nitrates sky high

[MnFish1]

To the OP - for example - If you did 10 1 gallon water changes/day - at the end of 5 days - your nitrate would be about 20 percent higher than doing 1 10 gallon water change/day.

 

[MnFish1]

"The recommended starting dose is 0.1mL per 25 gallons of net water volume per day for days 1-3, followed by 0.2mL per 25 gallons days 4-7, and then the addition of 0.5mL per week (regardless of aquarium volume), until nitrates become undetectable."

There are probably 10 different protocols. I do not think there is a huge danger of getting your nitrate down more quickly i.e. 2 weeks vs a month. And if your nitrate is high - there are probably other 'bad things' that you're not measuring that would also benefit from water changes

PS - vodka dosing will not remove these 'other things'. This might be a time to check an ICP test - though I usually do not recommend them - and I have never done one.

 

[MnFish1]

"The recommended starting dose is 0.1mL per 25 gallons of net water volume per day for days 1-3, followed by 0.2mL per 25 gallons days 4-7, and then the addition of 0.5mL per week (regardless of aquarium volume), until nitrates become undetectable."

There are probably 10 different protocols. I do not think there is a huge danger of getting your nitrate down more quickly i.e. 2 weeks vs a month. And if your nitrate is high - there are probably other 'bad things' that you're not measuring that would also benefit from water changes

PS - vodka dosing will not remove these 'other things'. This might be a time to check an ICP test - though I usually do not recommend them - and I have never done one.

I added this - @Dave1993. dont know if you saw it: "PS - vodka dosing will not remove these 'other things'. This might be a time to check an ICP test - though I usually do not recommend them - and I have never done one."

 

[Bucs20fan]

This may be way hasty or less involved than calculating water changes, but during the early days of my tank when I had nitrate issues I used seachem purigen to lower nitrate levels and it worked like a charm and harmed nothing in my tank.

 

[ReefGeezer]

My tank is a 90. I bought a grey 44 gallon Brute trash can. This allowed me to do roughly (yes Randy... roughly ) 50% water changes if I desired. It doubles as my ATO holding tank to boot. That might not be a bad investment in your case. BUT... you have to be careful when doing big water changes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This may be way hasty or less involved than calculating water changes, but during the early days of my tank when I had nitrate issues I used seachem purigen to lower nitrate levels and it worked like a charm and harmed nothing in my tank.

Just note that purigen does not bind nitrate itself from seawater, so any effect it has comes from binding organic matter and exporting it before it breaks down to more nitrate.

 

[Dave1993]

ill buy a 50 litre bucket and do 50 litres a day i don't really want to put vodka in my fish tank

 

[Duffer]

how much vodka do i dose

 

[G Santana]

@Dave1993, This was the schedule I followed. Just make sure that you test weekly and continue to watch after you reach your goal.
The method used was dose following the schedule until you hit your goal and cut that dose in half to maintain.
What I found was that even when I cut the dose in half my nitrates continued to drop so I stopped dosing altogether.
My tank has maintained a little low now for a few months but I'm hoping it rises on it's own rather than dosing nitrates.

Good luck.

 

[Dave1993]

i just remembered i have nopox by red sea do ill dose that instead of vodka

 

[Dave1993]

So the plan is dose nopox and do water changes daily

 

[BZOFIQ]

 

[Screwgunner]

I am in the same boat nitrates 50 phosphates. 07 started bio pellets 3 weeks ago still no change still at 50 I figure a month for bacteria to form so it should be close . I was doing fine . Had some old live rock now dead . Thought I would put it in my sump . Must have been loaded with dead gunk . Will not do that again!