Nitrate and QT

[Mr31415]

In a QT tank without any algae growth - i.e. like a hospital tank, apart from water changes what natural ways are there for Nitrates to be removed from the water after being created by the nitrification process?

 

[maddyfish]

You could try the sugar thing. There's a thread one the first couple pages about it.

 

[jeffbrig]

Water changes are the primary export. If you want to limit nitrate accumulation, consider adding a small skimmer. I run a Remora on my 55g QT for that reason. With regular water changes, nitrate should never be an issue for fish.

 

[Mr31415]

If my nitrites are VERY high, and I only feed a small quarter of a cube of vegetable matter and same amount brine shrimp once a day for the three fish, and every third day I siphon off the excess food, what is the main source for my nitrates? The food or nitrite -> nitrate by bacteria?

 

[Mr31415]

..Or the fact that I have a large sump with submerged bioballs as sole biofiltration?

 

[jeffbrig]

I use a (gasp!) biowheel filter on my QT, which is probably just as bad at nitrate production. I think of it this way - my primary filtration need in QT is to keep ammonia at bay, and nitrite to a lesser extent.

Another thing you can do is siphon out uneaten food and fish waste on a daily basis. Even if it's not a significant water change, getting stuff out before it decomposes significantly reduces the amount of organic matter that will break down and get locked into the nitrogen cycle.

 

[Mr31415]

That is sort of my problem. I siphon out everything like I said once every three days. Since there is not a huge turbulence 99% of the food remains in the main tank and does not filter through to the sump.

My problem is my ammonia ia 0, nitrite is off the scale (> 4 mg/l) and nitrate too (> 100mg/l)