after a water change.
Scroll around the boards and read, read, read. There's good advice here and I'm sure someone will pipe in here about the proper way to do a water change. I'm just figuring it out my self.
I'll be getting one of those units when I can. Unfortantly my dog got injured and had to have expensive surgry and then the car need ed work, my hour got cut short for a coupole weeks yadd yadda yadda Tanksa been set on the back burnner as for upgrades

 

[spanko]

20-40 nitrates in a fish only is not really bad. What are the 9 fish in the tank and how often and what do you feed them?

 

[gbwedu]

Originally Posted by SaltyJewell
http:///forum/post/3117564
Are you using tap water? There's lots to read here about the DI/RO system(did I get that right?)
I can't get my nitrates below.10 usually sits at .20 and I'm blaming it on the tap water now. I have filter materal to take it out but I still get a reading even after a water change.
Scroll around the boards and read, read, read. There's good advice here and I'm sure someone will pipe in here about the proper way to do a water change. I'm just figuring it out my self.
I'll be getting one of those units when I can. Unfortantly my dog got injured and had to have expensive surgry and then the car need ed work, my hour got cut short for a coupole weeks yadd yadda yadda Tanksa been set on the back burnner as for upgrades

I have a tap water filter that makes deionized water that is suppose to take everything out of tape water. Thanks for you help!

 

[gbwedu]

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3117566
20-40 nitrates in a fish only is not really bad. What are the 9 fish in the tank and how often and what do you feed them?
I have a naso tang, about 3" that was given to me, a unicorn tang, a clown fish, a wrasse, 3 yellow tailed damsels and a bio color angel. What about the coral?

 

[truperc]

Originally Posted by gbwedu
http:///forum/post/3117438
Please can someone help me??????? Please tell me what to do about the nitrates. Oh! the tank and sand and live rock that came with the tank is suppose to be at least 5 years old. Is my tank cycled? How do I know for sure that it is. I'm I worrying to much about the nitrates?
Question 1 - Yes there are many people on this site that will be happy to help
Question 2 - It is safe to say that your tank is cycled
Question 3 - Possibly, but I guess that depends. Is anything in your tank showing signs of problems?
Do you have corals in your tank? What are they?

 

[vince-1961]

The answer to your question is that there are, basically, 3 ways to reduce nitrates:
1. "The solution to pollution is dilution", meaning do water changes.
2. Grow some anaerobic bacteria to convert the nitrates into harmless gaseous nitrogen, meaning use a Deep Sand Bed (DSB).
3. Grow something much larger than bacteria that consumes nitrates for food, like cheato, which you grow in your sump, not in your DT.
Oh, and there is a 4th thing, but it's not how to reduce nitrates. This 4th item is how not to produce so much of it in the first place.
4. Eliminate your "nitrate factories", which is to say, change and clean your filter material more frequently.

 

[gbwedu]

Originally Posted by TruPerc
http:///forum/post/3117619
Question 1 - Yes there are many people on this site that will be happy to help
Question 2 - It is safe to say that your tank is cycled
Question 3 - Possibly, but I guess that depends. Is anything in your tank showing signs of problems?
Do you have corals in your tank? What are they?
Yes, I have corals, goniopora,xeniac,alveopaora,ricordea,zoos and a couple of mushrooms. All are doing okay. I also have a couple of anemones all doing good. fish are all well.

 

[florida joe]

[hr]
Hi, I,m new to this hobby. Still trying to learn everything. I bought a 125g tank which came with everything except water. Oh! the tank and sand and live rock that came with the tank is suppose to be at least 5 years old. Is my tank cycled? How do I know for sure that it
then you say you bought your filter system from a well known pet store ?
Yes, I have corals, goniopora,xeniac,alveopaora,ricordea,zoos and a couple of mushrooms. All are doing okay. I also have a couple of anemones all doing good. fish are all well.
a lot of stuff for someone who does not know if their tank is cycled

 

[gbwedu]

Originally Posted by vince-1961
http:///forum/post/3117635
The answer to your question is that there are, basically, 3 ways to reduce nitrates:
1. "The solution to pollution is dilution", meaning do water changes.
2. Grow some anaerobic bacteria to convert the nitrates into harmless gaseous nitrogen, meaning use a Deep Sand Bed (DSB).
3. Grow something much larger than bacteria that consumes nitrates for food, like cheato, which you grow in your sump, not in your DT.
Oh, and there is a 4th thing, but it's not how to reduce nitrates. This 4th item is how not to produce so much of it in the first place.
4. Eliminate your "nitrate factories", which is to say, change and clean your filter material more frequently.
Please let me get this straight first. I have a wet/dry filter system with bio balls, When I bought it the owner of the pet store told me to never clean the bio balls. By doing so I would kill all the good things I needed. I change all other filters at least every two to three weeks and wash them off in between. Did I get bad advice from this store manager?

 

[truperc]

IMO - If there is no signs of stress, then I would not stress too much.
As someone else posted - do scheduled water changes - there are too many opinions on how much and how frequently to count.
Do what is manageable and monitor your nitrates for escalation.
If you really want them to be 0, consider a macroalgae in a fuge.
Test your tap water after it comes out of your filter for nitrates. (just so you can cross it off)
And above all else, have fun. We all make mistakes so try not to stress too much. (easier said then done )
All just my opinion - there are many out there.

 

[florida joe]

i would love to see a pic of this 3 month old tank

 

[gbwedu]

Originally Posted by TruPerc
http:///forum/post/3117677
IMO - If there is no signs of stress, then I would not stress too much.
As someone else posted - do scheduled water changes - there are too many opinions on how much and how frequently to count.
Do what is manageable and monitor your nitrates for escalation.
If you really want them to be 0, consider a macroalgae in a fuge.
Test your tap water after it comes out of your filter for nitrates. (just so you can cross it off)
And above all else, have fun. We all make mistakes so try not to stress too much. (easier said then done )
All just my opinion - there are many out there.
Thanks for all your help. Will try to stop stressing so much.