The Puffer Forum

First off I know that there is no subsitute for weekly water changes but I have seen and heard of people treating their saltwater aquariums with consistant high nitrate problems by dosing tiny amounts of either sugar or vodka. I found this to be bizarre and potentially dangerous when I became aware of this remedy. Anyone heard of this or have any experience on the subject?

I've heard of the vodka thing and I just can't buy in to it. If some people have tried this and show lower nitrAte readings, I wonder if it was actually lower or just causing the test to falsely show it.

No matter what, NIMT. WCs do more than just remove nitrAtes

Same carbon source as the vitamin C I dose with.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

The sugar/vodka bit are feedings for an anaerobic denitrator, usually a coils system which is quite fiddly to operate. It can be toxic if not carefully controlled.

But the real error involved is that nitrate is a pollution indicator, the only one we can measure easily. It is not necessarily even the major pollutant which builds up in tanks, it is just the only one we can measure. In FW and BW, removing nitrate without water partials is kidding yourself - you have removed one pollutant and left all the rest still present and potentially hazardous. In SW, live rock, a protein skimmer. and a macroalgae refugium can control much of the pollution present, but not 100%. Water partials are still needed, just at a lower volume level or frequency. That is part needed to replace minerals used up in routine tank processes.

Folk who swear by such denitrification devices are kidding themselves, as they do not understand that nitrate alone is far from all the pollution in a tank. Dissolved organic compounds are likely a worse problem for hobbyists and we cannot test for them at all.

Okay then now the reason I brought this up is because I tested my 55g and 10g aquariums and the nitrate levels have been around 100ppm! This has been a consistant problem since I moved here and I got an idea to test the water from the sink and sure enough the readings came back showing the following:

PH: 7.8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 60

The source water is spring fed well water untreated and taken directly from the sink faucet. Concerning readings right? What should I do and what long term effects could this water have on my fish?

I'd go the VC route. Have you seen the thread?>

I'd go the VC route. Have you seen the thread?

From the tap? In the USA, this is not potable water. It is hazardous to your health, not even considering that of the fish. In this country, 30ppm nitrate is the maximum allowance and even that should likely be restricted for pregnant females and infants. Some water purification process in needed.

HTH

This is in a rural area and the source water comes from a spring fed well. There are a lot of chicken and turkey farms around here that may possibly have contaminated the water thus resulting in the high nitrate readings? I was also reading that I may have to install a reverse osmosis system and run it on all my tanks.

That is unfortunately possible and not uncommon in intensive agricultural and fowl-breeding and rearing areas. We have such in the state where I live as well, but not in the part where I live, thankfully.