Need help with high nitrates

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Trevor0015

Candiru
MFK Member
Sep 24, 2009
112
0
46
Ames Iowa
I am having huge problems with my stingray tank lately. My nitrates and amonia are high especially my nitrates. Here what I have tried to help the situation so far. Water changes every other day from 30 to 75%. I have dosed amonia supplements to get the amonia down. So I am not so concerned about amonia right now. I can't get me rays to eat anything. I believe its because of the nitrates. I have tried everything for me filtration, I changed the filter socks two seperate times, I have cleaned out my bio towers, I have even removed my plants(idk what harm they could do but Im trying to find any solution). I have three larger rays ranging from 12 to 16 inches in a 300 gallon tank. I lost one of my rays because of this issue. I really hope I wont lose any others because of this reason. So I am looking for any ideas to fix this problem. Let me know what you think I am doing wrong or what I may be able to do to fix it thanks.

Trevor
 
What do you mean by cleaning out your biotowers? If you cleaned your biofilter you will have ammonia issues shortly. Large scale Daily water changes is going to be your only solution unless you move your rays till you can properly cycle your tank again. And that many water changes will add stress to already stressed fish. Dosing with ammonia removers brings the ammonia down, but the added chemicals will once again, add stress. Moving to another tank might be the only way to save them if they've stopped eating.

Water changes, regardless if how beneficial they may be are also sources of stress , so you need to be as unobtrusive as you can while doing them. Good luck
 
the nitrates are NOT causing you and issue. You must still have ammonia, or the harm from having ammonia has already been done. Why do you have ammonia? that is what you need to be focusing on. Also, if you have nitrates, then your filters must be doing there job somewhat.


i would move an established filter from another tank on to this tank ASAP. Or move the rays.
 
How long has your tank been set up?

better yet, fill these questions out and we might be able to help faster....
these are some basic questions off of another form, so you may have answered some, but its still good to have the info....

Problem you are having:
1.


Water conditions
2. What type of test kit are you using?
3. water: Readings are?
PH-
Ammonia-
Nitrite-
Nitrate-
4. Water temp?
5. What is your water change schedule (how often and how much)


Tank setup info:
6. Type and depth of substrate?
7. How long has your tank been set up?
8. Method of aeration of water
9. When was the last time you cleaned tank and substrate?
10. What size tank do you have? (gallons/liters and footprint)
11. What type of filtration are you using in your tank? And when you clean it, how do you clean it?
Please post picture of your tank ray is housed in. (if able, this helps us see your tank set up and rays living conditions)


Tankmates and general info :
12. Tankmates and size of tankmates?
13. What and how often do the ray(s) eat and last time fed?
14. How long have you been keeping rays?
15. How old are your ray(s) and sex (age, male or female)?
16. How big is your ray(s)?
 
Yea I was afraid of cleaning out my bio towers but nothing was helping the problem. I'll just stick to a bunch of water changes. Maybe set up a seperate someting to place them in for a couple days.

I was looking for a solution for the high amonia levels and I think I have found the solution to that. So hopefully thats taking care of just hoping frequent water changes will help as well.

Just looking for some solutions, hopefully can figure something out quick.

Trevor
 
The fish total, all rays.. 12-16 inches. Tank has been setup since September (I think somewhere around there) of this year with no problems until recently. Temp is between 80-82.5. Water changes once a week(20-30%) or sometimes once every other week with about double the weekly amount (40-50%). Feed the rays everyday. But lately they haven't been eating so I have had to scoop out all of the food after every feeding. PH is between 7.3 and 7.5. I use sand with some rocks for substrate.

If there are any common meds for rays that could help let me know. I tried prazi pro to see if that would help them eat, but no luck.

Trevor
 
Strange that you would have ammonia problems how much bio media do you have total?

Is there anything that could have caused a huge amount of bio to be dumped into your tank? maybe some rotting food? a ray giving birth? a ray spitting up food etc...
 
Well this all started up and my smallest ray got hit the worst and soon died. Then I removed that ray and did another water change because of the ray dieing. I believe this started up by food being hidden in the overflows rotting. So I quickly got rid of that when I noticed the first way being sick. And so I had thought I had everything under control but ever since my rays barely eat and one hasn't eaten much of anything.

Trevor
 
ammonia can cause problems. Think that even though you may have helped get the ammonia under control, that it is prob the underline problem with them not eating. I would just do water changes, but do every 3 days at 30% to lower the stress to the rays... Check to make sure you got all the food out of the filter that may have gotten stuck in the hoses or in the filter it self.
I would even lower the temp to 78, but thats up to you..
 
Alright thanks for the advice. I was worried I was going to be doing to much water changes and stress them way too much.. So does everything feel more frequent water changes at large scale or 30% every three days? I have been doing every other day at 30-75% lately and I don't know if Im doing more harm than good. Whats everyone else think?

Trevor
 
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