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Reducing Nitrate Level
- Thread starter MHEAD
- Start date
- Messages
- 38
- Location
- Minneapolis
Chemical treatments are really only crutches IMO. They don't get to the root of the issue causing the elevated nitrate. I feel it's best to strive for a well-functioning tank by practicing good husbandry rather than using products to do it for you. But if you don't use RO, it could be that your water supply is contributing nitrate as well. If that's the case, chemicals might be something you have to consider. A store I worked at long ago used Seachem Prime to deal with bad nitrite/nitrate issues.
Assuming your tapwater is low in nitrate, you could add more live plants to help eliminate some of the nitrate or continue with water changes. Both of those options are more beneficial to your fish than adding chemicals. May also want to consider the amount of food that's going into the tank...
Assuming your tapwater is low in nitrate, you could add more live plants to help eliminate some of the nitrate or continue with water changes. Both of those options are more beneficial to your fish than adding chemicals. May also want to consider the amount of food that's going into the tank...
- Messages
- 64
- Location
- Arcata, CA
We tested Amquel plus at the shop I work at some time back. We didn't like it much, and it didn't seem to do anything for the nitrite/nitrate levels of water. Prime works to a degree, but I agree that plants and or the continuance of frequent water changes are the best bet to reduce nitrate levels.
- Messages
- 577
- Location
- Nottingham, UK
High Nitrates are almost always caused by overstocking or over feeding. If your fish are healthy adults, halve what you're feeding for a week and see the effect on the nitrates. (I am saying this not knowing your experience in fishkeeping, please excuse me if this is a little below your knowledge/experience). I am assuming your stocking levels are not too high.
You may also be adding them in your tap water, it can have up to 50ppm in the UK (only 10, I believe, in the US), so extra water changes will only help if you check the levels in your tap water and filter it to remove them if they are high.
Plants will remove Nitrates and phosphates, but they have to be growing well and this means removing the other factors that limit their growth. In an ordinary aqyarium this often means poor lighting and low CO2 levels. Both these restrict growth and limit the amount of nutrients taken up. To get round both of these to an extent use floating plants that are up near the light and use atmospheric CO2. I'd recommend Amazon Frogbit, Salvinia or, if you bear to never be without it, Duckweed as it grows very rapidly, removes loads of nutrients and is dead easy to crop and remove. You will also need to supply micronutrients, like iron, potassium etc in a balanced fertiliser - just make sure it has no Nitrate!
You may also be adding them in your tap water, it can have up to 50ppm in the UK (only 10, I believe, in the US), so extra water changes will only help if you check the levels in your tap water and filter it to remove them if they are high.
Plants will remove Nitrates and phosphates, but they have to be growing well and this means removing the other factors that limit their growth. In an ordinary aqyarium this often means poor lighting and low CO2 levels. Both these restrict growth and limit the amount of nutrients taken up. To get round both of these to an extent use floating plants that are up near the light and use atmospheric CO2. I'd recommend Amazon Frogbit, Salvinia or, if you bear to never be without it, Duckweed as it grows very rapidly, removes loads of nutrients and is dead easy to crop and remove. You will also need to supply micronutrients, like iron, potassium etc in a balanced fertiliser - just make sure it has no Nitrate!
- Messages
- 5
- Location
- Lakewood, WA.
Nitrate Crash?
I just started testing for nitrates recently and realized that I have/had a problem. My nitrates were way up in the 80ppm range so I figured tried to figure out why. Well it didn't take me long... I got a new filter system for Xmas (Eheim Professional 2028) and removed the UGF that came with the tank. When I did this I tried to take out as much of the gunk from the UGF plates by using a net but a lot of it ended up in the new filter. Which probably helped to season it with bacteria as I never had a nitrite spike.
What I realized is that there was a ton of leftover gunk in my new filter canister so I emptied it and cleaned it out. As a result my nitrate level quickly dropped from 80ppm to 10ppm... shortly thereafter 3 or my 4 cockatoo's all started breathing rapidly and now one has died while two look on the verge of death. They have swollen bellies and white stringy poop coming out. My question to everyone is did the sudden drop in nitrates cause this or was it something else such as a parasite, bacterial infection or longterm exposure to high nitrates?
