Nitrate

[Tara]

Hi

My sister has a saltwater tank which has been setup for about 5 years, She has tried everything the book told her and the LFS but her Nitrate is still high I know I havent given any info but she told me she has tried everything she has been told and now she cant remember what she has tried. So any ideas on how to lower nitrate would be appreciated, the tank cost them over $2500 dollars so it is a big tank she had live rock but it died when the tank was first set up but she has left it in there she changes her water regular and they get there water from the ocean.

Thanks

Tara

[Bren MacFish]

Did she try a new test kit? Sometimes they're dodgy.

First tank guide says:

""Cycling the tank" means that you are establishing a bacteria bed in your biological filter to remove the toxins that the fish's metabolism creates. There are right and wrong ways to do this, and several things you can do to slow this process (which you don't want to do). There are two steps to cycling, but you don't have to do anything special for either of them. First, your filter will grow a culture of bacteria that digest ammonia and turn it into Nitrite (which is more toxic than the ammonia in hard water or water with a higher pH), then your filter produces bacteria that digest Nitrite and turn it into relatively harmless Nitrate. However, Nitrate will contribute to loss of appetite and stress in your fish, as well as contributing to algae growth, so it is important to do regular small water changes to keep your tank in best condition."

In a planted tank the plants help out by using up some of the Nitrate and Nitrite for themselves. Perhaps the live rock performed a similar function? If the liverock died then perhaps it is breaking down and making the water harder? She doesn't wash out her filter in tap water or anything like that does she? Is there any type of flora in there at all?

Actually, the main question is what effect this extra nitrate has on the fishes that she can notice. If it's not causing a problem then trying to over-control it might.

[Chuckie]

the only mathod guaranteed to remove nitrate is water changes - BUT: if there is high nitrate in the replacement water, that won't help.

I believe you can also buy a nitrate sponge which may help absorb some.

[Tara]

Here is some more info my sister sent, she also said to say Thanks as you have helped her understand better how her setup works

I haven't tried any other test kit then the Saltwater master Liquid test kit that we where put onto when we first brought the tank. But i will try a differnet Brand to see if it makes a differents.

We did have an algae problem but when we spoke to the Pet shop the mentioned that we may be leaving the light on to long which helps with the growth of the algae, so for the last 8 months we only put the light on to view them and a couple of hours at night.

When i clean the filter i wash and rinse all the parts in the water i have taken out of the fish tank when doing a water change.

There is no flora in the tank at all just dead rock, we where thinking of getting more live rock and throwing away the dead rock.

We have just two fish in the tank at the moment, and i haven't notice them being any different the dont seemed stressed and the both eat every day. The Nitrate has being high for a long time now i think they have just got use to it. But i am abit worried about putting new fish and new live rock in the tank is this a good idea?

Tara