Sudden Decrease in Nitrates

D

Darrin

AC Members
Jan 28, 2007
17
0
0
Indianapolis
I inherited a 55 gallon tank with a small 3 insh Oscar last weekend. The tank also came with a 10 inch pleco, for which I think I will need to find another home.

When I got the tank, the nitrates where very high 100 ppm. Daily water changes had them down to 50 to 60 ppm after about six days. Yesterday, I added a canister filter to the tank. This morning my nitrates are reading 15! Is this possible? Can the canister filter be that helpful?
 
canister filters are a godsend, imo.

but at the same time, i didnt think that nitrates were anything but a byproduct of biofiltration. plants like em, though.
 
When I got the tank, the nitrates where very high 100 ppm
Click to expand...
can yuo elaborate? presumably the tank came to you empty so it didn't come with nitrates in it. the gravel may have been dirty which certainly would contribute but presumably you cleaned that all up? if you tested the water for nitrate as soon as you set it up, the only way for it to test at 100 ppm nitrate would be if your tap water had such levels. if it does, you've got a bigger problem. water changes would certainly account for a drop in levels from 100 to 50 ppm but a sudden drop to 15?

the cannister has nothing to do with the level of nitrate in your water. the same thing would have happened if you'd had an HOB filter.

there's something you're not telling us.
 
When I moved the tank last weekend, I kept about 10 percent of the old water, the gravel, filter media, etc. I used tap water to fill the tank back up, is essence doing a 90 percent water change. Being a new to this, I am sure I made some mistakes. Once I had the tank up and running again, I tested the nitrates and they where very high, 100 ppm. I then started vacuuming the gravel, which was incredibly dirty. The water for like 8 or 9 buckets was a dark muddy brown from all the stuff I was vacuuming away.

I did daily water changes, and after six days the nitrates where at 50 to 60 ppm. I added the canister filter yesterday, and this morning when I checked the nitrates it was 15 ppm. I am using a liquid test from Aquarium Pharmecticuals.

I was getting ready for work, so maybe I did not do the test correctly. I didn't think it was possible for a filter to be able to help lower nitrate levels, but I was hoping. I'll look closer at my levels tonight when I do my daily water change.

My tap water, which is what I am using, tested at 0 for nitrates on several occasions.

I also added a UV light, if that makes a difference.
 
Last edited:
I then started vacuuming the gravel, which was incredibly dirty. The water for like 8 or 9 buckets was a dark muddy brown from all the stuff I was vacuuming away.
Click to expand...
bingo ;-) your nitrates went down because you cleaned up the system. the decrease to 15 was part and parcel of this.
 
The nitrates went down from 100 ppm to 50 or so after I vacummed the gravel. I vacummed the gravel last weekend. Would the nitrate level continue to drop slowly after the vacuuming or would it just plummet?

I would think if you remove the gunk, it would just fall immediately. Whatever the case, I just hope it really is 15 ppm.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom