Problem

[JamieC77]

I can't seem to get my nitrate levels to go down. I have a 120 with 4 fish and a couple of plecos. I do a 20 to 30 gallon water change once a week. I even bought purigen cause I have heard a lot of people on here say that it works. My levels are off the charts and I don't know what to do. Thanks for the help.

 

[repair]

I live in Greenwwod, where are you from?

How long has this tank been set up? What about your amonia and nitrites?

 

[dr_sudz]

what type of filtration do you have? When have you last changed the filter media? What kind of test kit are you using? What are the levels reading?

To get your Nitrates lower, I would do 10% water changes ether every other day or even every day until you see your nitrates starting to come down then start to increase the size of the actual water changes to 25 and work to 50% until you are back down to the desired nitrate level.

 

[ercnan]

Check the tap or source makeup water for nitrates too.
What repair said, where in IN.

 

[JamieC77]

I live in Terre Haute. The test kit is just an aquarium pharmaceuticals test kit that I got from the lfs. I have two bio-wheel emperor 400 as my filtration. Each say for up to 80 gallons. I haven't changed my cartridges in a while but I rinse them out pretty often. Do you think it would help to change them? The tank has been set up since last Oct.

 

[JamieC77]

Oh yeah and my ammonia reads zero, my pH reads 7.8, my nitrite is zero. My Nitrate is the only thing that is really high. I haven't tested my tap water I will go do that now.

 

[repair]

Don't rinse your filters in tap water or you can kill the bacteria..... I rinse4 mine in tank water durring the water change.


BTW did you see the post about the cookout next week end?

 

[dr_sudz]

If they haven't been changed in a while I would think I would start by changing one this week and another in 2 weeks from now. and up your water changes, if you have little to no nitrates in your water.

 

[JamieC77]

Repair-What cook out?

I will def change my cartridges soon hopefully that will help. I just tested my tap water nitrates and my test kit says that a level of 40 ppm or less is recommended for freshwater tanks and my tap water tests between 5 and 10 ppm.

 

[JamieC77]

Repair- I also forgot to ask about rinsing the filters. So you just rinse off the filters inside the tank? I would think that you would never be able to get the tank clean if you did that?