How often can you do a water change?

[scooter413]

How often can you do water changes to help lower sky high nitrates? Don't want to recycle my tank again but the nitrates are showing between 80ppm -160ppm

Amonia 0
Nitrite 0
ph 8.2
calcium 440
Temp 79
salinity 1.025

Nano cube 24 gallon with 4 fish and mostly zoas

 

[Reefplumber13]

You can do water changes as often as you like just don't do too big of ones

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[wildernets]

To answer you question I think it could be done daily. Butttt....... How did Nitrates get that high would be what is try to figure out. How old is the tank ? Something die? To many fish?

 

[jbadd99]

I would consider doing a 5g WC every third day until your trates come down. Then I'd do 5g at least once a week or so.

I agree you need to figure out how they got that high to begin with, unless you already know.

 

[snowmansnow]

scooter413;927148 wrote: How often can you do water changes to help lower sky high nitrates? Don't want to recycle my tank again but the nitrates are showing between 80ppm -160ppm

Amonia 0
Nitrite 0
ph 8.2
calcium 440
Temp 79
salinity 1.025

Nano cube 24 gallon with 4 fish and mostly zoas

once a month if i remember... 5g on a 120g display

 

[jennm]

Agree with the above comments, especially how they got so high, and over what period of time.

I'll go one further, what brand of kit are you using? The ones I use only read to 50... after that it's rather a moot point - there's trouble in River City.

In addition to water changes to dilute the pollution, I'd examine feeding habits. In order for nitrate to go that high, the garbage in is exceeding the garbage out.

So in addition to expediting the "garbage out", it would be prudent to reduce the "garbage in" at the same time. If the nitrates are that high, either severe over-feeding is taking place, or severe lack of water changes (or both).

Jenn

 

[scooter413]

Had three fish die in three weeks. Snails and inverts seem to be fine. Only a couple of the hermit crabs are Mia. Don't know why nitrates went up unless I was feeding to much. Did find out that I was suppose to rinse the frozen mysis shrimp before putting them in the tank


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[ralph atl]

I would do 10 gallon water changes every other day until resolved. I would also insure salinity is exact with an accurate refractormeter matched to pinpoint solution of 35, and alk (or ph) match & temp match exactly every time.

no biggie.

 

[scooter413]

Dropped the feeding to once every three days but water changes were every two weeks. The test kit was the API nitrates kit that shows up to 160ppm. The tank has been up and running for 9 months.


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[scooter413]

Will doing 10 gallons every other day make my tank recycle?


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[Reefplumber13]

No anyyhing ralph tells you listen. He knows his stuff.. other then yhe best college football team... lol

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[scooter413]

Thank you for all the help.



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[ralph atl]

Doing 30 to 40% water changes every other day will not cause a cycle as long as you have an established system. It will have had time to recoup. Just do a few, then do this regularly once a week after.....

Edit:

jt120reef;927173 wrote: No anyyhing ralph tells you listen. He knows his stuff.. other then yhe best college football team... lol

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Lol! Awesome....we gotta have some fun poking at each other, agreed!

 

[franciscosalazar]

What kind of substrate do you have?

 

[jennm]

Before you do something drastic, I'd get a second opinion. API test kits are lousy.

What are all your other parameters? 3 deaths in 3 weeks isn't good but there is more than one potential reason why.

What's the specific gravity, and how long had you had the fish? And what species were they?

Jenn

 

[scooter413]

I have sand substrate and live rock. It was a Yellow pearl jawfish, royal gramma and a scooter blenny. I will try another brand on the test kit for a double check.

 

[jennm]

The jawfish and the dragonet (they aren't 'blennies') can be challenging to keep.

A 24 is too small for a dragonet, it will exhaust the supply of live food and starve to death.

How long did you have all these fish?

 

[scooter413]

I had the fish approximately 5-7 months.


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[jennm]

How deep is your substrate, and do you vacuum it?

How much do you feed and how often? (Did you observe the dragonet eating prepared foods?)

Jenn

 

[wildernets]

You may just take your water to your LFS. They can usually test it.