Nitrate rise after water change!

[cnjcpb]

I am currently battling Dinos, so I am testing a lot. No3 & phosphate levels started climbing after over feeding and turning skimmer down in order to get nutrients to rise. I decided to do a 10% WC at the advice of Mack’s Dino on FB. Well, 24 hours after the WC I tested No3 again and it seemed to climb from 25 to 30 +. My phosphate dropped a bit from .25 to .20. Side note: I added a bundle of macro algae to the tank this weekend too. What could cause the nitrate to rise after a wc?

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Source water

 

[cnjcpb]

Source water

I tested it too. it’s lfs RODI. it tested 0.

 

[MnFish1]

a 10 percent water change should not lower your PO4 as much as it supposedly did. I'm not saying that to criticize what you tested or did - but merely illustrate that every test has a margin of error - and - this is probably the issue. In addition, If your fish /etc waste produce more nitrates than the amount removed from your 10% water change, your nitrate will not drop from day to day and may /will rise.

 

[Joe31415]

I tested it too. it’s lfs RODI. it tested 0.

Not the RODI, take a sample of (unused) saltwater that you use for water changes. Make sure there's not something going on with that.
Otherwise, and more likely, this is unrelated to the water change. I would guess it's either your test kit (a problem with it, something you did and/or it's within the margin of error) or probably the most likely, the water change brought it down from 25 down to 22.5, and it went back up to 30 in 24 hours on it's own.

In other words, I think the water change is a red herring. I think if you hadn't done that, you would have tested a bit higher than 30 today anyways.

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

You purposely over fed more and turned down skimmer. Your nitrates are going to rise. 10 percent will only lower nitrates 10 percent. The fact you are overfeeding and have rotting food in tank as well as turning down skimmer will not stop the rise. I recommend turning back on the skimmer and syphon out the food.

I understand wanting to raise phosphates but should do so by adjusting one or the other slowly to increase.

 

[cnjcpb]

Not the RODI, take a sample of (unused) saltwater that you use for water changes. Make sure there's not something going on with that.
Otherwise, and more likely, this is unrelated to the water change. I would guess it's either your test kit (a problem with it, something you did and/or it's within the margin of error) or probably the most likely, the water change brought it down from 25 down to 22.5, and it went back up to 30 in 24 hours on it's own.

In other words, I think the water change is a red herring. I think if you hadn't done that, you would have tested a bit higher than 30 today anyways.

Makes sense for sure. It was on the rise prior to the change. Hence the change. Time to kick the skimmer back on full blast. I mistakenly said RODI. I was referring to the mixed salt water. I just ordered Hannah checkers. I’ve been using API and checking my results against the lfs’s machine. This hobby is like drinking liquor. Take it slow or it catches up to you & when it hits, it hits hard.