NITRATES Arrgghh!

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by Mikeyb, Jul 4, 2015.

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  1. Mikeyb

    Mikeyb Bristle Worm

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    Alright had added some new livestock the other day noticed things were off a little with my fish.
    tested water chemistry ph 8.0, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate off he chart, did a 25% water change yesterday and tested today, ph 8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0.25, nitrate between 40-80ppm? I am stumped, fish are looking fine and eating good, LTA mouth is closed and its no expelling its insides, but has not anchored down anywhere and is occasionally floating around, he was a new addition a few days ago and alerted me to the problem as he was turning himself inside out. I am in the process of building a 29gal sump to replace the canister filter. my skimmer is working good and pulling a lot of sludge out. I just don"t know.
     
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  3. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

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    Get rid of the canister, set up that sump with macro as fast as you can. What live stock and how many fish exactly? Do you use a skimmer? How old is the tank? Good and lively live rock? Is the test old or perhaps a miss reading? From what you wrote that nem seems on its way out but a picture would help
     
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  4. Mr. Bill

    Mr. Bill Native Floridian

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    Yep, fish can tolerate high nitrate levels with little to no effect, but even hardy nems tend to be quite sensitive. The problem with canisters (and HOB filters) is that trapped detritus breaks down and dumps DOCs back into your tank, elevating nitrate production. Canisters can be a bit more of a pain to maintain, as well. I'd suggest dropping the canister (or clean it and run it empty for the flow) and let the skimmer do the work. A few water changes to get your nitrates down is a must; you might still be able to save the nem.
     
  5. Mikeyb

    Mikeyb Bristle Worm

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    I'll get a picture of the nem. No including cuc, 4 damsels, pair of ocellaris clowns, elebis anglel, kole eye yellow tang, and a blue spot jaw fish, 2 bloid red cleaner shrimp, 20 lbs live rock 80 pounds sand with 20 lbs live sand, 50 lbs base rock, been running since end of January, and fish are doing fine. In my canister only thing in it is the coarse sponge filter. Slimmer is seax line 150 witch seems to do good have to clean sludge put every few days. Other thing that changed was I started to feed frozen food instead of flakes.
     
  6. Mikeyb

    Mikeyb Bristle Worm

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    It was under a rock, shriveled a little after I moved it, it did feel sticky. My return pump should be here around Tuesday according to tracking.
     

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  7. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

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    that actually doesnt look to bad, you may have added a bioload a little quick that spiked things, retest and do W.C accordingly. you freaked me out when you said your nem " has not anchored down anywhere and is occasionally floating around" keep a close eye on it, iv lost nems to powerheads like this and its not only heart breaking but its a huge PITA.

    nems can be annoying the first few days you add them, moving about, deflating/reflating. i dont have any direct experience with LTA but a general rule of thumb I can give you is try to avoid moving it as much as you can. a lot of fresh anemon owners (im not saying this is your case) are keen in having it where they want, and tend to insist keeping the animal in a determined place moving it over and over again. if the anemone is not happy there for whatever reason it will move, consuming energy and "floating about", ultimately this can lead to its death.


    this bioload is in a how many gallon tank? normally once you get your sump/macro running things will even out, good luck! and keep us posted
     
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2015
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  9. Av8Bluewater

    Av8Bluewater Giant Squid

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    Get some Prodibio digest or a bottle of Zeobak.
    It will munch right through those nitrates.
     
  10. Mikeyb

    Mikeyb Bristle Worm

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    It is an 80 gallon tank, why I wan he sump for more water haha, if I were to go get some chaeto and just put in im my display until sump is up will it help still?
     
  11. Mikeyb

    Mikeyb Bristle Worm

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  12. Av8Bluewater

    Av8Bluewater Giant Squid

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    That's it. How big is the tank? They have sales often on the prodibio for about half price. Both great products. I use both.