too much nitrate

[baracuda]

Does anybody have any ideas on how to get rid of nitrate? I found out that the tap water has alot of nitrate in the water and i recently purchased a jardini aro. also, is the aro sensitive to nitrate? I know its sensitive to nitrite. Amonia is 0, Nitrite is 0 and PH is 7.4 but nitrate is around 80ppm... any ideas?

[ewurm]

Use Seachem Prime...detoxifies it.

[rallysman]

is the nitrate 20 ppm straight from the tap? If so you might want to consider an RO system

[baracuda]

its 80ppm straight from the tap!

[rallysman]

If it was me I would try to get an RO filter to use before water changes.

[ewurm]

its 80ppm straight from the tap!

Dude, I don't even think that meets most requirements for water quality for people!

[MrHarris]

where in CA do you live?

[baracuda]

paramount

[Miss_Smith]

have you thought of getting a bigger filter?

[Miss_Smith]

Use Seachem Prime...detoxifies it.

I used that before and it helps for emergency purposes.

[koliveira]

Get a R/O and DI filter

[DeLgAdO]

Dude, I don't even think that meets most requirements for water quality for people!

your actually right

nitrate for human should not be above 10ppm i believe(might be 20 too)

nitrate do have a harmful long term affect on people as well as fish

[DeLgAdO]

have you thought of getting a bigger filter?

NO filteration remove nitrate

it doesnt matter how big it is

filters only break down ammonia and nitrite

[DeLgAdO]

Use Seachem Prime...detoxifies it.
I used that before and it helps for emergency purposes.

see

seachem detoxifies

so it doesnt actually remove it, and with fish present

it only gets higher.........

[ckk125]

yeah..ro unit is the best bet for u..besides complaining to the water company..

[dimfer]

I concur with Delgado..

I've heard some place have 40 ppm nitrate from tap, but not 80 pm.

This is what many hobbyists don't realize, they do w/c to remove nitrate, but the water from tap has higher level of it than their requirement.

[sam_cj]

I concur with Delgado..

I've heard some place have 40 ppm nitrate from tap, but not 80 pm.

This is what many hobbyists don't realize, they do w/c to remove nitrate, but the water from tap has higher level of it than their requirement.

oh i see. so would it be best to use aged water for any water change rather than tap?

[gomezladdams]

You gotta find out whats wrong with your water supply.you must be drinking farm runoff or something

[throttle]

This doesn't solve the high nitrate level from the tap but what about adding plants such as anacharis. You don't have to plant them in the substate you can just let them float.

[xrtg]

firstly, did you double check your test kit? might be something wrong with your test kit.

i'd recommend a filteration system called wet/dry

Try this link.

Wet Dry Filteration (http://www.koi.com.my/cgi-bin/koiforum/gforum.cgi?post=3071;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;f orum_view=forum_view_collapsed;guest=7649346)

[Reefstalker]

Wet/dry filters don't remove nitrates. It only converts ammonia to nitrite, and nitrate to nitrates. Take a water sample of both your tank and tap to your LFS just to confirm your measurements. If it's truly 80ppm, I suggest getting a DI/RO filter and using a lot of plants on your tank. However, you would need stronger lighting (regular fluorescent will result all your plants turning yellow/brown and dying over a couple of week) and CO2 injection.

[Reefstalker]

Wet/dry filters don't remove nitrates. It only converts ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate. Take a water sample of both your tank and tap to your LFS just to confirm your measurements. If it's truly 80ppm, I suggest you either get a DI/RO filter or use a lot of plants on your tank. The latter option requires stronger lighting (6500K compact flourescents, 2-3 watts/gal) and CO2 injection.

[baracuda]

actually I tried testing the tap water again and it came out to about 40ppm or around there. RO units are pretty expensive but i guess its worth it in the long run.

[ewurm]

How about neutralizing the nitrate with Prime?

[DeLgAdO]

How about neutralizing the nitrate with Prime?

ewurm

seachem doesnt nutralize nitrate


if you use it your treating the symptoms and not the problem

the goal here is to get nitrates lowered

[baracuda]

I will try to heavily plant the tank and see what happens.

