Ok, since we got my new GSP we've been having Nitrate issues.
Have a 32 Gal 1.005, 0 Amm 0 Nitrite and 50ppm Nitrate.
Been doing %50 WC every to every other day to get it down..but really...I need drastic help
Planning on doing an %86-90 waterchange ASAP, (Mixing each of the 3 5gal buckets with 1.08 SG, Filling the tank with that, then top it up with fresh to lower the SG to 1.005 then add some of this: http://www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCatalog ... te&offset= to the filter, and getting some Nutrafin Waste Control to help get rid of everything in the substrate I can't vaccuum up for some strange reason (This is a tank that was converted from a FW Tetra community tank to a BW GSP tank over the period of 2-4 weeks, Remained fully cycled)
Anyone have experience with either product to get the Nitrates down? daily %50 isn't doing it to bring them down fast enough.
Nitrate problems
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
-
Pandora114
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Nitrate problems
You just have 1 GSP in there?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
Yes, just the one in there. Fed once a day, alternating between Krill and some blood worms. (as in one or the other not both in the same day!)with a snail once a week because I don't have any bred up yet so I'm rationing till I have a nice stock. I take out what krill he doesn't eat, and I feed him bloodworms from a pipette slowly making sure he eats one at a time till he's done eating.
I've been part of this site long enough to know better
I've been part of this site long enough to know better
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Pufferpunk
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T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Nitrate problems
Just checking. You defrost the worms in a cup & strain? This just doesn't make sense...
You defrost the worms in a cup & strain? This just doesn't make sense...You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
. Defrost the worms in a cup then I use a pipette to suck some up then drop one or two at a time in the tank as he eats them.As I said: The tank used to be a tetra community tank. I moved the tetras out, and then brought it gradually up to 1.005, adding pure ammonia each day to keep it cycled while bringing it up, over the course of around 4 weeks or so. In other words, I was doing about %50 water change once a week till it was up to brackish. I'm thinking that there is still a whole slew of waste in the substrate from the tetras (despite my efforts at vacuuming...the python hose doesn't give enough suction sometimes) and it's decomposing causing a nitrate spike. Hence why I was thinking about getting some Waste Control and this: http://www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCatalog ... te&offset= to use after a %90 water change to just try to normalize things a bit, and keep things normal.
That's why I'm asking. If that would be a good idea or not, since for some reason daily %50's aren't cutting it right now.
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Pufferpunk
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A modestus
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C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Nitrate problems
What test kit are you using? Maybe you should get it tested at your LFS. This doesn't make sense. If the Python isn't sucking it up well enough, just take your hand & hand-stir the substrate, let the debris settle & then syphon it off.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
Hagen Liquid test kit.
I'm thinking about getting it tested at the LFS...I can't really read the card right on the Hagen. I kinda wish my Aquarium Pharmacuticals Nitrate test wasn't all pooched.
*sigh*
I'm thinking about getting it tested at the LFS...I can't really read the card right on the Hagen. I kinda wish my Aquarium Pharmacuticals Nitrate test wasn't all pooched.
*sigh*
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Pufferpunk
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T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
I had a similar problem with my GSP tank & was dong crazy lotsa water changes. Brought a sample to my LFS & it was <10.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
Well he's exhibiting stress lines and glass pacing. So...If it's not the water quality (after getting assessed at the LFS) I'm gonna do a revamp of the decor to more natural looking fake plants and some lower wattage lighting
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Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
Ok, %90 prepping. Then if the nitrates are still a problem we'll do a %50, but only put in ONE bucket, remove the bucket, add another bucket, remove the bucket, add another bucket till Nitrates are >10
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Pufferpunk
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- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
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T miurus
A modestus
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C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
Uggghhh... what a PITA, huh? I'll give you a hint, but shhhh... don't tell anyone! I have been doing WC on my 1.005 F8 tank for about 10 years by adding the salt directly to the HOB filter, while filling it up from the hose. I add Prime to the tank before filling.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
Would do that but I'm running an XP2 canister plus a powerhead >.>
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Pufferpunk
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T miurus
A modestus
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C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
Oh darn!
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
>.> Can't have too much filtration now can we?
Anyway the Mr thinks it's just a bi-product of converting from Fresh to Brackish causing the Fresh bacteria to die off en masse and the saltwater filling in the place
Good thing I have TONS of biomedia in my filter...
Anyway the Mr thinks it's just a bi-product of converting from Fresh to Brackish causing the Fresh bacteria to die off en masse and the saltwater filling in the place
Good thing I have TONS of biomedia in my filter...
-
Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Nitrate problems
Sweet 5ppm Nitrates now.
Gonna test again tomorrow to see if it's still spiking. *sigh*
He's still pacing the glass, at least he's pacing, earlyer he was just huddled in the corner (pre-water change)
I think we'll be picking up some nice realistic looking silk plants and removing the neon from the tank...
>.>
Gonna test again tomorrow to see if it's still spiking. *sigh*
He's still pacing the glass, at least he's pacing, earlyer he was just huddled in the corner (pre-water change)
I think we'll be picking up some nice realistic looking silk plants and removing the neon from the tank...
>.>