Water changes

D

damion

AC Members
Feb 23, 2003
136
0
0
Visit site
My tank was crystal clear but nitrates read 80ppm. Started 20% daily h20 changes which brought nitrates down to 20ppm but then the cloudiness started and continued for 2 months. Lfs suggested cutting back on the h20 changes because the bacteria isn't able to establish itself. Stopped the daily changes and after 4 days, the tank became clearer. Been doing weeking 20% changes, nitrates up to 100ppm but tank is crystal clear.
Also fishes showing signs of no appetite. Is that a result of high nitrates? Otherwise, they look normal and swimming around.
 
Stick with the 20% changes a day for about 5 days, maybe try something called BacterLife. it puts in good bacteria that will be taken out from the changes, and removes sludge.
 
your fish will be suffering with the high nitrates. i agree with Majorfish, stick with the water changes for 4 days, and test the water again.

what size tank? what fish do you have?

live plants will help to remove nitrates from the water, hornwort and wisteria are some of the best for using up nitrates.
 
As you have seen clear water doesn't always tell the whole story. Your tank is obviously cycled as there are nitrates being formed. The damage from nitrates comes from long term exposure so don't rush to get them lower. It sounds like there is too much food getting into your tank which is gettign turned into nitrates as the waste breaks down.

What exactly do you do for water changes? Do you use a gravel vacuum, do you change the filter media?

The cloudiness is probably a bacterial bloom, this comes when there is too much of a food source and the bacteria quickly grow in number. This won't hurt the fish and will eventually die back down.

One option for you is to look into live plants, they will consume nitrates.

And for now I would try 30% water changes twice a week, see where that leads.
 
Cloudy water most often is caused by an imbalance in the populations of normal microorganisms in the tank (usually not those involved in oxidizing ammonia and nitrites). If your water clears after several days of no water changes but clouds up with more frequent changes, you may be exporting too many of these helpful organisms to maintain balance. That would make me suspect that RTR is on the right track with his question about stocking levels. What fish, and how many, are in the tank? What is your feeding regimen?

Jim
 
Plants don't do good in my tank. Tried some swords that just turn brown and wither w/time. Other types of plants also die. I have a 46 bow tank w/:
(3) 5" bala sharks
(1) 4" indo dat
(2) 2" silver dats
Feed either once or twice daily only enough to consume. (krill, brine shrimp)
 
The high bioload is part of your problem--that's a lot of fish in a small tank. The nitrates will likely remain high until the bio-load is lowered. Frequent water changes will help to dilute the nitrates, but what it really comes down to is too many fish that will get bigger than that tank allows.
 
Choosing the right plants will also help, at least until a bigger home can be found, specially for bala sharks. Java fern, java moss, crypts all do well in lower light tanks. Amazon swords need much higher light to grow. Also be aware taht many plants will experience die off when placed intoa new tank. Swords typically loose their leaves and regrow newer leaves once added to a new tank.

And at most i would feed once a day, occasionally skipping a day, so probably 5 times a week. Fish will eat as long as there is food as they are opportunaistic eaters, but they do not require that level of food, unless they are very young.
 
I'll probably get rid of the Bala sharks then. They don't eat as long as there are food. That's why I was wondering whether high nitrates cause a loss of appetite.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom