75Gal Goldie tank - high nitrates

F

Fancy75

AC Members
Aug 8, 2010
14
0
0
Ottawa, Ontario
Hi everyone,
I've introduced myself in the newbie area and described all my tanks but I'm having a serious Nitrate problem in my Goldie's tank that I've been battling on and off for about a year.
I just don't know what to do anymore. I must be doing something wrong but have no idea what that might be.

My tank set up is as follows:
(tank set up for 1.5 years)
Approx 1 inch of riverstone type gravel
2-3 plastic plants (depending on how I switch them around)
2 large bubbler stones, one at each end
1 Eheim Cannister filter, rated 90 gallon
1 Eheim Cannister filter, rated 125 gallon

I do weekly water changes of approximately 40% and use Prime conditioner. I add aquarium salt (3-5 tablespoons) and a few drops of Xtreme Garlic.

Hoses are cleaned once a month depending on build up. Maybe 6 weeks or 2 months if not much build up.

Filters are checked weekly but if any cleaning/changing is needed they are done on opposite weeks of each other. I follow the directions of the filters as well as the advice of the local Aquarium place.

I feed them a variety of store bought foods (mostly Saki-Hakari). On hand I have sinking pellets, floating pellets and some veggie flakes. I also feed them things like peas, lettuce, cucumbers, oranges etc. I alternate their foods here and there and sometimes use both sinking and floating pellets at the same time because they are 4 different varieties of goldfish.

My ammonia and nitrites are always zero but the nitrates are always between 40 and 80ppm. Over the last year my PH has lowered (and stayed at) to 6.4 on me twice and I am recently finally getting my PH under control for the second time. Again, the nitrates are consistantly between the 40 and 80ppm.

I spoke to the Aquarium place I go to and it's been suggested I have a KH problem and to use crushed coral in one of my filters to help with the PH.

I have left tap water out over night during both summar and winter for testing to see if that might be part of my problem but it isn't, the water tests fine.

Three of my fish now have serious bouyancy issues and I see the starting of fin and tail rot on two of them with possibly bacterial infections as well.

I'm sure I've probably left needed details out so please let me know what I may have forgotten in order to help me figure out why my Nitrates refuse to ever be at an acceptable level!

Thank you!!
 
Hmmm.....

....."Over the last year my PH has lowered (and stayed at) to 6.4 on me twice and I am recently finally getting my PH under control for the second time. "....

Can you tell us how you are doing this?

can you give us those readings on your tap water...? What is fine for you may show someone else an issue. Especially pH on a sample that has set out over night, and the GH/KH readings of it.

How good do you gravel vac the substrate. In my opinion, at a minimum, you need to up the water change size and frequency.
 
The test kit I use is API master kit for freshwater and buy two a year cuz I can't tell when it expires.

The first PH problem I had I just upped my water changes a bit and watched it grow slowly with the water changes. I found if I did two water changes a week (20% each change) my PH stayed at 7.6 and my Nitrates, althought not perfect, were sitting around 10. I had stopped doing that because the Aquarium place told me I should never being doing 2 water changes a week - which I followed but didn't understand completely because I thought if my tank was continually testing better why would it be wrong?

This time, the above method hasn't worked and have had to use the crushed coral in one of my filters. My PH is now 7.6 for the last couple of weeks.

Tap readings:
PH 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate is either 0 or 5 but if it's 5 I almost can't tell it's so light

Present tank readings
PH 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 40 to 80 (can't tell exactly)

On hand I have an Oxygen test kit (liquid) as well as a KH test kit and just tried testing that for you but I either have no KH in my tap water or I'm not doing it right. The KH test says to add the drops one at a time, capping and turning with each drop, until the water in the tube turns from orange to green. Well, on my first drop the water is blue, then it turns to orange but on the 22nd drop I gave up and decided to ask if I'm doing this wrong.

I will try the KH test on my goldies tank right now.

I gravel vac weekly and there truly isn't much coming up in the tube - I get right into the rocks and underneath
 
Ok so,,,obviously I don't read well LOL

I have the proper readings on the KH now - I re-read the directions :)

KH on tap water takes 2 drops to turn yellow and the tank water takes 3 drops to turn yellow.
 
I agree, we need to know how many fish are in there^

The most feasible way to lower nitrate is by changing more water. It wont harm the fish.

You could try adding plants, but goldies aren't exactly plant friendly. I would think the plants known to be good nutrient suckers would be considered food.

Lowering feeding would also help, even by just a little. Make sure your fish are getting to all the food.
 
Hi Blue,
Sorry I guess since I put that info in my original newbie post I plum forgot to repeat it here. Ooopss...

I have 4 Fancy Goldfish ranging from approximately 2 years old to 4 years old. One fish is a little over 4 inches, two are a bit over 3 inches and one would be a tad smaller. I'm guessing they've had growth problems since I've had water problems for such a long time.
 
if you only have fancy goldfish i would scrap that floating food right away. i use saki hikari with mine and feed peas, courgette and cucumber once or twice a week too. i would say with 4 fancies in a 75g you are not overstocked. maybe overfeeding could be causing some of your problems??? i only feed my fancies once a day, even though its hard not to want to feed more often as they beg in such a cute way :rofl:
 
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for the input....my main source of food is Saki Hakari as well (the purple bag) but 2 of the fish have trouble getting it so when I throw in a few of the medium sized floating pellets (presoaked) the current from the filters seems to move them down into the water where I've seen both of them get some. The other two, which are a little more aggressive are usually too busy to notice since they are eating the food that fell to the bottom.

When I feed the peas they each eat pieces from my fingers, that way I'm positive eveyone is getting some.

I generally feed them twice a day (small portions) for 4 out of 7 days, 2 days are once a day and no food on the 7th day. This changes of course if I'm putting in lettuce etc or feeding peas.

In the very beginning I learned the hard way about overfeeding when my original two Goldies were babies in a 30 gallon tank. I also learned the hardway that I wasn't vacuuming correctly. At the time I only ever took any debris from the top of the gravel not knowing I should be getting INTO the gravel. I've come a long way since then lol. When I do my vacumming now there is hardly any debris to be picked up so I'm guessing (only guessing) I'm feeding them ok.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom