Nitrate Issue

[32Bit_Fish]

Do you guys have nitrate issue in your tank?

I am told some tanks have 0 nitrate without macro-algaes and massive daily w/c. I don't think they have deep sand bed in their tanks either.

My tank is 5 weeks old and I'm keep getting nitrate spike. I tested water last night and I got 25-30 ppm. I do 50% w/c weekly.

There are two small occ clownfish, one small cleaner shrimp and five mud snail (nassarius), probably only 2 or 3 left due to nitrate.

I even have cheatos in my HOB auqafuge. The fuge has been up and running for two days. There is a 15w Sunglo flourence light running 10 hours a day. I'm not sure it has enough light to keep the chaetos growing. The bulb was used on my freshwater tank. So far, I haven't seen any nitrate decrease.

 

[fcamargo6thave]

hey bro i had nitrate issues for almost 2 months when i first setup my tank, i guess that is why everyone was telling me to let the tank cycle for at least 6-8 weeks

 

[32Bit_Fish]

hey bro i had nitrate issues for almost 2 months when i first setup my tank, i guess that is why everyone was telling me to let the tank cycle for at least 6-8 weeks

Are you saying my tank is still cycling even when ammonia, nitrite are zero and nitrate is spking?

Would wait extended period of time achieve zero nitrate?

 

[fcamargo6thave]

Are you saying my tank is still cycling even when ammonia, nitrite are zero and nitrate is spking?

Would wait extended period of time achieve zero nitrate?

that is weird your ammonia and nitrite are at 0 dam it could be still cycling but now i am not sure

do u get thesame reading before and after a water change

 

[greenstreet.1]

have the same problem found nitrate in the tap so got an ro/di waiting to see if that helps.

 

[32Bit_Fish]

that is weird your ammonia and nitrite are at 0 dam it could be still cycling but now i am not sure

do u get thesame reading before and after a water change

I'm using a Nutrufin ammonia test kit. The the color chart is hard to read. I think sometime I get <0.1 ppm ammonia, sometime I get 0 ppm.

Now I doubt the ammonia is still detectable since couple snails dissappeared (probably dead). The nitrate decreased by 50% after a 50% w/c. But the nitrate will rise quickly afterwards. It is rising fast. I get 5 ppm of nitrate increase within 24 hours.

 

[32Bit_Fish]

have the same problem found nitrate in the tap so got an ro/di waiting to see if that helps.

I use a RO/DI unit, so there is nothing in fresh RO/DI water. TDS reading has been always at zero.

 

[Wes]

Elevated nitrate in a 5 week old tank is to be expected. Nitrates are the last to come down after the initial cycle. While nitrates are not toxic, you should go slow and let your system adjust to your bioload before adding any more fish IMO.

 

[32Bit_Fish]

Elevated nitrate in a 5 week old tank is to be expected. Nitrates are the last to come down after the initial cycle. While nitrates are not toxic, you should go slow and let your system adjust to your bioload before adding any more fish IMO.

I definitly not going to add anymore fish. Should I do massive w/c (50%) or 10% enough?

 

[basiab]

When your ammonia is zero it is because the ammonia in your tank is being converted to nitrite by you bacteria. So your fish keep producing ammonia but your bacteria keep producing nitrites. Then the next set of bacteria keeps converting the nitrates to nitrates. so that is why your nitrites are also zero. But most of us do not have anything eliminating nitrates so your are stuck with the nitrates. You get rid of it by water changes. Actually all you are doing is removing some and diluting what you have. So 50% change (not advised) will reduce your nitrates by 50%. But your bacteria are busily creating more. You can add nitrate eating plants to help. Skimming also helps because it gets rid of stuff before it becomes ammonia so you have less stuff being converted by your bacteria thus less nitrates.

 

[32Bit_Fish]

So 50% change (not advised) will reduce your nitrates by 50%.

Why not? Even it's temp matched?

 

[Wes]

Nothing wrong with a 50% waterchange. You have to be more careful about matching temp and salinity.

The post about "nothing to remove nitrates" is not true. Anaerobic bacteria living in the sand bed and deep within liverock will convert nitrates to nitrogen gas.

Your nitrate problem is simply an issue of system immaturity. Other causes of nitrate issues may include; overstocking, lack of anaerobic areas (sand bed), lack of equipment performance (skimmer, circulation, etc.)

waterchanges will help get your nitrates down right now. Down the road you should find that keeping nitrates low is pretty easy as long as you keep up with regular maintenance and do not overstock/overfeed.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[32Bit_Fish]

Nothing wrong with a 50% waterchange. You have to be more careful about matching temp and salinity.

The post about "nothing to remove nitrates" is not true. Anaerobic bacteria living in the sand bed and deep within liverock will convert nitrates to nitrogen gas.

Your nitrate problem is simply an issue of system immaturity. Other causes of nitrate issues may include; overstocking, lack of anaerobic areas (sand bed), lack of equipment performance (skimmer, circulation, etc.)

waterchanges will help get your nitrates down right now. Down the road you should find that keeping nitrates low is pretty easy as long as you keep up with regular maintenance and do not overstock/overfeed.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

Thanks for the info and I will keep up with the w/c.

 

[OzoneParkGuy]

Try mimimizing the hours the light goes on

 

[JimmyR1rider]

When your ammonia is zero it is because the ammonia in your tank is being converted to nitrite by you bacteria. So your fish keep producing ammonia but your bacteria keep producing nitrites. Then the next set of bacteria keeps converting the nitrates to nitrates. so that is why your nitrites are also zero. But most of us do not have anything eliminating nitrates so your are stuck with the nitrates. You get rid of it by water changes. Actually all you are doing is removing some and diluting what you have. So 50% change (not advised) will reduce your nitrates by 50%. But your bacteria are busily creating more. You can add nitrate eating plants to help. Skimming also helps because it gets rid of stuff before it becomes ammonia so you have less stuff being converted by your bacteria thus less nitrates.

+1 Shouldnt really do a water change above 20% of tanks volume. If you do it wont kill anything with just the new water but unless your ph and temp are exactly the same your fish can go into ph shock smaller water changes- 10 - 20% wont effect it so much but 50% can make a BIG change if readings are different in your new water and your tank water.

 

[Dre]

Do you guys have nitrate issue in your tank?

I am told some tanks have 0 nitrate without macro-algaes and massive daily w/c. I don't think they have deep sand bed in their tanks either.

My tank is 5 weeks old and I'm keep getting nitrate spike. I tested water last night and I got 25-30 ppm. I do 50% w/c weekly.

There are two small occ clownfish, one small cleaner shrimp and five mud snail (nassarius), probably only 2 or 3 left due to nitrate.

I even have cheatos in my HOB auqafuge. The fuge has been up and running for two days. There is a 15w Sunglo flourence light running 10 hours a day. I'm not sure it has enough light to keep the chaetos growing. The bulb was used on my freshwater tank. So far, I haven't seen any nitrate decrease.

24 hour lighting on the refuge,the cheato will help bring your nitrate down in a few weeks not over night .