OK, here it goes, All my parameters are in order and I have down 2 bi weekly water changes of 33%. No overfeeding. My nitrates are not coming down. The only thing i think it could be is my HOB aquaclear filter. I rinse the sponge but I just don't know if there are still nitrates in there after the rinsing and creeps back up. I am using TAP water, I know this is a big no, but I have tested the water and brought it to LFS where it has been tested and nothing shows up. It is around 40 right now. I know I will slapped for not using RO/DI water and rightly so, but other than that can anyone else shed some light for me.
Nitrates!!!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter marineman
- Start date
Rhodes19
Active Member
I'll jump in.
Live rock and sand are good for reducing ammonia and nitrites, but the end product is nitrates. From what I have leaned on RS from others with more experience than me is that the percent water change will equal the percent drop in nitrates. So, if you do a 33% wc, you will drop your nitrates 33%. You do a 60% wc, you will get a 60% drop in nitrates.
Other ways to get rid of or drop nitrates is through the use of macro algae, mangrove trees, and algae turf scrubbers. I've heard of folks using pureagen but I haven't tried that yet. Of course using RO/DI water will help but you will still get nitrates through the normal biological filtering system. Using a skimmer or a bigger mechanical filter (ie filter flows and replacing it every other day) will help pull extra food or wast out of the water before it gets broken down into nitrates. HTH
What are your exact parameters? What may seem ok to you may indicate a major problem to us.
What do you feed, how much do you feed and and how often do you feed? Again, what seems normal to you may be gross overfeeding to us.
The use of tap water is not recommended. In almost all areas, especially if you have municipal water, you will also get nitrates and phosphates. The use of RO/DI water is highly recommended.
What livestock do you have in the tank? Large numbers of fish or large fish can make nitrates very difficult to control.
For the time being test you tap water before you mix salt, and see if you have any nitrates or phosphates. Then do the same tests after you mis the water. Some low grade salts can introduce nitrates and phosphates.