Nitrate Issues

[coldmachineUK]

Well, I've never used vitamin supplements before - aside from coating food in garlic but that doesn't really count. You could try:

Vitazin (high in B12, but says it's multivitamin) from Aquatics Online:
http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/catalo ... medies.asp

There's also Aquarium Münster Aquavital Stress-Protect which contains VC, Aloe Vera, and Iodine (iodine is mainly for reefs/inverts) but Aquatics Online have stopped selling this.

[Pufferpunk]

Look for pure crystal--sodium, calcium or magnesium ascorbate.

[Myaj]

And don't forget its springtime (I think you guys have the same seasons as us?)

Lots of rains, farmers fertilizing the fields, things soaking into the ground that were rotting all winter... springtime can see a rise in "organics" in local water sources, especially if you are in a more rural area.

[pufferpuggirl]

I did some searching and I found a UK supplier that sells Sodium Ascorbate crystalline powder, it's not cheap, but it doesn't sound like I'd be using massive amounts of it.
When I start doing regular doses, is it weekly or monthly that I would be applying it?

[julianchan]

PP told me that it breaks down within 8 hours, and to dose 2 times a day. I have been following this religiously and it works like a charm. In my tank, it equates to about a 1/4 tablespoon 2 times a day.

[pufferpuggirl]

I think I will definitely have to get some of that stuff then.

How soon once you started using it did you see results?

[puffertt77]

I've also got this exact problem, 40Nitrates out of the tap!

I've recently bought some floating plants for my main FW tank as the baby guppies like hiding in it, that's a result that it should help keep the nitrates low

I like the idea of getting a RV filter for my hose but would prefer to get Vitamin C, I've bought some vitazin by waterlife which I'm soaking my puffers food in, I didn't know that it will lower nitrates if I add it to the tank!

Does anyone from the UK know where I could get the same powdered stuff that PP and the other guys from the US use?

I want to use it on my FW tanks and my SW tank as that also has high Nitrates (plus there's no plants in it to soakup/get rid of nitrates)

[julianchan]

almost immediately. The first few days there was some crazyness with my skimmer pulling out extra stuff that the vit C had broken down, but its settled down now.

[puffertt77]

Look for pure crystal--sodium, calcium or magnesium ascorbate.

PP sorry what's this stuff?

[pufferpuggirl]

Hey puffertt77, I found what it is today, here in the UK --
it's sodium ascorbate crystalline powder and you can order it from : http://www.naturesbest.co.uk
it's £13.65

I'm going to order it as soon as I can afford to, just to see if it really does help. I need something. I've got floating plants coming and I think I'd rather do something like the VC than going for a filter for the tap, they are pricey and at the rate I do water changes, I think I'd be going through water filters quickly and they aren't cheap.

If you get it first, please let me know how it works on your high nitrates.
If I can ask ..... have you noticed any difference in your fish due to the high nitrates?

Thanks,
Suz

[puffertt77]

Hey puffertt77, I found what it is today, here in the UK --
it's sodium ascorbate crystalline powder and you can order it from : http://www.naturesbest.co.uk
it's £13.65

I'm going to order it as soon as I can afford to, just to see if it really does help. I need something. I've got floating plants coming and I think I'd rather do something like the VC than going for a filter for the tap, they are pricey and at the rate I do water changes, I think I'd be going through water filters quickly and they aren't cheap.

If you get it first, please let me know how it works on your high nitrates.
If I can ask ..... have you noticed any difference in your fish due to the high nitrates?

Thanks,
Suz

Hey

That's great, I'll try to get some soon

To be honest I haven't noticed anything bad with my puffers and fish, they always seem happy

[coldmachineUK]

I've been thinking on this one more and I think if you're adding VC holistically - for a range of reasons, including fish health and nitrates - then it's worth doing but if it's just to tackle nitrates I think 40ppm is not such a huge amount as to be overly concerned especially as Myaj says it's probably a seasonal increase in the water supply here. I don't use VC or any other nitrate reducing methods - never have - and I've not noticed any long-term effects on the health of my (various) fish, puffer and non-puffer alike.

I'm just never a huge fan of dosing tanks for anything other than major reasons. If you're going to use VC for a combination of factors then that makes sense. But, just to tackle nitrates - I'm not so sure thinking about it again. This is just my personal opinion/preference though!

[pufferpuggirl]

Obviously I'm only concerned about my puffers. If they can sustain 40ppm without any long-term ill effects then I'm okay with not doing anything, however, I will still be adding the floating plants (can't hurt). I guess I was just freaked out because 40ppm seems so high and I would hate to think that I was allowing my puffers to suffer by not doing anything.

I honestly don't know what the right path to take is. I don't know how long my nitrates have been so high because I've only just started testing for them. My nitrite and ammonia has been low and I guess I felt that was my priority.

I'm still sitting on the fence, as they say.

[coldmachineUK]

In an ideal world you're looking at 40ppm or less being safest but the only natural way to keep nitrate levels low is to do regular water changes to ensure you're removing all the waste. If your tap water is coming out at 40ppm (I really recommend testing it so you know for sure if this is the source of the problem) then honestly I doubt there's much you can do. Most of those nitrate filters you can get for the aquarium (not for your tap) - and other chemical solutions - end up releasing nitrate back in to the water once they're saturated.

VC is only going to boost your fish's immune system, it's not going to get rid of your nitrate problem, and to be honest I've only ever heard of it being used in SW, not in FW setups...but I could be behind the times here. It may also affect the pH of your water (it's acidic, if I'm not mistaken) so you could end up with big pH swings.

Hmm...really this is a difficult one. To be honest, like I say, I'd err on the side of caution and just leave well alone. Test your water as a priority, see if that's the culprit. If it is, test again in a few months and see if it was a seasonal increase. If not, then I'd have another think.

[pufferpuggirl]

At the beginning of the thread I stated what my water tested at, it's coming out of the tap at 40ppm, and as I've said before, I don't know how long it's been that way because I have not tested for it before, I've only been doing ammonia and nitrite tests.

So will just wait for a bit and give it all a good think.