HI NITRATES-help

rbell219

rbell219

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Nov 12, 2005
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I have very hi nitrates in my 55 gal. 5 20% water changes weekly have done nothing. My gravel is almost new as clean as new at this point. Everything else is fine--ph, nitrite, ammonia. I have a penguin 170 and a 330 power filters. The 330 has bio-wheels that are about 6 yrs old. The advice I get is never change the bio-wheels, but those are the only thing that hasn't been cleaned. I completely took apart and cleaned both filters and the cartridges are 5 weeks old. I also have ammo-chips in the baskets in the 330.

Are my bio-wheels the cause? (I only feed a pinch every other day)
If I remove them, am I left with no bio-filtration? (I don't use UGF or power heads)

Please help---removing all the rocks and rebuilding the cave structure for my African Cichlids every week is getting frustrating when no changes are occuring.
 
the nitrates are off the chart--the test water turns blood red 30 seconds into the 1 minute shaking.

9 baby africans
1 baby pleco
1 adult loach
all happy and thriving
 
rinsing bio-wheels

It is Ok to rinse off the bio-wheels. I shake and tap the wheel in the water leaving the hose to the sink from the fish tank during water change. If I don't do this ocasionally, I find there is stuff floating in the tank, after it falls off the wheels. Be sure to try to get water behind the paper on the wheel, that is where the build up sticks, in the folds on the inside.
 
one more thing

More importantly, you need to step up those water changes.

5 weeks of 20% water changes are not enough to make up for the lack of water changes before that.

I suggest 20% water change a day until the nitrates are down to 10 ppm. Then let it go a week and see how the nitrates test. Your target should be a max of 20 ppm, with whatever water change it takes on a weekly basis to keep the max at that. You may need to do more than 20% weekly, maybe 30% or 50%. Test each week until you know that it is stable.

Do not do too large a water change now, for the tank water may be very different than the tap water and this can harm fish. 20% a day will let them adjust.

Be sure to have temp correct and condition water properly, if you are unsure if the tap water has chloramines or chlorine, use Prime.
 
okwhat about the 6 yr old biowheels----just clean them or replace/get rid of them
my concern is that they are the source and therefore leaking the nitrates in.

oh yeah---i use fake plants made of fabric. They are aqaurium plants and they aren't that dirty. The africans eat off them between feedings. I am only concerned that they too hold and nurture the nitrates.
 
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nitrates are the end result of food

Nitrates are the end result of all the filtration in the tank, the start of that is the food you add to the tank.

Keep the biowheels, they are good for nearly forever. I've even put one in the attic left it dry for a month in terrible heat, then put it in a new tank and had it cycle in a week.

Nitrates are telling you that you need to do more water changes. Or feed a lot less. Your choice.
 
when you clean your filters, how do you clean them? are you scrubbing them clean or just rinsing in tank water? if you are scrubbing them clean or using chlorinated water, you are losing any bacteria that have colonized in there. although, with the bio wheel you wouldn't think that would be a problem. just some thoughts.
 
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