# Urgent: High Nitrate Levels for two weeks!



## god_flame (Sep 16, 2009)

I've been struggling to get my nitrate levels under control. Right now it is still at the "dangerous" level. The fish are very stressed and gasping for air. I've been doing frequent water changes and I have been adding a nitrate/nitrite/chlorine remover every day. When I first started the aquarium about a month ago everything was fine. How would the levels have gone up so fast, and why aren't they going down. One theory I have is that one of my guppys died and I was never able to find his body. Would this decay have affected these levels?

Oh, I should probably mention that my pH is dropping too. It is an acidic 6.5 right now. I need to buy a pH increaser. Also, my ammonia levels are very low. 

Is this just a result of cycling?

Please give any advice, 

Thanks

Tank Specs. 

20 Gallon Hexagonal Tank

1 Pearl Gourami
1 Dwarf Gourami
3 Neon Tetras
3 Cherry Barbs
1 Guppy (other's died)


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

How big are your water changes? If the pH is low and nitrates are off the scale, you may need to very large ones (>50%) to have any affect at all. Nitrates that don't go down (I'm assuming you have tested for ammonia and nitrite (nitrite will often show up on nitrate tests and gasping for air sounds like ammonia poisoning)) are usually related to something decaying, so rinse the filter and vac the substrate. Also test the tap water for nitrates as sometimes pollution gets into the water supply. Usually putting in aditional nitrate/nitrite/chlorine remover is something I'd recommend, however this stuff can reduce the oxygen in the water, so lay off as long as the fish are gasping, use only the recommended dose with the water change. 

Don't panic,nitrate is the least toxic of the three. If fish are gasping, you need to increase the oxygen in the water. Drop the water level an inch or two so your HOB makes a noisy waterfall and/or add an air stone/bubble wand.


----------



## god_flame (Sep 16, 2009)

I've done 3 ~30% water changes. I'll test the tap water. My area is known to have high nitrate levels, it's just strange that everything was fine at start-up. You're right, nitrite levels are fairly high too. As far as ammonia though, the levels are <.02ppm so I think that is ok. Just vacuumed the substrate yesterday and twice this past week. How often should I be changing the water in a case like this?

Thanks


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

what kind of filtration??? what kind of aeration?? any live plants?? how much and how often do you feed??

1 or 2 dead guppies in a 20 gallon tank aren't going to affect anything in the tank...
there is something that you are leaving out here...

normal water changes should be about 30% every week..2-3 times a week when you are having this kind of a problem..


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

nitrite is the one to watch, don't worry about nitrate until nitrite is 0. Something could have messed up your filter bacteria. Step up the water changes. Keep the nitrite in the safe range.


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

What kind of "nitrite remover" are you using? Using any at all will disrupt the cycling of your tank, leaving it unable to clear these hurdles.

Nitrification makes the pH drop, so this is to be fully expected in a case like this. Don't bother with any pH buffer stuff. Just make some water changes for now and see how things turn out once stabilized.


----------



## god_flame (Sep 16, 2009)

*Nitrite Levels EXTREME now*

I had to do a large ~50% water change yesterday to try and fix it. I tested my tap water and they are clear of nitrates/nitrite. Now however my NITRITE levels are extremely high. I've have been using the Amquel Plus Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia remover daily. Do I need to stop using this and just let the tank cycle? I was even thinking about doing a complete water change but I don't know if that is a smart move or not. I do not have live plants in my tank but am considering buying some if it will help with the problem. I've done 5 water changes in the past week and half but it is having little effect.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Sounds like your 'cycle' is stalled at the half-way point. You got ammonia>>nitrite, but not nitrite>>nitrate. You could try Stability or other bacteria in a bottle or get a piece of used filter media from an established tank to seed it. Big water changes can stress fish, but not as much as toxic water will. If it takes 100% to get nitrite down, do it. And cut way back on feeding until you get things under control. Again, starving is a much slower death than poisoning.


----------



## god_flame (Sep 16, 2009)

I just read about Seachem stability on another thread. It sounds like this may help. If it doesn't then I don't think I have much of a choice but to do a full change. I'm surprised these guys are even still alive after this long. 

