what ways of lowering nitrate

[tarheel96]

I see what you did. Nice!

Yes, I was unsuccessfully attempting to calculate the 82% using ammonium (NH4), which I think would be useful only at low pH levels.

You're right .. it would be better to use NH4 because usually 95% of total ammonia is in that form unless pH is over 8.0.

 

[DN328]

It seems OP kept all routine the same with the only variable being less feeding. I think he mentioned the nitrates are lower than what they would typically be if he feed more shrimp. Not conclusive, but that may have contributed to the 40ppm.

OP, two shrimps the size of a shot glass is a lot imo. At six inches I was feeding my Leichardti a couple krill and pellets (along with other mixes).

Also, do you have substrate? If so, do you vacuum during WC?

 

[Hendre]

I'm not sure where you read that, but people who say that are routinely debunked:

1) Almost everyone's pH changes, sometimes dramatically, when they do a water change. It's unavoidable since pH will change between water changes and in fact changes every 24 hour cycle. Just bringing a fish home will often subject it to a large pH swing. If huge pH changes harmed fish, it would be commonly known by the millions of people who do water changes.

2) Published experiments have been done (using multiple species of fish) testing reactions to being moved from one pH level to another that's dramatically different (e.g., differences of 9 to 6, or 5.5 to 8.5) and fish weren't harmed. Even instantaneous changes do not harm fish.

3) Innumerable species have been found to have the ability to live in a wide ranges of pH (from as low as 4.5 to as high as over 10) without being harmed.

4) Otoh, I've not seen a single study where healthy fish were taken from one pH level and placed into another one, where any harm was shown to have been been given to the fish. This would of course be a remarkably easy and inexpensive test. Companies that make products that adjust pH would certainly want people to believe their product would genuinely fix a serious problem. So, why no studies?

5) This myth likely comes from the fact that fish sometimes die after a large water change because the owner forgot to dechlorinate the water properly or introduced some inadvertent poison into the water (e.g., hand lotion or skin cream.) They then are told (without evidence) that "pH changes" led to the deaths. This is then repeated over and over as if it's true.

The cause of an otherwise uninjured fish dying is (in most cases) largely conjecture without an autopsy. Were it only so that we could determine cause of death sans any evidence whatsoever.


Different pH levels will affect eggs and fry, and perhaps inhibit breeding. It can inhibit BB and perhaps affect diseases or healing. It may even have long term health effects. But juvenile to adult fish rarely if ever seem to be affected by "sudden" pH swings in any range (5-9) that an aquarium would normally be found.

I think the main thing is osmotic shock, from a big difference in TDS which can be related to PH with the hardness and such. You can drop the PH without messing with the hardness levels if the buffering capacity is surpassed. And if there's enough acidity you can add solids to the water without increasing the PH too much. Fertilizers and other things can mess with TDS too so I think that's more important than PH.

Am I right?

As for nitrate, get some elodea. Grows extremely fast and is a nitrate vacuum

 

[Drstrangelove]

I think the main thing is osmotic shock, from a big difference in TDS which can be related to PH with the hardness and such. You can drop the PH without messing with the hardness levels if the buffering capacity is surpassed. And if there's enough acidity you can add solids to the water without increasing the PH too much. Fertilizers and other things can mess with TDS too so I think that's more important than PH.

Am I right?

As for nitrate, get some elodea. Grows extremely fast and is a nitrate vacuum

Interesting.

My post was strictly related to pH changes alone. The classic argument is that sudden pH changes can kill fish. This is what I responded to in my post largely based on the attached, but also based upon enormous amounts of anecdotal and imputed experiences from people changing tank water.

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb5/water_issues/basin_plans/ph_turbidity/ph_turbidity_04phreq.pdf

Quoted from the study:

Although it was once believed that fish could not tolerate sudden pH changes, studies conducted by Brown and Jewell (1926) and Wiebe (1931) showed that certain fish species could tolerate such rapid changes, within the normal pH range.

Brown and Jewell (1926) observed catfish and perch living in a bog lake having a pH of 4.4-6.4, and also in a nearby glacial lake having a pH of 8.2-8.7. These researchers demonstrated that the fish from both lakes survived transfer from one lake to another. Wiebe (1931) reported that sunfish (Lepomis spp.) and goldfish (Carassius auratus) survived rapid changes from pH 7.2 to 9.6 (2.4 units); largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from pH 6.1 to 9.6 (3.5 units); and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) from pH 6.6 to 9.3 (2.7 units).



My hunch is that if pH is highly correlated to TDS, then these tests appear to demonstrate that rapid TDS changes generally do not effect fish. Conversely, of course, if pH and TDS are minimally correlated (or not correlated at all), then these tests only suggest that rapid pH changes are safe.

But I don't think I'd argue that rapid osmotic changes are safe. Using salt as an example, it's been proven that rapid addition of salt (as opposed to gradual addition) can be lethal to freshwater fish which might have otherwise survived a gradual addition.

 

[Hendre]

My hunch is that if pH is highly correlated to TDS, then these tests appear to demonstrate that rapid TDS changes generally do not effect fish. Conversely, of course, if pH and TDS are minimally correlated (or not correlated at all), then these tests only suggest that rapid pH changes are safe.

It can be but not 100%. Fertilizer and other substances added to the tank csn also effect the tds. And when the shock is big it can have adverse effects on osmoregulation and the transfer of minerals and water through the scales. This is what I've read.

 

[Mattk1996]

my tank is a 125gal and only housing 1 6" jardini and feed it only once a day with 1 frozen shrimp or 2 shrimp depending the size of the shrimp. my nitrate always climbs up to 40ppm in a week after a 50% water change. I got 2 110aquaclear and 1 fx6. any ways to lower the nitrate or slow the climbs of nitrate? I got 1 plant in the tank.

If u haven’t solved your issue yet how often do you clean your filters and what kind of media do you use

 

[Richard203]

alright heres an update, just saved a bit of money to get the santa monica hog 1.3 i'll let u guys know how it goes with lowering the nitrate down