removing nitrates

[drowningoceans]

hey guys I have a nitrate problem my aquarium its only been cycling for about 2 weeks but I found my tap water is full of nitratesI was wondering if there is any way to use that puregen nitrate remover (spelling might be wrong) can I use that to pretreat my water before water changes I do not want to put the chemical in my tank in my time

 

[silverado61]

What are your Nitrate levels?

 

[drowningoceans]

Over 80ppm

 

[drowningoceans]

They go down to about 20 untill I add tap water

 

[flower]

Hi,

A very simple solution, STOP using tap water!

Walmart sells RO (reverse osmosis) water for 37 cents a gallon. Get your own RO unit, or get it from any large grocery store with a refill station. It may be a bit of a hassle to lug water from the store, but if you don't stop using tap, your nightmares trying to keep a saltwater tank are just beginning.

 

[drowningoceans]

hey flower how's it going thanks for that little tip but Walmart in my area doesn't carry reverse osmosis water so I'm pretty much stuck with you simple solutions or a ro unit which im probably going to buy, but untill it gets here will that work?

 

[jay0705]

What do u use to treat ur tap water

 

[flower]

hey flower how's it going thanks for that little tip but Walmart in my area doesn't carry reverse osmosis water so I'm pretty much stuck with you simple solutions or a ro unit which im probably going to buy, but untill it gets here will that work?

Hi,
Not all Walmarts are super Walmarts with a grocery store in it.... but go to any large grocery store with a refill station... the water in the refill station is RO. It isn't as pure as your own unit, but it's still 100Xs better then tap water.

 

[drowningoceans]

We'll I'm hoping to get an ro unit sometime this week at least a three or four stage ro,I bought some purigen today in hopes to lower the nitrates in the tank now all I have to do is get the sponge on my protein skimmer just right to stop the micro bubbles lol

 

[drowningoceans]

Should I start my weekly water changes now it's at the three week mark

 

[flower]

Should I start my weekly water changes now it's at the three week mark

Hi,

I always thought Purigen was to help remove phosphates. ANYWAY... Why in the world are you testing for anything except ammonia during a cycle (3 weeks is not long enough for a cycle to complete from start A to Z)? You are just wasting your tests, everything is off the charts and messed up while the tank cycles. The good news is that if there is no ammonia or nitrite showing on your tests, and only nitrates... then your tank is cycled, and you can begin doing the water changes to bring it down to 0 so you can add corals. Under 40 is reportedly safe for inverts, but I wouldn't want to see nitrates above 10.

If you have ammonia and nitrites as well as nitrates...leave the tank alone and let it cycle... That incudes not wasting your money on unnecessary tests, or adding expensive purigen.

 

[drowningoceans]

thanks flower sorry for such a late reply but I've been super busy with work lately but I managed to get my nitrates down to 0 and fixed everything and everything's been running fine I've even added fish and some corals and a cleaner shrimp

 

[flower]

thanks flower sorry for such a late reply but I've been super busy with work lately but I managed to get my nitrates down to 0 and fixed everything and everything's been running fine I've even added fish and some corals and a cleaner shrimp

Hi,

You might consider macroalgae, it's natures way of keeping all the bad stuff out of the water. Macros feed on ammonia, nitrites, phosphates and nitrates, it absorbs it from the system. As all "plants" do, they need to be trimmed/pruned back, and the extra growth removed (called harvesting). When you remove that over growth portion, you export the bad stuff it used to grow on, out of the system, keeping your water pristine. Either a fast unattached grower in a refugium, or opt for some other slow growing decorative type that you could add to the display.

It only costs about $10.00 a pint, and since it grows, you don't need to keep repurchasing it. The stuff is like a miracle for keeping the parameters perfect. If you're interested, check out GOLF COAST ECOSYSTEMS for the decorative type, I think this site sells the type that goes in a refugium. If you are going to be keeping corals, water quality is high priority.

 

[drowningoceans]

I have some chateo algae to help with it now, I found out 90% of the problem was my tap water, it was reading 60+ ppm for nitrates so I got an ro unit and havent had any problems since

 

[flower]

Awesome...Nothing beats having your own RO unit. Tap or well water, it just isn't good for fish tanks.

 

[RobP]

Another thing you can try is an Algea scrubber. They are super easy to build. Check YouTube, they have all kind of DIY for Alea Scrubbers.

Also, only start your water changes on your tank once it completes it's first cycle. Doing one before then will only make it take longer to complete.

 

[flower]

I love the idea behind an algae scrubber, but it seems like a bunch of hard work to clean it each and every week... bending over to reach it, and restringing it up after it's cleaned and such. Some folks have found a way to redesign it, so it's easier to attach and remove, so you might look into that.

Macros on the other hand does exactly the same job, but with less maintenance. You just let it grow, and remove some of it when it gets to be too much, and just share it with a friend or toss it out.

The cycling thing... I agree 100%, just leave the tank alone to do it's thing.

 

[siptang]

I also would like to recommend chaeto.

 

[drowningoceans]

Ive been looking into some macros recently

 

[flower]

Ive been looking into some macros recently

Check out Golf Coast ecosystems. There are more to macros then cheato, if you just want something in a sump that's fine, but there are some awesome beautiful slow growing macros, some of it are as pretty and bright colored as coral. Prolifera looks like turtle grass, but without the hassles.