[xrtg]

Wet/dry filters don't remove nitrates. It only converts ammonia to nitrite, and nitrate to nitrates. Take a water sample of both your tank and tap to your LFS just to confirm your measurements. If it's truly 80ppm, I suggest getting a DI/RO filter and using a lot of plants on your tank. However, you would need stronger lighting (regular fluorescent will result all your plants turning yellow/brown and dying over a couple of week) and CO2 injection.

have you tried looking at the link i provided? if so can you comment on why it can't remove nitrate? :) would like to have some answers too. ;)

[xrtg]

I will try to heavily plant the tank and see what happens.

choose plants that grow fast and one that requires high lighting requirements. :)

[baracuda]

I put some plants that supposedly fast growing and need medium lighting.

[xrtg]

I put some plants that supposedly fast growing and need medium lighting.

test your water with some test kits and let us know the results. :)

[zennzzo]

test your water with some test kits and let us know the results. :)
I'm sure if he uses a trickle system he'll get lower nitrates...I found it interesting that the Doc. stated that anything under 18" of Bio-ball height was less efficient.

(**me looks at recently built wet/dry systems and smiles**);)

[xrtg]

I'm sure if he uses a trickle system he'll get lower nitrates...I found it interesting that the Doc. stated that anything under 18" of Bio-ball height was less efficient.

(**me looks at recently built wet/dry systems and smiles**);)

:D what's your configuration? yours should be at least 18" high rite? :D

[benefit]

I like in Lakewood so not too far from you. Personally i highly doubt your 'trates are 80 straight out the tap. Call your local water company and ask for their water params. Try a different test kit from a different store. Most So Cal water runs about 20 ppm out the tap and around 7.5-8.0 ph. Either invest in a R/O unit or do frequent large water changes. Stay away from any water altering products. If this is done you can do large frequent water changes up to 75% no problem. That way the your tank params will closely match your tap. I have never had a problem keeping any fish including sensitive fish such as rays here in So Cal doing so. :thumbsup:

[zennzzo]

:D what's your configuration? yours should be at least 18" high rite? :D
Well xrtg...I started with a coarse foam pre-filter and 1.25" drain that dumps into a dual layer floss filter after it passes through a ball valve.
I used a .125" drill bit to make holes that makes the water defuse over the entire area from about 2" away.
Then I found this plastic container that fit perfectly under the strainer for the floss that I lined with 1" fine foam. It has a round bottom that I drilled out with the same .125" drill bit and it allows the water to be sprayed finely over the Bio-balls from 2" above them.
Next this mechanical sub system is placed over 18" of bioballs (5 gallons of 1.25")
1" holes were then drilled all around the top cercumfrence on the vertical for the release of the nitrogen off the bio-balls. A 50 micron felt is setting under that with 1" of air space between the bio-balls and the bottom screen
This all sets in a 20 gallon tote.
The return is also plumbed with 1.25" PVC. Circulatioin is handled by a Pentair Quiet one 4000 through a ball valve and back into the tank...
I can adjust the flow into and out of the filter system to fine tune the flow.

I used this fishless method http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-fishless-cycling.htm

150 gallons were cycled in just 8 days to zero amonia/zero nitrites/10ppm nitrates...
I haven't got a test for desolved O2 yet but I am confident in this system enough to use it for my 50 fry, Arowana nursery...:thumbsup:

I have a full spread with pix I am preparing to post.
best part is, I have less than $200usd invested.

[xrtg]

Well xrtg...I started with a coarse foam pre-filter and 1.25" drain that dumps into a dual layer floss filter after it passes through a ball valve.
I used a .125" drill bit to make holes that makes the water defuse over the entire area from about 2" away.
Then I found this plastic container that fit perfectly under the strainer for the floss that I lined with 1" fine foam. It has a round bottom that I drilled out with the same .125" drill bit and it allows the water to be sprayed finely over the Bio-balls from 2" above them.
Next this mechanical sub system is placed over 18" of bioballs (5 gallons of 1.25")
1" holes were then drilled all around the top cercumfrence on the vertical for the release of the nitrogen off the bio-balls. A 50 micron felt is setting under that with 1" of air space between the bio-balls and the bottom screen
This all sets in a 20 gallon tote.
The return is also plumbed with 1.25" PVC. Circulatioin is handled by a Pentair Quiet one 4000 through a ball valve and back into the tank...
I can adjust the flow into and out of the filter system to fine tune the flow.

