Need to lower nitrates asap

MdngtRain

MdngtRain

Large Fish
#1
Jan 9, 2011
288
0
0
New England
#1
I don't know if theses strips are wrong, or the kind I had before, but last week I got all safe readings on my strips with slightly higher acidity, and today I got neutral ph and nitrates through the roof for my live-bearer tank. Can it go from safe to over 200ppm in a week? I am medicating with melafix & added salt monday with a4 degree temp increase also on monday. The melafix has been in use for 2 weeks now tho, so the only real change is the salt and temp. I'm treating for fin rot, body slime & ick, all but the ick has gotten better since the salt & increased temp.
A note on the new test kit, the ammonia test failed completely. It was supposed to turn the water in the tube at least yellow for a 0 reading, but the water was clear both times I tried...
I well be taking a sample to the store to get tested there, but I would like to know how to lower nitrates before I commit to getting a chemical fix for it (really bad luck with adding chemicals to my water, mostly just a ways of money).
Thanks!
Ps- I'm on a tight budget for the rest of this week, so saving money if possible is a huge help.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#2
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#2
What test kit do you have, MdngtRain, that gave you no reading for ammonia? The control (as you see in the instructions) should give you yellow at least. Something is amiss.

I can't see how you can go from 'safe' (not sure what reading that is though) to over 200ppm nitrate in a week.
 

Last edited:
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Thyra

Superstar Fish
#3
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#3
Just a reminder about the use of strips - they get contaminated easily. By that I mean high humidity from leaving the container open, touching with wet fingers, spilling them and the handling to pick them up, etc. Any of these things could make the strips unreliable.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#4
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#4
MdngtRain said:
I would like to know how to lower nitrates before I commit to getting a chemical fix for it (really bad luck with adding chemicals to my water, mostly just a ways of money).
Click to expand...
There is not 'chemical fix' for nitrate that I know of. It's a matter of water changes to lower nitrates. Here is the math: (assuming 200ppm in your tank, and 0 in your new water)

Day 1: 50% water change would leave you 100pp nitrates
Day 2: 50% water change would leave you 50ppm nitrates
Day 3: 50% water change would leave you 25ppm nitrates
Day 4: 50% water change would leave you 12.5ppm nitrates.
 

MdngtRain

MdngtRain

Large Fish
#6
Jan 9, 2011
288
0
0
New England
#6
I got the water re-tested and the nitrates were high, but no where near as high as I got with the mardel (?) Test kit. i did a 30% change today, and will do that again tomorrow, and the next few days till I can get a zero reading again (or close to zero). I regularly change 10-15% of the water every week, with vacuuming. I will vacuum with every water change for the next week or so till I see nothing coming up, not even a bit.
I was told to try a water conditioner by tetra called am quell plus. I guess it's new and supposed to help with everything, including nitrates that area too high. I will read more on it before I try it. I also got some meds for the tank, which seem to be helping (or the larger water changes are helping, or both...) I hope it keeps up. I've been going thru this with them for the last 2.5 weeks, just steping up the water changes to 30% daily instead of ~15% every other day.
I it's frustrating because I want to make it better for the poor guys, but nothing works for long. My next step is a complete stripping of the tank with a heavy disinfect of everything that can take it... I just want my efforts to mean something for the fish.
the strips I had before the epic fail of the mardel ones just had non-specific readings suck as "safe" "stress" & "danger" (or wording close to that). The mardel steps had#'s, but the readings were way off... I don't know. I hadn't been able to find the liquid test kits in stock this week, and now am out of cash to get them after wasting my money on the strips... Grrr...
 

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