I Reduced tanks high nitrate levels: True or False?

DragonMorayEels

In Memoriam
I not know if any of you can believe this or not but a while ago I changed the salt I was using for I discovered high nitrates in my twin eel tanks. I not often test for nitrates, so I not known this was happening until I decided one day to do a test.

I often use to test for nitrates once every other month and before I switched to Oceanic salt, I was using the coralife salt. I not done a water test on nitrates prier after changing to oceanic salt some ten months ago if not longer for which the last time I did test for nitrates were after the tanks were moved into my new home and next month would been two years for I was finish with the nitrate test after it turn too zero for after that, I should normally have no further need to test anything other then the eel tanks Ph.

Now I not remember if I done five or six water changes for I been very much busy with the kiddies these past weeks. Now do note that I only feed the eels once a week what`re they feed or not and the damsels in their tanks, I not feed each and every day. So little to no food is really being administered here.

So in as little as three weeks, the nitrate levels of 160+ is now back to the tanks normal untraceable levels. Now do note that I am somewhat of in surprise of this for I never done this before in reducing high nitrates in my very own tanks.

I know that if I had so many fish and so in continuing over feedings that this would been a bit long battle to plan out. I still had another water change ready to do and will still do it tonight for I not want it to sit around until the next week for I started making this 32 gals ready yesterday, and today I do the water change.

I was somewhat aggressive in all this for it was important too me to bring those levels down to normal. I do however still have three 200 gals buckets of oceanic that one is open with little salt was used in the last water change that I not had used it because I dump that water and right away went to work on doing a serious of water changes every 4th to 5th day for which the first two of these I did in three days of each other.

I do however expect some negative thoughts from some for which I understand those could never see this being a true statement. But do try to look at this from my view, I not ever over feed in my tanks, I feed the eels once a week what`re the eels feed or not, I feed the damsels in these tanks, but not everyday and sometimes I miss two days many times.

So it was my mistake to not checked for nitrates for so long or better yet in trusting what companies say that there aren't any nitrates. The salt I switched too now is the instant ocean salt, and I will from now on test for nitrates once a month if I need too or not.

I always before told people that I do my water changes to reduce any nitrates in my tanks, I cannot trust this sugar thing even if it works for it isn't a normal part of our marine species everyday life.
I was using the oceanic for one big reason, I can make the 30-32 gals of water for a water change inside of the same day.

Buddy ><{{{{">
 
I think I should said it as; I reduced high nitrate levels: Can you believe it or not :D

Before I was in a hurry and not took thought so much when asked if true or false.
 
I have been using Oceanic salt for a little over a year now. I have noticed that my nitrates are always high. I am happy to know that I am not the only one who was thinking that Oceanic salt was really bad in nitrates. I too have switched back to Instant Ocean. Have you had any problems with red algae? For some reason I can't get rid of it. I have scrub the rock, done tons of water changes, and began to run Rowa Phos. By the way how are your dragons doing?
 
D659600, I told a friend I talk too a lot even in a instant message box that I expect no one to believe the fact that in so short a time period that I had reduced these nitrates so quickly. As well, since these twin eel tanks were moved two years ago, only twice I had to get in these tanks by hand to clean a little, only some thin micro algae that for the most part grows on the overflow boxes.

I have no algae other wise to speak of and I wouldn`t scrub the LR, If your having a time of it to kill the algae on your LR, setup a small or large rubbermaid or something with a powerhead and air pump and use the water from your tank in this when you do water changes and have a cover over this as well, but by no means do you scrub the LR :(

The dragons for the most part, the male survived his ordeal that after I released him from the trapped LR and two days later he was flat on his back acting as he was taking his last breath. He has recovered from it as I said and now only waiting till he would feed.

I have too for the most part of it, I not know at the time of the male dragon eels ordeal of the high nitrates and believe as well that this too had some effect on the eels diet for at the time my pair of goldentails not feed as well for two weeks.

