# Bad Nitrate problem. Help



## Drazn (Aug 16, 2011)

I just tested my water and found my nitrates are almost off the charts. I think I have discovered the culprit. The intake hose for fluval filter is in a loop and my outake isnt in a loop but it dips down almost to floor then goes to the outake. Could that make a difference? I am going to do a WC later tonight. I hope that helps.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

can't help with filter as I don't use filters.

IMHO the only reason you have nitrAte build up (or anything else for that matter) is the nitrAtes are not being consumed as they are being generated. Increase the consumption and the nitrates will fall. I use live plants for that.

my .02


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

The filter doesn't have anything to do with it. Nitrates are a by product of the waste that is produced in the tank, or you have high nitrates in your tap.

Test your tap water for nitrates; If it isn't high you need to do some 50% daily water changes to bring it down. Cut back on feeding as it sounds like your feeding to much. Add lots of plants and do weekly water changes.


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## Drazn (Aug 16, 2011)

I would love to add some plants but I have Cichlids which will annihilate plants in a aquarium. So I am kind of stuck just doing the water changes i guess


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Yep, sorry. After you get the nitrates down, you need to do weekly water changes based on what the nitrates are. You need to bring them down to at least 40. If the nitrates are at 80 you do 50% weekly, if they are like 60 then do 30%.


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## Drazn (Aug 16, 2011)

Do you do add a water conditioner everytime you do a water change?


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

You sure do.  Always want to be sure any new water put into the tank is conditioned so it doesn't hurt the fish.


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Nitrates are the final product of the decomposition of Protien. They are easily removed with water changes. I would suggest, until your get your Nitrates down, you make all water changes with distilled or bottled drinking water. Cichlids don't usually bother Java Fern or Val. Most floating plants also won't be bothered. Remember large Cichlids are dirty fish and produce a lot of waste so frequent water changes are required.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I got some cichlids that will eat any plant that I put in the tank. I use them to get rid of excess duckweed


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

What size tank is this and how many/what type of cichlids are in it?


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## Drazn (Aug 16, 2011)

I have a 100 gallon with 2 JD, 1 jag,1 Oscar and a Sailfin pleco. I do WC about every 2 weeks but Im guessing I need to do it more Often. I have been feeding my Cichlids the Tetra brand Cichlid food but now I am thinking seriously about feeding either Ken's Premium Floating Cichlid Pellets or Hikari Gold. I am still quite new at this and any help would be so greatly appreciated.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I take it you mean close to 100ppm when you say off the charts? Let your test results guide you in % of water change. Whatever % you change is the % your nitrates will drop - roughly. So if you had a reading of 100ppm and did a 50% water change, your new nitrate level would be about 50ppm after your water change - just an example.

If it really is at 100+ppm, you need to do about a 60-65% water change to get it to a reasonable level.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

You could partition the tank with 1/4"sq eggcrate so that plants are in a small part and the cichlids can swim around the rest of the tank. that way both the plants and fish thrive.

what I did on my old 55g marine tank was cram in egg crate 3" from the back glass then add shop lights behind the tank pointing forward. The area between the back glass and egg crate formed an in tank refugium where I grew macro algaes and everything else was in front of that.

that tank had unmeasureable nitrates and phosphates for years.


Just a thought.

worth at most 

.02


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## Drazn (Aug 16, 2011)

it seems like everytime I do a water change my fish go in distress. I did a 50% last night and now all my fish are at the top gasping. I use Amquel plus as a water conditioner. Do you think that may have something to do with it? Any help on this is much appreciated. One of JDs is laying on the floor of the tank so this is not good. I checked my Nitrate which is now 5.0,Amonia is .25, PH is at 7.0. and Nitrite is .50.
_________________


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Are you overdosing the amquel +? What is the temp of the water that you are putting in? should be as close to the tank as possible.

Amquel + if you over dose to much can cause problems.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

What type of filtration do you have? *AmQuel Plus (says on the bottle) that it can cause lowered Oxygen levels for the first few hours after dosing*.... so if you dose a whole lot, there is not going to be much O2 in the water for your fish to breathe.

Always make sure you have filters and air stones running at high when you first does with AmQuel and make sure you don't over dose.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Drazn said:


> it seems like everytime I do a water change my fish go in distress. I did a 50% last night and now all my fish are at the top gasping. I use Amquel plus as a water conditioner. Do you think that may have something to do with it? Any help on this is much appreciated. One of JDs is laying on the floor of the tank so this is not good. I checked my Nitrate which is now 5.0,Amonia is .25, PH is at 7.0. and Nitrite is .50.
> _________________


Make sure you're only adding enough for the water you're replacing.....not enough for the entire tank.


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## Drazn (Aug 16, 2011)

Oh no. I was under impression that you put enough amquel for the entire tank.


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## Drazn (Aug 16, 2011)

Oh crap. I just discovered that my girlfriend put the amquel in for 100 gallons then I did. Oh my poor fish.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Drazn said:


> Oh crap. I just discovered that my girlfriend put the amquel in for 100 gallons then I did. Oh my poor fish.


You should probably do a pretty good water change. I would do 50% and the put just enough conditioner for the water you replaced, maybe a little under. Not a good idea to have two people that add things like that to your tank for that very reason.


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## Drazn (Aug 16, 2011)

we just checked the tank and the tap water and found that our tap water has 1.0 of ammonia. The tank now has 0 ammonia and nitrite. Our levels of Nitrate in the tank is still high at 80. I don't understand; we did several large water changes and it didn't seem to affect the nitrate level. How long does the Nitrate take to get to its testable level? I talked to a fish store owner in my area and she says it takes awhile like 3 days. Anyone have any information on this? Thanks in advance.


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## Drazn (Aug 16, 2011)

> Are you overdosing the amquel +? What is the temp of the water that you are putting in? should be as close to the tank as possible.


Our temp is at 85 degrees F. Yes, I have been overdosing big time. That isn't happening any longer.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Did you happen to test for nitrate out of your tap also? Sounds like your nitrate levels were really off the chart. Only goes to 160ppm, I think.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Glad you have stopped dosing.

I highly recommend live plants but understand about the fish.

Try this (if you want).

get some sand, a 1g jar, and a bunch of anacharis. Put the sand in, add the plants, then add water from the tank. Give it some light and measure the nitrates every couple of days. (no air stone or filter needed). I think you will be amazed.

but that's just my .02


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