in my 300g tank I can't seem to get the nitrates below 20 and it is getting me realy flustered so I was wondering if any of you have a nitrate sponge or any other kind of nitrate redusers in a fresh water tank and if they do a good job
nitrate problem
- Thread starter vanilla__gorilla__
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The first question every one will wont to know is, How often do you do water changes and how much each time?
As for nitrate redusers no i do not have any.
As for nitrate redusers no i do not have any.
I tend to have a similar problem..
but lucky for us, nitrates arn't nearly as bad as nitrites. so I just eventually gave up and deal with it. Try not to overfeed, do weekly water changes (when doing so, only vacumn 1 half of the tank 1 week, other half the next, so I don't take all the good stuff too), and perform filter maintance as needed...
I do use from time to time de-nitrate from seachem with some varied results.. Also I beleive tetra just came out with something called nitraban, picked some up but haven't tried it yet. Also keep in mind with most chemicals, you won't get accurate test results. because of the way the chemical reacts and works. You will proabbbly still get a reading on some things, though its not theree, or in small amount, but not in a harmful state. after chemicals, if you want a accurate reading, wait a few days...
but lucky for us, nitrates arn't nearly as bad as nitrites. so I just eventually gave up and deal with it. Try not to overfeed, do weekly water changes (when doing so, only vacumn 1 half of the tank 1 week, other half the next, so I don't take all the good stuff too), and perform filter maintance as needed...
I do use from time to time de-nitrate from seachem with some varied results.. Also I beleive tetra just came out with something called nitraban, picked some up but haven't tried it yet. Also keep in mind with most chemicals, you won't get accurate test results. because of the way the chemical reacts and works. You will proabbbly still get a reading on some things, though its not theree, or in small amount, but not in a harmful state. after chemicals, if you want a accurate reading, wait a few days...
being around 20 is not to bad with most fish. water changes are the best way to get it dowm. good luck
you might even want to test your tap for nitrates. There is a chance you're introducing nitrates during the water change ( in a small amount)
20 is almost nothing...you'll be hard pressed to get it too much lower. Keep in mind, your filters job is to turn amonia and nitrite into nitrate.
20 is almost nothing...you'll be hard pressed to get it too much lower. Keep in mind, your filters job is to turn amonia and nitrite into nitrate.
The only other things I can think of are add and harvest fast growing plants and make sure the gravel and filter housings get cleaned well.