When that day I did the water check on the nitrates (And I thank GOD that I thought to do so at that time) and learned of the problem, I took action too rid the tanks of these nitrates. Only thing was, I not figured that I would accomplished it in so short a period of time for as I said, I not ever had to reduced so high of nitrate levels before.

Buddy
 
Glad to hear that the male dragon is okay. Now hopefully he will begin to eat for you again. My nitrates have not dropped as much as yours has, but I did not change back to Instant Ocean til this past weekend. I am in the works for another water change this weekend.
When I say "scrub" I mean with a kids tooth brush. Little and small strokes. Never hard at all. I know in my area that I live, there are alot of people who have this problem. The local fish store sells this med. that claims to get rid and kill off red algae. I don't think so! You have to constantly keep it in your tank. You can't run your protein skimmer, it pulls it all out. Oh well could be worse. I am glad I have never had to go through what you went through with you eel getting trapped.
 
As I said in that thread that I always known it can and could happen, just funny on why it never happened sooner for I had lots of dealings with many eels back then and now a days I stick with the same eel for its or my own life time. I never even on that time of my trapped dragon eel had started in yanking my hair out for the thing is, one shouldn't give it up just because all may look lost.

I still not as yet had the time to rearranged the LR in the dragons tank, maybe today I can and if not, this weekend. I need to be selective to when I try in removing the tank canopy due to my injury.

For me, I not even would use a tooth brush and just do it in the way I am telling you here. We all have different understandings at most and as it should be for not any two of use may be doing the very same things with our tanks in stocking or maintenance.
I will not however claim that I archived perfection in any way here, only that what I managed within my eel tanks is easy enough and that anyone could do this.

I know properly in how that might sound too you for if you not been in the hobby as long as I, I too can become of error as anyone else for that matter.

For as well, I not as yet started my reef tanks and still I no idea in when, it wont be however until early or mid next year for as well, I will be making some other changes as well like in the tanks calcium reactors and even possibly the skimmers, certainly the skimmer to be on the 240.

As for those media or so like nitrates and phos and so, they do work up to some extent, now they are useless in any long term problem for leaving these items in your canister or sump for too long, can and could only add to the problem. Myself D659600, I not believing in those items.

As for lfs, they would sell you anything they can most to many of them for you will however find one person in those stores (not at ever lfs) who would tell you that it not do anything for you. And that is where these forums come into play, to tell you in these things what is best or better to use.
 
Thanks for the info. I will keep it all inmind when I am out. Have a great weekend chat with you another time
 
I routinely test instant ocean (once per 160 gallon bucket) for nitrates. That is to say I test the water pre mix and post mix and post mix after 24 hour circulated mixing period. I have never detected a nitrate variance beyond what is inherent to the tap water at the time. (about 5-9 mg/L) I've always been an instant ocean person so I don't swap around, never seen the need to....

Hope this helps
 
LRS078, that helps out alot. I wish that I had never changed form Instant Ocean. Lesson learned (bad me).
I have a question , is your queen angel a little mean or laid back?
 
I use Tropic marin as well... and havent noticed any trate probs either. I cant get pH to move above 8.0 though... no matter how much i buffer it?? Oh well... better that its stable i guess.
 
My queen angel is a sweetheart. Then again, she was wild caught with a slurp gun and taken directly into captivity hence never did the whole "net capture>holding>shipment>wholesaler>(shipment 2)>LFS>acclimation" cycle and is only 3.5-4 inches. She is in with a 6" wus of a dogface, 9" longhorn cowfish, 3" starry blenny, a 3" french angel that was co-captured with her, and a couple of inverts. (4" cowrie, 3" mean SOB of a hermit that she tries to get to clean her, and I *think* still a brittle star that hitched in on a piece of rock from another tank) That is the "chill" tank....IF she ever gets too pushy I'll move her to the other tank. (10" golden puffer, 5.5" emperor angel, 4.5" purple tang, 5" miniatus, 4.5" niger w/ no inverts) In my experience if you grow a fish up from a smaller size (they grow quick!) you get a far more social critter than buying a breeding size/age specimen from the ocean.
 
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