there are no nitrate eating bacteria. water changes only answer to nitrate creep, make sure you vacuum well, feed appropriately, maintenance your filters and do your water changes. all my tanks get a fin level water change and vacuum every week except the 180, its twice a week. water changes are the only way to keep your nitrates low. you can have less fish and do less water changes, or more fish and more water changes. but either way the water changes need to be done.
high nitrates - always!!! PLEASE HELP
- Thread starter Aglaia
- Start date
Pothos plant, soak the cleaned roots in water, not photo of a plant 
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water changes once a week, i usually try to do it on monday. i test every other day. when i do a 50% change the reading drops to 40-50 ppm for a few days.
is it normal to have high nitrate and everything else be 0?
i have three fish in the aquarium i am gonna venture to say that it is not overpopulation.
pothos plants, ok got it. would something less conventional like duckweed work. i noticed a difference with the marimo and the catappa leaves/branch <----anyone else use catappa?
is it normal to have high nitrate and everything else be 0?
i have three fish in the aquarium i am gonna venture to say that it is not overpopulation.
pothos plants, ok got it. would something less conventional like duckweed work. i noticed a difference with the marimo and the catappa leaves/branch <----anyone else use catappa?
Yes, it is normal to have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites in an established tank, because the beneficial bacteria in your filter/tank convert those to nitrate. This just means you have a cycled tank.
Basically, you need to find the source of the nitrate. Is it possible you have a dead fish hiding somewhere, a place that doesn't get vacuumed regularly, etc.? If there is nothing like that in the tank, when was the last time you cleaned your filters - if left too long they can become nitrate factories. If those are not it, I would say the most likely thing is either a bad testing kit (possibly expired), or you just need to increase your volume and/or frequency of water changes.
Basically, you need to find the source of the nitrate. Is it possible you have a dead fish hiding somewhere, a place that doesn't get vacuumed regularly, etc.? If there is nothing like that in the tank, when was the last time you cleaned your filters - if left too long they can become nitrate factories. If those are not it, I would say the most likely thing is either a bad testing kit (possibly expired), or you just need to increase your volume and/or frequency of water changes.
Not everything out but when you vacuum, you should try to get the vacuum into the substrate, unless of course you have sand; then you just have to a little careful.
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its definitely sandy, about thes ize of cat litter pebbles. i vaccum it then take water out put water in, nitrates will drop, just trying to find a way to keep em as low to 0 as possible. i dont feel having three fish in a 100 g is an overpopulation issue. inplan on getting a buggert ank once the bichir and pleco grow a little larger but one is 6" , other 8", angel is maybe 3" so it seems as though a 100 should be sufficient. i have read treads saying a 55g is enough for senegal bichir (which i respectfully disagree with,s eeing that mine is alway swimming around exploring looking for food playing around). so i am aiming to get a 180 g once i get a place big enough.
is my tank overpopulated at this point?
is my tank overpopulated at this point?
info isn't adding up.
tap water tests clean, SO the test kit isn't bad.
both tanks always test high & the op is doing regular water changes.
What kind of maintenance cleaning are you doing on your filters?
tap water tests clean, SO the test kit isn't bad.
both tanks always test high & the op is doing regular water changes.
What kind of maintenance cleaning are you doing on your filters?
