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Help & Advice_ Nitrite/Nitrate levels

brads

Member
Joined
1 Oct 2013
Messages
75
Location
Co Down.
Hi All,

After carrying out some test I have found the following:

Ph 6.8
Ammonia 2.0 ppm
Nitrite 5.0 ppm
Nitrate 20 ppm

Aquarium 240l, pressurised Co2 ,and heavily planted.

Assistance gratefully appreciated.

Regards,

Billy
 
Hi Billy,

I hope there is no livestock in your tank with those readings, the nitrite and ammonia will be quite unpleasant for them if there are? Has the tank been recently setup and how mature/big is the filter?

Mike
 
What would you like assistance with?

Chances are, the tests you have used are inaccurate, since most sold in shops are. How long has the tank been set up? If everything is growing healthily, you need not worry about the above figures.
 
Hi Mike,

The tank has been setup now since June thus year.

I have 2 external filters Aquamanta efx 1200 with 2 hydor korolias.

The tank is also stock well of cardinals, otocinclus, levels have been great until now.

I carry out a 50% water change twice weekly



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Hi Henry,

With the levels showing so high, is this going to cause problems with the fish?

I would like advice on how to deal with high levels, and what may be causing it.

The plants and fish are looking very healthy except for some bba

Regards

Billy


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Billy,

When was the last time you cleaned the filters then?
If you fish are ok then it is probably likely that Henry is right and your test kit is not telling the truth.

Mike
 
Hi Mike,

I have a routine of cleaning the filters when I do a water change, every Wednesday and Saturday

I've always had 0 ammonia and nitrites with about 5.0 nitrates
Regards
Billy


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You clean the filters twice a week?

I do mine about once every 8 weeks!

Do you clean them in tank water or tap water?
 
If your plants are growing well, and the fish aren't showing any signs of stress, then you've nothing to worry about.

As for the BBA, your lighting is either too high, or your CO2 levels are unstable or too low during the photoperiod.
 
Hi Mike,
I use tank water! and rinsing all the tray with tank water.
Billy


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Hi Henry,
I have 2x54w Arcadia plant grow pro in a 240l aquarium ,drop checker lime green within 2 hrs of co2 coming on.
Billy


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Is the drop checker lime green before the lights come on?

All this is fairly irrelevant anyway. The results your test yielded are almost certainly wrong. Worry about healthy plant growth and regular water changes, and everything else will be taken care of.
 
Thanks for the info Henry,

The drop checker is green 20 ppm before lights on. 2 hrs after co2 injection drop checker is lime green throughout the period.

Regards
Billy



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I used the API test kit that was recommended by the LFS.

My readings were ok until now!

I don't know whether it is the plant food Im using? it might be over its sell buy date I'm not sure.....

Iv'e ordered Ei starter.

Regards,

Billy
 
How old is your test kit. My old only used once in 2005 odd read 0 ammonia despite adding ammonia to test sample.

My old nitrite kit gave a reading with distilled water and table salt.
 
I would suggest that you forget about the test kit, but worry less about cleaning your filters twice a week. The bacteria that inhabit your filter and are responsible for the nitrification process are not fast reproducers (I speak as a microbiologist). Many people have the impression that bacteria double in number every 20 to 30 minutes - yes they do if they are some of the fast growing pathogens in mammals at temperatures around 37C. Not our filter bacteria which grow at lower temperatures and utilise inorganic materials as a source of energy. You might be lucky and have them double in number every 2 to 3 hours. The consequence of washing your biological filter medium so frequently is that you are washing some/many off the surface (not inside the pores) AND you are removing the sludge/mulm which also contains many of these bacteria.

Cleaning/replacing the mechanical filter material such as matting every couple of weeks is fine, but cleaning the biological every 3 to 6 months, depending on the fish load, is more appropriate.
 
Hi Rodley,

Thanks ever so much for the info. I will start, as you said to clean the filters less frequently.
 
Hi Rodley, there are a few discussions about the effects of rinsing bio media in tank water & even under the tap!
Some people believe that bacteria that inhabit your filter are a lot more hardy than has been thought before & are not washed away at all!
I would personly recommend cleaning the mechanical media at least once a week & the bio media once a month.
 
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