Lowering Nitrates
- Thread starter carsonrm01
- Start date
Rocksor I havent. I still use buckets and doing 25 percent is tough. Tank is 35g. What would you recommend doing?
I personally use buckets also you could do bi-weekly wc's which will equal 50% but you will have to test parameters and find out if that's enough to lower Nitrate level you want.
What city (or water district) do you live?
I'll see if I can locate their water quality report.
Since your tank only 35 gallons, a 50 % water change twice per week would not be overkill.
I do 30-40% water changes on my 180 gal every other day.
Below is a link to the Erie PA drinking Water report.
If you scroll down, you will see nitrate from the water facility is less than 1 ppm.
It is typical US Great Lakes water, (my source in the US was Lake michigan).
This is great, plentiful water for fish that appreciate harder, high pH water, Normal pH in Erie is 8+.(process treatment in the plant may lower pH a bit.)
Lake Michigan is around 8.4 pH, but treatment brought tap water pH down to about 7.8
If your test is registering higher nitrate from the tap, I expect you are not rinsing the tubes properly, or your test reagents are expired, you are not waiting for reagents to react, or using less than accurate technique.
2017 Water Quality Report – Erie and Surrounding Communitieswww.eriewater.org › wqr › 2017wqr.erie.pdf
If you scroll down, you will see nitrate from the water facility is less than 1 ppm.
It is typical US Great Lakes water, (my source in the US was Lake michigan).
This is great, plentiful water for fish that appreciate harder, high pH water, Normal pH in Erie is 8+.(process treatment in the plant may lower pH a bit.)
Lake Michigan is around 8.4 pH, but treatment brought tap water pH down to about 7.8
If your test is registering higher nitrate from the tap, I expect you are not rinsing the tubes properly, or your test reagents are expired, you are not waiting for reagents to react, or using less than accurate technique.
2017 Water Quality Report – Erie and Surrounding Communitieswww.eriewater.org › wqr › 2017wqr.erie.pdf
I've never seen the value in doing less than a 50% water change.
Not trying to be snarky, because I've been there after surgeries and whatnot, where it's painful or impossible to do the bucket routine, but if a 25% water change on a small tank like this is difficult, you've got to plan out your setup better.
Locate it near a sink or drain so you can use hoses or a python type water changer.
I still do the bucket toss for a 29g and 55g I have setup, but I only do them every other week and it's only ~60% or so.
Every aquarium I set up (I only have 4 currently), one of the first things to do is to paint with marker a small black line on the left edge of the tank, mid-way between top and bottom of plastic frames. This is my ~50% line (although it actually is slightly more due to substratum, not filing to the very top, etc.) This is what I strive for. This works for every size and shape of tank, regardless of volume. During water changes, I aim at going below that line by as much as I can without stressing the fish, messing the landscaping. I do this every Sunday, regardless of parameter readings, which I confess I could do more often. I estimate I am changing 60-70% of water once per week. I wish I could do this twice a week, but it is tough for me. It seems to work well enough.
As this thread unravels it is becoming increasingly more obvious to me what the problem is. I just automatically thought that it was a high nitrate reading from your tap but it seems your tap water is good.
The problem is that maintainance, although it can be a pain, is much easier to face if you have a simple procedure in place for doing said maintainance. If you don't, then maintainance becomes a real chore and it's easy for the hobbyist to allow their schedule to slip, which you can't afford to do, as you're finding out.
Simply put, if you want those nitrates down you must change out more water. Whether that's using your current bucket method, or you get a python, or you install a drip system, whatever.
If you decide against change, i'd suggest getting rid of some of your fish to give you a bio load that is commensurate with a 25% water change schedule.
The problem is that maintainance, although it can be a pain, is much easier to face if you have a simple procedure in place for doing said maintainance. If you don't, then maintainance becomes a real chore and it's easy for the hobbyist to allow their schedule to slip, which you can't afford to do, as you're finding out.
Simply put, if you want those nitrates down you must change out more water. Whether that's using your current bucket method, or you get a python, or you install a drip system, whatever.
If you decide against change, i'd suggest getting rid of some of your fish to give you a bio load that is commensurate with a 25% water change schedule.
My $.02 on nitrates:
Stocking also has to be considered. An overstocked tank will be tough to keep up even doing lots of water changes. Water parameters are an indicator that a tank is overstocked.
Over feeding. Fish do not need to be fed every day let alone multiple times a day as fish food companies will suggest. This is a major contributor and often overlooked.
Tank size matters here too. Larger volume of water should mean less water changes w/ proper stocking.
Clean your filters weekly or biweekly w/ tank water. Canister filters or any biological filtration will be a nitrate factory.
Keep a regular water change schedule. Don’t skip.
The tap water causing high nitrates to be high is BS unless you live in a 3rd world country. It’s not going to make your nitrates go through the roof. If your nitrates are that high in tap water you shouldn’t be drinking or even showering. And if they are that high, move or don’t keep fish. It would be cruel to keep them knowing that their health will suffer. If my water was like that no way would I keep them. That’s selfish putting your wants first.
Stocking also has to be considered. An overstocked tank will be tough to keep up even doing lots of water changes. Water parameters are an indicator that a tank is overstocked.
Over feeding. Fish do not need to be fed every day let alone multiple times a day as fish food companies will suggest. This is a major contributor and often overlooked.
Tank size matters here too. Larger volume of water should mean less water changes w/ proper stocking.
Clean your filters weekly or biweekly w/ tank water. Canister filters or any biological filtration will be a nitrate factory.
Keep a regular water change schedule. Don’t skip.
The tap water causing high nitrates to be high is BS unless you live in a 3rd world country. It’s not going to make your nitrates go through the roof. If your nitrates are that high in tap water you shouldn’t be drinking or even showering. And if they are that high, move or don’t keep fish. It would be cruel to keep them knowing that their health will suffer. If my water was like that no way would I keep them. That’s selfish putting your wants first.
