Nitrate Levels

[Beverly]

Ryan,

I don't mind posting the links whenever the situation arises No matter how many times I have posted them in the past, someone seems to find them of interest when I post them yet again. Understanding reef chemistry is the basis of keeping all animals in our tanks happy and healthy. Hey, I'm just trying to spread the word, man

I wonder how many people actually read the stickies anyway If you think it would be useful to post these links as a sticky, please be my guest. However, I reserve the right to re-post them in threads where it is apparent someone hasn't read them

[muck]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Ryan,

I don't mind posting the links whenever the situation arises No matter how many times I have posted them in the past, someone seems to find them of interest when I post them yet again. Understanding reef chemistry is the basis of keeping all animals in our tanks happy and healthy. Hey, I'm just trying to spread the word, man

I wonder how many people actually read the stickies anyway If you think it would be useful to post these links as a sticky, please be my guest. However, I reserve the right to re-post them in threads where it is apparent someone hasn't read them

Oh I don't mind you posting the links Bev.
I was just wondering if it might be easier to have it in a sticky and just direct the person to it.

[BCOrchidGuy]

See if you can compare your test kit with another hobbiests, maybe your test kit is old or defective. I've seen that a number of times with the reagent type kits.


Doug

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by danny zubot

I don't think you will need to do a couple of 50% water changes, it seems like a bit much for that level. Try just doubling what you normally do and that should bring them down a bit more.

A 10% water change will reduce the nitrate by 10%, in this case, 2 ppm. If doing a 20% water change, nitrate reduction will be 4 ppm. A 50% water change should reduce nitrate to 10 ppm. A second 50% water change will then reduce nitrate to 5 ppm.

As well, you will also be dramatically reducing phosphate by doing large water changes, which may save you a cyanobacteria outbreak somewhere further down the line.

To test your test kit, take a sample of tankwater and dilute by 50% with RO, then test the diluted sample. You may also test your RO water for nitrate to see if nitrate is entering your system during water changes.

[andresont]

Originally Posted by Murminator

How do you get nitrate levels down? mine is running @ 20 I recently been running carbon to try to get it down but it never moved The fish and coral seem to be uneffected by it. Is 20 really all that bad? Nitrite 0 Ph 8.4ish Amm. 0. I do 10 % water changes every week. I knew it would spike here and there but never stayed there for weeks on end...thinking this is why I cannot keep shrimp

Any Id'ers?

PM sent

[Murminator]

Originally Posted by BCOrchidGuy

See if you can compare your test kit with another hobbiests, maybe your test kit is old or defective. I've seen that a number of times with the reagent type kits.


Doug

I have compared the tests with my other 2 tanks and only the one reads nitrate. 1 tanks is bare bottom and 1 tank has sand the take with the problem has crushed coral.....Andre suggested this could be a link?

[Beverly]

Murray,

I would think that the crushed coral has trapped loads of detritus and is probably the cause of elevated nitrate.

[snaggle]

do you use RO water, I know in ther spring or after a hevy rain I get a bad spike in my tank if I do a water change, I only use tap water . I have started to buy the RO water from Sobys for a large water change once every month or two, other then that I stick to my tap water, I have never tested the tap water though.


Brad

[Murminator]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Murray,

I would think that the crushed coral has trapped loads of detritus and is probably the cause of elevated nitrate.

I have a goldenhead goby that is always sifting the sand I do and a bit of red stuff (cyano?) trapped between the substrate and the glass.

and yes Brad I do use tap water in all the aquariums