can ceramic ring cause high nitrates?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
M

mzhantsche

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 3, 2010
424
0
0
A, A
Im currently battling extreamly high nitrates. While talking about the oprtions of what to do with my LFS owner he said.....i might have too many ceramic rings in my canisters. That maybe too much good bacteria is growing and has caused the high nitrates. I also have a 2 inch thick bed of sand and large really messy fish.

ideas on how to lower the nitrates will be reserved for a diffrent thread. Just wondering if anyone thinks a large sand bed + a large amount of ceramic rings could be the cause of the high nitrates?

btw my amonia and nitrite are at 0.
 
Nitrates come from nitrites which come from ammonia, there is nothing else that creates nitrates. You need to either increase water changes, reduce feedings, reduce stock or add a whole bunch of plants. These are the cheapest, easiest ways to reduce nitrates. Your LFS guy is an idiot.
 
Bderick67 said:
Nitrates come from nitrites which come from ammonia, there is nothing else that creates nitrates. You need to either increase water changes, reduce feedings, reduce stock or add a whole bunch of plants. These are the cheapest, easiest ways to reduce nitrates. Your LFS guy is an idiot.
Click to expand...

Ok...yes i agree my LFS guy is an idiot.....so i am putting together a sump right now to add to the tank. I planned on having a section for more ceramic rings and a large section for plants. Should i just do all plants? I was also going to to a alge screen which im hopping will work like the plants and eat the nitrates.

P.S. touch down dolphin is not so bad. Thanks for your help.
 
Bderick67 said:
Your LFS guy is an idiot.
Click to expand...

I agree, you have high nitrates because you are feeding too much or letting waste build up somewhere (probably in your filters), or not doing enough water changes. You don't need another thread on how to lower nitrates its simple, don't overfeed, clean your tanks and filters regularly and change your water frequently.
 
You can experiment with plants it may or may not help. I have had planted tanks that have zero nitrates but the plants heavily out number the fish. Your best bet is to just increase water changes, either by volume, frequency or a little of both.

What size tank and stock do you have?
 
mzhantsche said:
Ok...yes i agree my LFS guy is an idiot.....so i am putting together a sump right now to add to the tank. I planned on having a section for more ceramic rings and a large section for plants. Should i just do all plants? I was also going to to a alge screen which im hopping will work like the plants and eat the nitrates.

P.S. touch down dolphin is not so bad. Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
If your ammonia and nitrites are zero you shouldn't need more ceramic rings, though it would be wise to have the space to add more in the future if there is a need. Never had a sump but with what research I have done it seems feasible to have a chamber that will contain your rings and an extra chamber for experimenting with plants or extra rings if the plants don't work out for you.
 
Well technically speaking, yes they could if you don't rinse them often. All those gunks and detritus would get stuck inbetween them and break down into nitrates
 
Bderick67 said:
Nitrates come from nitrites which come from ammonia, there is nothing else that creates nitrates. You need to either increase water changes, reduce feedings, reduce stock or add a whole bunch of plants. These are the cheapest, easiest ways to reduce nitrates. Your LFS guy is an idiot.
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
So my tank specs.....16" black aro, 2x 11" bichir, 5"motoro, 3" sebea mono. Fx5, fulvul 404. 180gal (60"x30"x24").

I do a 70gal water change once a week. I dont have time in my week to do two changes a week. I feed almost all live food but i always make sure their is nothing left over after their done. My sebea mono dose a great job of eating any little peices that fall out of anyones mouth. I feed crickets,mealworms,frozen shrimp, and massivor pellets/aro pellets. I dont feel im over feeding and ive only missed a water change once.

I know everything will get bigger and i will upgrade or sell them off once they get too big. As of now i dont feel im over stocked.

I havent cleaned my canisters in about 5 months. I guess its time to do so. Ill probably clean out my fx5 first and wait two weeks to do the 404. That way it dosent shock the tank. good idea?

Ive never rinsed the crap off my ceramic rings in the canisters. I know they are dirty. I thought it was a big "no no" to even lightly rinse ceramic rings.

Im smashing my head against the wall trying to get the nitrates down.

supprised no one said anything about the sand. My bottem dwelling fish stir up sand quite a bit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom