nitrates in shark tank
- Thread starter cohl120
- Start date
i try to do it once a week, but the substrate seems pretty clean and when i use a vac, and i am not going to lie i mainly just pick up sand with the vac, i have been trying to find a good way to clean the sand without removing a bunch of the sand in the process, but have had little luck, i also just target feed to try and avoid any uneaten food
You're like my new waterchanging hero!! I wish I had what it takes for preheated RO waterchanges every three days! You've got some lucky sharks. You take care of them well. My nitrate is minimum 30 to 50 ppm and that's with all sorts of gadgets and WCs.
I'm vodka dosing now and it really works. Something reefers do all the time and I'm seeing results already.
I'm vodka dosing now and it really works. Something reefers do all the time and I'm seeing results already.
One other quick thing, when comparing home aquaria to institutional aquariums, 100 ppm is the same concentration in 100 gallons of water as it is in 100,000 gallons. Or maybe I'm wrong but I thought parts per million were the same no matter how much water you're looking at
^ Correct. PPM or PPT is the same no matter what volume you are talking about.
As for the gravel vac... two tricks for ya:
Run your hose into a smaller hose to slow down the suction in the vac.
or
Pinch off the hose as you go to control the level of the sand in the large tube.
Some of the exhibits I vac have a very fine sand, and people tell me it can't be vac'd at all. It just takes a bit of practice, but it can be done.
As for the gravel vac... two tricks for ya:
Run your hose into a smaller hose to slow down the suction in the vac.
or
Pinch off the hose as you go to control the level of the sand in the large tube.
Some of the exhibits I vac have a very fine sand, and people tell me it can't be vac'd at all. It just takes a bit of practice, but it can be done.
There are shark aquarists with a regular nitrate level below 5 ppm, and even some with nitrate levels of 0 ppm.
Yes - nitrates are the least toxic of the nitrogen byproducts, but they are still nitrogen based. And sharks are more sensitive to nitrogen build-up in their tissues, than most other fishes. So why not shoot for lowest levels possible. Instead of being a minimalist and settling for "oh, 50ppm is safe, so why should I attempt to keep it any lower" . The shark will generally be healthier for it.
Btw - different species of sharks can react differently to nitrates. Some species can tolerate nitrates levels as high as 250ppm, while others may have problems at 50 ppm.
Yes - nitrates are the least toxic of the nitrogen byproducts, but they are still nitrogen based. And sharks are more sensitive to nitrogen build-up in their tissues, than most other fishes. So why not shoot for lowest levels possible. Instead of being a minimalist and settling for "oh, 50ppm is safe, so why should I attempt to keep it any lower" . The shark will generally be healthier for it.
Btw - different species of sharks can react differently to nitrates. Some species can tolerate nitrates levels as high as 250ppm, while others may have problems at 50 ppm.