Thanks


----------



## god_flame (Sep 16, 2009)

Ugh!

I've been adding the stability bacteria for the last 5 days and the nitrite levels are still very dangerous. Should I wait longer for the bacteria to decrease it or should I just do the full water change?


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Change enough water to get the nitrite down, even if thats 100%. Usually, down to fish height will do the job. Really high nitrite levels can kill of your filter bacteria and your tank won't ever cycle with really high levels. But tell us about your filter(s). Inadequate filtration can also keep a tank from cycling (the filter just can't keep up with the added food).


----------



## god_flame (Sep 16, 2009)

I did the full water change yesterday and it is definitely better, but the nitrite is up to stress level (not dangerous yet) already. Is this normal? My filter is a 20-40 gallon Tetra Advanced Filtration System. I have 9 small fish.


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

How much are you feeding? Cut back to once every other day until you lick the issue. A cycled tank should have 0 nitrite all the time. I don't remember what is normal for cycling, but keep it from going off the scale with water changes and keep adding stability and I think you will be good in about a week.


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

Something sticks in my mind that there may be an issue with Amquel plus but I cannot remember what it is- The joys of aging.
I do remember reading something and thinking- "glad I don't use that'
Anyway If you use Prime instead of Amquel and add a bit of aquarium salt to the tank you can make things a lot better for the fish. Add a bubbler too and increase the oxygen levels.
Do you have a spider plant or vine in the house like wandering jew?
take a cutting from it and put it in the tank. Get some hornwort too.
feed alternate days in minimal doses.


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

check out this article.

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/Amquel.html


----------



## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

1) Don't use the Amquel + every day. Only use it to dechlor the amount of water you are replacing. It WILL decrease the oxygen in the tank.
2) Don't replace or rinse your filter media. This is the primary place where your bacteria are growing and if you replace it or wash it, you are killing you bio.
3) Don't vac the gravel so often. Only vac a small portion at each water change. This is another prime place for your bacteria to grow and you are slowing it down by over cleaning.
4) Very high nitrAtes will cause a ph crash...sometimes called "old tank syndrom". Once you get your nitrates down your ph should stay in the neutral range. If not, then you can add some crushed coral to your substrate to help buffer it.

The only sure way to remove nitrates it water changes. However, you seem to be in a Catch 22 situation here. If you do too many frequent water changes, you slow down the cycle and the nitrItes stay high. If you slow down the water changes, your nitrAtes get too high. What to do?? IMO, the nitrAtes are not as important right now as the nitrItes, so ease up on the vacs, change enough water to keep the nitrItes in the safe range and let the cycle finish. We can address the nitrAte issue after that.


----------



## god_flame (Sep 16, 2009)

I've cut down on the feeding. Once every other day like you said. I'm feeding them a very small pinch and crushing it up so that the little guys can eat it. I'm not planning on using the amquel again except to remove the chloramines when i add new water. 

Unfortunately I don't have any of those plants. I was thinking about buying some but I only have a artificial gravel substrate so I didn't think it would work out too well.


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

hornwort is a floating aquatic plant. You can get aquatic plants that grow fine in just gravel or tied onto a log or stone.
Eg java fern, java moss, anubias.
I grow valisneria in plain gravel and sufficient lighting which is another topic altogether.


----------



## god_flame (Sep 16, 2009)

Ok, so its been about a week already. I can't tell you how frustrated (and broke) I'm getting trying to fix this. The 100% water changed only fixed the water for about a day. I've done several other smaller water changes to try to get it back into the safe range but no success. I've already gone through most of the stability bottle (followed directions) and I have no answers. Nitrite levels are dangerous still.


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i am curious...what do you mean by "artificial gravel substrate"???maybe it is leaching something into the water that is causing the problem..
there is something here that we are not catching or is being left out..there is no way all of this should be happening....
also...is this a new tank or a used tank?has it ever been resealed?
i have a friend that ran the fish department of a large pet store..she had one tank where almost everything that went in it , died.....
if it were me ; i would tear down the entire tank and set it back up without any gravel or ornaments..just a bare tank with a heater,filter and airstones....use the stability...
see what happens..can't be any worse than it is..
then add one more element at a time and watch it for a week or so..


----------

