# nitrate levels



## my460 (Sep 26, 2013)

:-? I have a 125 gallon tank that the nitrate levels will not lower I have tried 25 to 75% water changes even nitrate reducers. My tap water is clear of nitrates, so whats the deal. Is there anything I'm missing. All my other levels are normal Ph and ammonia.

Thanks for any help.... :-?


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## NJmomie (Jan 17, 2013)

What is the level now? Did you check your test kit for expiration date? How long have you had this tank and how long has this problem been going on?


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## Austinite (Jul 27, 2013)

The nitrates should not be zero, were you expecting zero?

What are the readings that you are getting?


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## my460 (Sep 26, 2013)

sorry I was in a bit of a rush.
Here is what I have now , the nitrate is now about 30 to 35 the temp holds steady 76-78 and not sure about the kit but I took sample water to the fish store here and it shows the same readings.The problem has been going on for about a month now. I've read about over stocking but there is 15 Cichlids and I feed them once to twice a day depending on there mood. I am running a Fuval 404 canister filter. My goal is to get it as low as possible


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## NJmomie (Jan 17, 2013)

That's not a high nitrate reading...


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## my460 (Sep 26, 2013)

I was told that the ideal level is around 20 or below..


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

20 or below would be ideal.

Do you do any substrate vacuuming to remove uneaten food or debris?

When was the last time you cleaned the canister filter?


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## my460 (Sep 26, 2013)

vacuuming and the canister cleaned 2 days ago. Just doesn't make sense if I do a 70% water change and there is no nitrate in my tap water, where could it be coming from. I'm thinking doing a complete water change just to see what happens.


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

my460 said:


> vacuuming and the canister cleaned 2 days ago. Just doesn't make sense if I do a 70% water change and there is no nitrate in my tap water, where could it be coming from. I'm thinking doing a complete water change just to see what happens.


This is a bad idea, your fish don't seem stressed and your nitrate is not out of control you are going to cause more problems doing crazy stuff like this just for personal fear. Are you sure you are testing correctly? Not sure how you can get a reading of 30 -35 what test kit are you using?

If this is not the problem there are a couple things that cause high nitrates, most likely culprit is over feeding. Try feeding once a day for 15 seconds for the next week, at the same time do 2-3 50% water changes during the same week. If at the end of the week your nitrates are still high then you have to consider trapped debris from your gravel leaching nitrates. Might have to change out all the gravel if it is a debris trap but this is worst case scenario.

Even if your able to get your nitrates down you may soon find them causing problems again in time, overstocking your tank will always cause this problem it's just one of the battles of keeping African cichlids in an overstocked environment that you will have to deal with. While 20 is the ideal range for normal tanks this can sometimes be impossible in this type of setup, if nitrates are under 40 you should be fine.


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## Austinite (Jul 27, 2013)

Are you using an API liquid nitrate test (not strips)? Bottle #2 has to be shaken vigorously for 30 seconds in order to get an accurrate reading. That's alot of shaking. I shake the bottle until I really feel the burn in my arm muscles, LOL! Are you already doing this? Just checking, trying to think of things causing your problem....

I personally don't trust water readings from the fish stores...I saw someone at a big box pet store testing a customer's water and they weren't shaking the nitrate #2 bottle hardly at all, so I knew the reading was going to be wrong.

I only feed 1x a day, and sometimes every other day. Maybe 2x a day is too much, try 1x a day like the other poster recommended and see if this improves your readings.


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## my460 (Sep 26, 2013)

I use the test solution and the 30 to 35 is just an estimate between 20 and 40 in color between red and orange. Witch it is more red than orange.


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## my460 (Sep 26, 2013)

The feeding is once a day unless the start nipping at the algae eater for food.


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## Tomagorn (Apr 5, 2013)

The good news is that your biological filtration is doing its job--producing nitrate from fish waste. The other good news is that "between orange and red" is not a bad place to be. Nitrate is directly driven by livestock levels and overfeeding. If you're happy with the number of fish you have, then accept the high nitrate production and stick with your current approach. Changing the water is the only practical way to reduce nitrates, so change it often enough to keep the nitrates at a level that seems reasonable to you. Doing more than 50% water changes once a week is hard on everyone--you and the fish, especially in a 125-g tank.


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## my460 (Sep 26, 2013)

Will gravel hold nitrates. the gravel is about 13 yrs old and its cleaning is with a siphon tube. I've been thinking of going to sand just for a change.

Thanks for all you help.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The gravel itself should not retain nitrates, it is the accumulation of uneaten food and fish waste that gets trapped in the gravel that causes the problems.

I like to use sand in my tanks, I haven't used gravel in over 35 years. Changing from gravel to sand isn't difficult but can be time consuming and messy, depending on how you do it. I have found that the easiest way to remove the gravel from a tank that is set up is to use a large diameter length of vinyl hose and vacuum some of it out during a water change. You can repeat this process, every day or two if you want until the gravel is gone. Obviously you will need to relocate any rocks and other decor to the other side of the tank to remove the gravel.

Be sure you thoroughly rinse out the sand you plan on using before it goes into the tank. I like to rinse it in a pail (fish use only) until the water runs clear. I then scoop it up in a large container (bowl or tupperware), lower it into the water and then pour it out. Repeat until finished. It may be helpful to briefly turn off any filters or powerheads before putting the sand in the tank to reduce cloudiness or filter damage.

Everyone has a different method for converting from gravel to sand but the above method has worked well for me with minimal disruption the fish. The ideal method would be a temporary tote or aquarium for holding the fish comfortably but not everyone has the space to do it that way.


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