Help with nitrates in brackish.

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xenacanth9

xenacanth9

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Apr 19, 2021
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Hello, I currently own a brackish tank with a salinity of about 1.010.
I have tested the nitrates a number of times, and if the tests are accurate, then my nitrate levels are absolutely abysmal. Like, 100+ ppt. I've tried everything. Live plants, extra filtration, live oysters, large water changes, (my county's water is very low in nitrates and nitrites) and more. Literally NONE of those have seemed to work, even in the slightest.

However, I am slightly skeptical that these tests are accurate. Here's why.

For reference, I use Tetra's 5-in-1 strips.

As some may point out, the freshwater and saltwater nitrate charts sometimes look different, and since my water is in between, I figured my strips could be off.

Next, my water is very clear, and I have a own of species that are sensitive to nitrites and nitrates, (puffers, etc,) that have exhibited no signs of strange or labored behavior whatsoever, and this has remained consistent for quite a while. I feel like if my nitrates are really as high as the strips would make them appear, I would have a lot more issues. It just seems off.

tl;dr, I have a brackish tank at 1.010sg, I use Tetra 5-in-1s that tell me my nitrates are crazy high, however, that just doesn't seem to correspond at all with the state of my tank. I know that freshwater and saltwater strips sometimes look different, so I would like to know whether or not that is a good way to measure brackish parameters. If you do think this is accurate, PLEASE suggest ways to help. I've tried chemicals, herbal solutions, additional oxygen sources, and a whole lot more. I just feel like if there really is such a bad nitrate problem, and if it really has been going on this long, it would show.
 
Try out the liquid test kit, might give better results.100 does seem like a lot for puffers (or anything) to be unaffected.
 
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Backfromthedead said:
What's your tank size and stocking? What is your water change routine? How often and how much? What are you feeding and how much and how often?
Click to expand...
55 gallons, 4 very young puffers, 1 juvenile mud moray, 3 columbian sharks no longer than 4 inches each (I have upgrade plans for pretty much all of them that I have planned out extensively and fully intend on executing, don't worry,) and various small minnows, guppies, gobies, etc.
I perform water changes, usually between 25%-75%, depending on the state of the tank, no less than once a month. I feed usually from every other day to every day. The typical food rotation includes snails, sun dried shrimp, silversides, frozen cube foods, and flakes for the smaller stuff. Rarely do I use more than 2 of these on any given day. I never feed more than 15 small snails at a time, no more than 8 shrimp on any given day, no more than 1 silverside on any given day, and no more than 1 cube on any given day. And, again, I seldom feed 2 or more different foods on any given day, and I also take out most uneaten food, and never feed frozen foods when there is still some left in the tank that's still good.
 
xenacanth9 said:
55 gallons, 4 very young puffers, 1 juvenile mud moray, 3 columbian sharks no longer than 4 inches each (I have upgrade plans for pretty much all of them that I have planned out extensively and fully intend on executing, don't worry,) and various small minnows, guppies, gobies, etc.
I perform water changes, usually between 25%-75%, depending on the state of the tank, no less than once a month. I feed usually from every other day to every day. The typical food rotation includes snails, sun dried shrimp, silversides, frozen cube foods, and flakes for the smaller stuff. Rarely do I use more than 2 of these on any given day. I never feed more than 15 small snails at a time, no more than 8 shrimp on any given day, no more than 1 silverside on any given day, and no more than 1 cube on any given day. And, again, I seldom feed 2 or more different foods on any given day, and I also take out most uneaten food, and never feed frozen foods when there is still some left in the tank that's still good.
Click to expand...

Only thing I can think is more water changes. I would be thinking 25-50% weekly at least. You're well stocked in that tank and frozen foods can be troublesome with waste buildup.

Otherwise try the liquid test kit, it's possible your results are skewed a bit, but in all honesty I would be expecting those levels of nitrate with primarily frozen feeding and once a month changes.
 
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Update: Those test results had to have been wrong, because my tank has flourished since with really no issues
 
I wouldn't trust test strips even under ideal conditions, and brackish water likely makes their accuracy even more suspect.

But as stated by Backfromthedead Backfromthedead , your water changes don't sound near adequate for that tank. The frozen cubes are particularly worrisome. If you thaw a cube of frozen food in a glass of water, you know that it produces a bit of food on the bottom of a glass full of cloudy soup. That's pure pollution in a tank, impossible for fish to utilize but guaranteed to give your nitrifying bacteria a workout and cause your nitrates to skyrocket.
 
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