I'm very disappointed as two of these had previously layed eggs and were a gorgeous pair. My goal is to get my tank planted in the next two months which I would assume help bring the nitrate level down even further plus make it more comfy for my fishies.
Thanks for any input!
I just started testing for nitrates recently and realized that I have/had a problem. My nitrates were way up in the 80ppm range so I figured tried to figure out why. Well it didn't take me long... I got a new filter system for Xmas (Eheim Professional 2028) and removed the UGF that came with the tank. When I did this I tried to take out as much of the gunk from the UGF plates by using a net but a lot of it ended up in the new filter. Which probably helped to season it with bacteria as I never had a nitrite spike.
What I realized is that there was a ton of leftover gunk in my new filter canister so I emptied it and cleaned it out. As a result my nitrate level quickly dropped from 80ppm to 10ppm... shortly thereafter 3 or my 4 cockatoo's all started breathing rapidly and now one has died while two look on the verge of death. They have swollen bellies and white stringy poop coming out. My question to everyone is did the sudden drop in nitrates cause this or was it something else such as a parasite, bacterial infection or longterm exposure to high nitrates?
I'm very disappointed as two of these had previously layed eggs and were a gorgeous pair. My goal is to get my tank planted in the next two months which I would assume help bring the nitrate level down even further plus make it more comfy for my fishies.
Thanks for any input!
- Messages
- 577
- Location
- Nottingham, UK
Did you check the levels of Ammonia and Nitrite as your Nitrate levels were dropping? One sure way to reduce nitrates is if the filter stops turning ammonia into it! Maybe your clean-out was a little too severe and caused the loss of the filter bacteria? This is just a guess, it might be a reason for what you're seeing. The lack of initial spike may have been bacteria in the gunge, but they may not have truely established in your filter when you cleaned it.
I have reduced Nitrate level through very large water changes and noticed only good effects on my fish. I don't think I ever had them at 80 though.
I have reduced Nitrate level through very large water changes and noticed only good effects on my fish. I don't think I ever had them at 80 though.
- Messages
- 1,164
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
Hexamita
Hello Doctorp,
From what you describe, the bloat and white, stringy feces affecting your fish and the filter situation seem unrelated. I agree with fishgeek in that the symptoms observed correspond to intestinal protozoa. The treatment is Metronidazole.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
Hello Doctorp,
From what you describe, the bloat and white, stringy feces affecting your fish and the filter situation seem unrelated. I agree with fishgeek in that the symptoms observed correspond to intestinal protozoa. The treatment is Metronidazole.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
- Messages
- 5
- Location
- Lakewood, WA.
Did you check the levels of Ammonia and Nitrite as your Nitrate levels were dropping? Yep, both were always at 0 and I was testing every day because I expected a spike but it never came after the filter changeout
Since most of you think it was Intestinal Protozoa is that something that would have been made more serious by the high nitrate levels? I treated the tank for that (with metro) the first time I saw the white, stringy poo but I think it came back. I was thinking it could have been Hexamita, which are constantly present in a fish and they were able to take hold because of the high nitrate levels...
Since most of you think it was Intestinal Protozoa is that something that would have been made more serious by the high nitrate levels? I treated the tank for that (with metro) the first time I saw the white, stringy poo but I think it came back. I was thinking it could have been Hexamita, which are constantly present in a fish and they were able to take hold because of the high nitrate levels...
- Messages
- 1,164
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
Hexamita
Hello Doctorp,
High stress levels can surely make fish more suseptable to disease. If you experienced intestinal protazoa before, the increased stress brought on by high nitrate levels could have caused a reinfection. I'd treat with Metronidazole again.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
Hello Doctorp,
High stress levels can surely make fish more suseptable to disease. If you experienced intestinal protazoa before, the increased stress brought on by high nitrate levels could have caused a reinfection. I'd treat with Metronidazole again.
Good luck!
Randall Kohn
