I just started dosing vinegar and.....

surfnsalt · Dec 15, 2015

Ok so I've been battling high nitrates for a few months in my 29g bio. I think it's the gravel like substrate. I don't overfeed and phosphates are 0. Which my plan is to remove substrate and go bare bottom, but in the meantime I started dosing vinegar its only been 3 days and I'm dozing 2 ml per day in the morning. My skimmer is screaming like never before which is good and my PH is okay ( 8.2 )so far but my nitrates dropped awful fast from 50 ppm to 10 ppm in three days. Not sure what to do next?

bknapp · Dec 15, 2015

I would think there was a testing error, organic carbon dosing doesn't work that quickly.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 15, 2015

I'm surprised nitrate is responding so rapidly (maybe one of both was a testing error), but I'd reduce the dose if it is real.

FWIW, I dose way more than that on a per gallon basis.

surfnsalt · Dec 15, 2015

I know I wanted to start very slow. I do use both api and salifert.

surfnsalt · Dec 15, 2015

Where you see 5s and 10s is from big water changes on top of the fact I do weekly 2 gallon wc

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 16, 2015

Starting slow is fine, and based on looking at that graph, i suspect the 50 ppm measurement was probably higher than the actual value. I'd just keep on at the 2 mL for another measurement or two.