nitrates high..update

actually I do plan to cure it in a rubbermaid bucket, once I get my nitrates back to normal. One issue at a time, less fustrating.

I came home and low and behold things in the tank look better. My rics are opening up, a button that was closed for 2 weeks is now open and I tested everything:

ammonia 0
nitrites 0
phos 0
ca 400
alk 9dkh
ph 8.4
sg 1.025

nitrates are lower I'd say 25 so removing the sponge from the filter and doing a water change was beneficial. Now lets hope I get no spikes. How many day would a spike take to come on?

When I first started my tank I removed the sponge when the tank was fairly new, I only had 2 fish in there with the cleaning crew and I had a spike, now this I would say was due to the fact that my tank was only 2 months old so I am hoping that the amount of total rock I have will do the job, I'm still gonna get more in the future.

I have 1.5 lbs per gallon of LR then the base rock is 20 lbs. together that's 57lbs of rock so I should be good shouldn't I. How long does it take for base rock to be seeded and how do I tell when the tufa is seeded. The tufa has feather dusters, coraline, and if you look real close you can see critters but mostly at night. I don't like the look of the critters but they are a part of the ecosystem so I have to accept them. LOl. thanks everyone.

 

Filter produces nitrates, doesn't get rid of nitrates.
Quality live rock produces nitrates, and also processes the nitrates to remove them.
The nitrates were not the cause of your fish death.

 

I removed the sponge from my filter and my nitrates are still up. I am now getting hair algae on 2 of my powerheads. Yippy

 

The hair algae is normal especially since you upgraded your lights.

I'm wondering if you might be over feeding a little

J

 

No. I Usually Only Feed Once A Day And Minimal Amounts But Since This Started I Have Been Feeding Every Other Day, Only Flake, And Tinyamounts. This Is Why I Am So Baffled. I Know All The Reasons For Nitrates Building, I Have Done Everything I Can Think Of. Vacuumed Substrate, Got Rid Of Alot, Use Ro Water Only, No Filter Sponge Just Carbon Media Which I Rinse Weekly Or 2/per Week, Blown My Rocks. I Know My Scooter Didn't Die From The Nitrates...probably Lack Of Food.

One Thing I Do Notice Is Bubbles In My Aragonite Crushed Coral?

 

Just Carbon Media Which I Rinse Weekly...

Please tell me that you're not rinsing out carbon and re-using it! You can't do that.

Carbon, although it removes a lot of harmful compounds, will re-release everything it has absorbed if it becomes overloaded. If you're re-using your carbon, that is your problem.

Regards,
Tom

 

Good point Tom. Activated charcoal is good at trapping organic impurities (those based on carbon), as well as chemical impurities like chlorine. The ability of carbon to purify (or adsorb impurities) is based on the enormous surface area of the activated carbon created by treating it with oxygen to open pores.

That being said, many other chemicals are not attracted (or adsorbed) to carbon at all. This includes nitrates which would pass right through. Once all of the bonding sites are filled, an activated charcoal filter stops working. At that point you must replace the filter medium.

Although replacing the carbon will not necessarily aid in removing the nitrates, it would indeed aid in reducing any organic load that is still adsorbed on the carbon media, which could be contributing to the nitrate levels.

It is a good catch on your part Tom!

P2B

 

Really? I thought you were supposed to rinse your carbon weekly? And then replace it every few weeks. Everyone says with the filter media you should rinse it weekly so it doesn't trap detritus in it and then replace it every few weeks. So if using carbon in my filter I am supposed to run it for a few weeks and then just chuck it and replace it?

 

i say add some clams and cucumbers...gobble gobble

 

I replace the filter pads on a monthly basis. I only rinse them in RO water to remove the carbon powder when they are new. If you have alot of free floating stuff, you mite have to replace the pads more offten. If you rinse the pads in tap water the carbon will trap all the stuff in the tap, lol, then the carbon already has stuff in it before you can put it in your tank. I kinda had the same nitrate problem like you have when my tank was new, but then around 6 months the nitrats went away. I think it takes longer for the nitrate eating bacteria to build up. Hope it gets better!!

Michael