Nitrate problem

[mcarroll]

But what do u mean by detritus exactly ? That waste thing and look like dust or or something else ??

Yes it can look like that.

Really the only think that would be acceptable to see IMO is something that looks pure white just like your sand when it was brand new. (This would be very clean, but fine, sand which settled....which is OK.) Anything else, especially if it has any kind of brown or black color to it, is detritus.

-Matt

 

[Volpone]

Are you using any aerosols or air fresher or pesticides around the tank all can cause no3 problems among others if it will make you sick if you eat it it will also make you tank sick.

I'm not using any of those around tank .

 

[mike007]

This is being made entirely to difficult.

I agree totaly.

 

[Volpone]

Hi mate :
An update I do WC 40% today and I test the nitrate its still same with out any slight change :-(

 

[robbrouse]

After you did the water change, how long did you wait before the test. You should wait a few hours to give it all time to mix. If you are doing WC and the nitrates are not dropping at all something wrong with the water you are putting in. If they go down and back up that's one thing, but they should drop 40% or so if you chnage out 40% of your water and the new water is perfect..

 

[Volpone]

After you did the water change, how long did you wait before the test. You should wait a few hours to give it all time to mix. If you are doing WC and the nitrates are not dropping at all something wrong with the water you are putting in. If they go down and back up that's one thing, but they should drop 40% or so if you chnage out 40% of your water and the new water is perfect..

I do the test after 6 hours , that what I can't understand till now , my water source perfect zero nitrate , tds 0'001 RO system . Thus problem drive me crazy ,

 

[Volpone]

Even for tester there is no problem so when I test the RO water it's showing zero nitrate ,

 

[mrs.nanoreef]

After you did the water change, how long did you wait before the test. You should wait a few hours to give it all time to mix. If you are doing WC and the nitrates are not dropping at all something wrong with the water you are putting in. If they go down and back up that's one thing, but they should drop 40% or so if you chnage out 40% of your water and the new water is perfect..

I agree and also said before by myself and a few others it could be the test kit

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[robbrouse]

Have you tried a different test kit. This is mind blowing... Next time test after 2 just to see what the results are?

 

[Volpone]

I will buy new one salifert tomorrow and will check then

 

[Volpone]

Hello mate :
I get this lunk from a friend and there is a vookda dosing program depending on tank water volume , so I think I will start vodka dosing plus bio pellets and plz if u can read it and tell me about ur feed back .
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

 

[FishyPapa]

Personally I'd go with the vodka dosing, but use a bit less than the "instruction" sites say, to see how your tank reacts. Mine were high (well at 25ppm they were too high for me but it was becauase I feed heavily) but as you can see by the graph, approximately 1 month after starting I'm down to 0.0 Nitrate and I just did a test yesterday and they were still 0.0.

Look into it though I'm not sure how easy it is to obtain Vodka where you care. You can also use Vinegar but it takes more and longer to function.

 

[Volpone]

Personally I'd go with the vodka dosing, but use a bit less than the "instruction" sites say, to see how your tank reacts. Mine were high (well at 25ppm they were too high for me but it was becauase I feed heavily) but as you can see by the graph, approximately 1 month after starting I'm down to 0.0 Nitrate and I just did a test yesterday and they were still 0.0.

Look into it though I'm not sure how easy it is to obtain Vodka where you care. You can also use Vinegar but it takes more and longer to function.

Just I need more clarification, when nitrate drop to zero , we have to keep vodka dosing running ?

 

[FishyPapa]

Yes, it needs to be continued unless you are able to identify the source of the nitrates.

 

[Volpone]

Yes, it needs to be continued unless you are able to identify the source of the nitrates.

That is my problem I aint to find what spike the nitrate

 

[FishyPapa]

Yes but the dosing will give you some time to find the source while bringing down the nitrates

 

[beaslbob]

Coming in later here so let me see if I understand.

1) you did a large water change and nitrates didn't change

2) therefore we must identify the source of the nitrates.

Correct??

IMHO the source of the nitrates are the bioload in the tank.

And the api test kit would not change even if nitrates had gone from say 160ppm to 100ppm--- still both red.

High nitrates could be an indicator the chaeto is consume ammonia still and the tank simply has not matured.

I would cut down on your feeding and expand the macro algaes and stop doing the water changes.

If you keep the macros growing, nitrates will eventually drop down. But it can take some time. Especially with hobbist test kits.

IMHO your nitrates come almost exclusively from your bio load and not anything else. most especially not from the replacement water.

Any nitrates coming from rock and substrate should diminish over time.

But the livestock can easily provide 2ppm and much more nitrates per day.

I predict that one day sometime in the future you will measure nitrates a be amazed. like dropping to 0 in just a few days.


my .02

 

[zemuss]

I will chime in and say I fought this battle recently and got my nitrates from around 20 to 2 with an Algae Scrubber.

However I have these questions and do admit I am late to the discussion, so I didn't read the entire thread.

How deep is the sand bed and do you vacuum the sand?
Whats your feeding schedule?

"Z"

 

[FishyPapa]

Not to hijack but have been interested in algae scrubbers. Any good DIY sites you can PM me?

 

[Volpone]

Coming in later here so let me see if I understand.

1) you did a large water change and nitrates didn't change

2) therefore we must identify the source of the nitrates.

Correct??

IMHO the source of the nitrates are the bioload in the tank.

And the api test kit would not change even if nitrates had gone from say 160ppm to 100ppm--- still both red.

High nitrates could be an indicator the chaeto is consume ammonia still and the tank simply has not matured.

I would cut down on your feeding and expand the macro algaes and stop doing the water changes.

If you keep the macros growing, nitrates will eventually drop down. But it can take some time. Especially with hobbist test kits.

IMHO your nitrates come almost exclusively from your bio load and not anything else. most especially not from the replacement water.

Any nitrates coming from rock and substrate should diminish over time.

But the livestock can easily provide 2ppm and much more nitrates per day.

I predict that one day sometime in the future you will measure nitrates a be amazed. like dropping to 0 in just a few days.


my .02

I dont get ur point exactly ,
How I can increase the micro algea ?
By adding live bacteria phytoplankton ??
What the idea of cheato u mention ?
Im not over feeding the tank daily one time with frozen food and some time billets and small amout ,