Sand is about 2" deep, its stirred once a week with the siphon. Test kit isn't even 6 months old. Fish seem fine, other than my Oscar who was HLLE, which he had when I rescued him from a overstocked and neglected 60G tank. I've also restricted feedings to every second day and to less food. I guess ill keep doing 25%-30% daily water changes. If I don't notice something in a week, Ill try a new test kit. Also I agree, sometimes the API kits are very hard to read, it looks like either 80 or 160ppm, depending on the lighting, very frustrating.
Need some help...Nitrates.
- Thread starter mahoney709
- Start date
Did you test your water out of the tap? This time of year water can do strange things. Flooding and drought can both cause spikes in the muni water system.
I would just do one large water change of 80% and then retest the water right after. If there is no difference in nitrate levels, then there is something wrong with the test kit.
Just done another 50-60% change, the seem to have dropped when I read it under a fluorescent light. Under a fluorescent they read about 10-20ppm. HOWEVER, under a incandescent light they look SKY high, like 80-160ppm. Which would you trust?
I would trust a new kit lol, or even some strips
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step outside...
If they are still high go threw your filters and pull and rinse everything in tank-water during a water change ( toss the mucky water out obviously) and put it all back together to make sure you don't have any dead spots in those. I've had that happen before.
If they are still high go threw your filters and pull and rinse everything in tank-water during a water change ( toss the mucky water out obviously) and put it all back together to make sure you don't have any dead spots in those. I've had that happen before.
I have a feeling if you don't rinse out your canisters regularly, that may be the problem.
Non-regularly cleaned canister filters can be mega nitrate producers.
And by regular, I mean whenever you do a water change.
many people think canisters can go for months without a cleaning. But gunk taken in by the filter is not out out the tank, just out of sight, and is a nitrate producing factory.
Non-regularly cleaned canister filters can be mega nitrate producers.
And by regular, I mean whenever you do a water change.
many people think canisters can go for months without a cleaning. But gunk taken in by the filter is not out out the tank, just out of sight, and is a nitrate producing factory.
