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How do you remove nitrates from freshwater fish tank?
gwirving5050 asked:
Have purchased and used the materials that have been recommend by the fish store, but levels are still high. Have changed the water now 3 times in the last two weeks and am still the same results. Anyone have any ideas?
Have purchased and used the materials that have been recommend by the fish store, but levels are still high. Have changed the water now 3 times in the last two weeks and am still the same results. Anyone have any ideas?
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14. June 2008 at 11:29 pm :
Change 25% of the water daily until it’s below 20ppm.
then with the right feeding amounts and sencible stocking 25% weekly changes would be enough to keep it down.
14. June 2008 at 11:53 pm :
do water changes until its gone
17. June 2008 at 8:01 pm :
There are 3 ways to remove nitrate from your tank. only one of them is practical to you
Water changes: this is the meathod you should use. water changes also remove dissolved organic compounds (DOCS) that are also harmful to your fish.
Live plants: they remove a small amount of nitrate, but you still have to do water changes.
Extremely mature live rock: this is for saltwater systems only, and even then you still have to make lots of partial water changes, but deep within the live rock of an established reef tank, there is an aneorbic bacteria that converts nitrate into nitrogen gas, finishing the nitrogen cycle. obviously, there is only one practical meathod for you (and the millions of other aquarists that dont keep ultra high tech planted tanks and even more high tech reefs) WATER CHANGE TIME!
19. June 2008 at 8:26 am :
If your nitrates are over 40 ppm, try doing small changes, 10% or less, every 12 hours, testing after each change, until it gets under control. Changing water this frequently is okay in emergencies.
If it’s under 40 you should be okay. Maybe try some fast growing plants like water wisteria and water sprite in the future.
Is the rest of the cycle okay? I wonder what’s causing a high spike.
21. June 2008 at 1:31 am :
Water changes are the simplest way to remove nitrates.
Remember that a 25% change will only drop the level by 25%, possibly less if there is already nitrate in your tap water.
So you should test your tap water first, if the reading there is 10 or 20, then thats as low as you can ever get your tank.
Also, exactly how high is your nitrate reading? If it’s 20 or 30 thats pretty normal, especially if your tap water already has some nitrate.
Ian
24. June 2008 at 4:47 am :
The cycle is ammonia to nitrite to nitrate to release. Your not mentioning either ammonia or nitrite.
Can’t argue with the water change advice that’s sound; only other thing I can think of is lack of aeration/surface water movement. That would lock up your nitrates.
27. June 2008 at 2:39 am :
Water changes are the only way to effectively lower nitrates. Also, check your water supply for nitrates. It’s common when on well water for there to be nitrates present there from all the fertilizer run off and such. Even some public water supplies may have a small amount of nitrates present.
What exactly is the reading for nitrates? Safe levels are under 20 ppm.
What size is the tank and what kind/how many fish? If the tank is overstocked, that can lead to nitrate problems.
What kind of filter are you running? Undergravel filters are notorious for trapping uneaten food/waste under the plates, which can cause high nitrates.
Are you overfeeding? Overfeeding combined with lack of water changes can cause the nitrates to skyrocket as well.
If the nitrates are real high, and it’s because you haven’t done frequent water changes, you’ll want to lower them gradually. If they’re high, the fish can adjust to it, so when you do lower them, it can actually shock the fish. I would say do 25% water changes daily until you get them under control.
27. June 2008 at 9:39 pm :
Well, I think you should change the water, but seeing as thats what you’ve been doing, Are you using tap water? I’d go to a pet store and buy some water conditioner (make sure its for your system!) and stir that into the water before you use it.
Hope your levels go down soon!
30. June 2008 at 8:49 pm :
Hi, Whenever you need to make good any parameters simply do a 40 or 50% partial water change & repeat daily as necessary. The good bugs live in your filter & gravel-NOT in your water. In this instance you probably need to do a good gravel vac at the same time. If your 3 changes were 25% or less you would [depending on your stocking level & tank size] perhaps not even have lowered the nitrate.