I used this fishless method http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-fishless-cycling.htm

150 gallons were cycled in just 8 days to zero amonia/zero nitrites/10ppm nitrates...
I haven't got a test for desolved O2 yet but I am confident in this system enough to use it for my 50 fry, Arowana nursery...:thumbsup:

I have a full spread with pix I am preparing to post.
best part is, I have less than $200usd invested.

50 arowana frys :WHOA:

one heck of a filter for all your frys. :drool:

[the_deeb]

xrtg: that wet/dry link you provided was very interesting. It runs counter to most of the info you find on reef sites where they claim that bioballs can ultimately become a "nitrate factory". Everyone know that W/D filters are extremely efficient at converting ammonia and nitrite to nitrate, but it was thought that the only way to elimitate nitrate from the system (besides plants) was to have anoxic areas where anaerobic bacteria would convert the nitrate to atmospheric nitrogen.

But the discussion on that koi forum suggests that it's the aerobic that are accomplishing this process, which is quite confusing. The dramatic decrease in his nitrate levels are pretty compelling, but I'm interested to know the science behind how exactly this is supposed to work. His very brief explanation is completely unsatisfactory:

"the large increase in the good bacteria together with its bacterial reaction and O2 *takes* away the nitrites during the conversion process(ie from NH3 to N02). The end resutlt is no or little nitrites is left for Nitrobacter reaction after going thro' the trickle resulting in no or little nitrates"

[xrtg]

glad that somebody looked into the link. :)

from the examples, most of the w/d filters those users used are pretty huge. i feel that good bacteria that converted ammonia into nitrate exist in the early part of the filteration system. these bacteria used up all the o2 and the it results in the culture of bacteria that consumed nitrate at the later portion of the filteration. these bacteria thus lowering of nitrate in the system.

:D

i'm keen in trying out the system but the limitation of space in where i live does not allow that as it requires huge space for the filteration alone.

[baracuda]

The water straight from the tap was not 80ppm because i tested it again but it was still higher than most places i heard of. I heard that nitrate does not affect the fish directly but i still dont want it in there. Ive lost a few arowanas but i didnt know why. Nitrites and Amonia were always 0 but nitrates were high so i thought maybe this was the problem.

P.S. thanks for all the helpful replies.

[jamesqwang]

Try the Seachem De Nitrate Product.
It eliminates nitrate by grabing on to it, need changing every now and then.

For me self, I don't use anything that grabs on, because the nitrate is still in water, media that's too exhausted may relase nitrate back into water in large ammount.

So, instead I use Seachem Matrix. It's a biological media that cultivates both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The anaerobic bacteria is known and used by many scientists to denitrify waterways which have excess nitrate. It readily converts nitrate into nitrogen gas. So you are really solving the problem by getting the nitrate out of the water, full stop, no more nitrate in water what so ever, all turned into nitrogen gas.

My 55G with a baby jardini has ammnia 0ppm nitrite 0ppm and nitrate 0ppm.
Works well for me

Strongly recommended

[xrtg]

Try the Seachem De Nitrate Product.
It eliminates nitrate by grabing on to it, need changing every now and then.

For me self, I don't use anything that grabs on, because the nitrate is still in water, media that's too exhausted may relase nitrate back into water in large ammount.

So, instead I use Seachem Matrix. It's a biological media that cultivates both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The anaerobic bacteria is known and used by many scientists to denitrify waterways which have excess nitrate. It readily converts nitrate into nitrogen gas. So you are really solving the problem by getting the nitrate out of the water, full stop, no more nitrate in water what so ever, all turned into nitrogen gas.

My 55G with a baby jardini has ammnia 0ppm nitrite 0ppm and nitrate 0ppm.
Works well for me

Strongly recommended

thanks for the info. will try to get my hands on this product.

[farish]

guess what u guys would need is a denitraor, or deep sand bed for nitrate removal....damn, cant imagine 80 ppm nitrate coming straight from tap, kinds of beat the purpose of a water change

[meiling]

I have hard well water, so full of ppm that eit won't hold chemicals, I mix city water, r/o water and some settled well water, all stand before going into the tank.