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I have a 20 gal. and it has been causing me some serious water problems lately. Every few months the levels either drop or raise severely. Just when I think everythings back to normal it happens again, usually not as bad as today's though. Here are my levels as of this afternoon...

Nitrate: 160
Nitrite: 0
Hardiness: 300
Alkalinity: 0
PH: 6.2


I have a gold Guarami, 6 cories, and an otto. I had a problem with one of my cories about two or three weeks ago and had to add some melafix. Could this be why my numbers are so high lately? Could I get some suggestions? Thanks for you help everyone!

Hi,
A couple of things... First, I suspect that your testing
reagents have aged and are not telling you the truth,
particularly the pH, or the GH. I find it hard to believe
you have a pH in the low 6s and a GH that is in mid range
acceptable for Rift Lake fish.

I'd get a "second, independent, opinion" on those tests
before I paniced. (Take a water sample to the LFS, or
a different place and have it tested to see if it yields
similiar results.)

Second, Nitrates of 160 could be the result of the medication that
you mention, however I have no experiance with it and I
hope someone else will read your question and post some
of the side effects of using melafix.

Frank


Last edited by FRANK at 14-Mar-2005 01:22

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I've used melafix before in my tanks and never saw such high nitrAtes as a result. Melafix is tea tree oil which would of course decompose, however I'd think you'd see an ammonia spike before seeing that dramatic a rise in nitrAtes. I'm with frank on either having old tests, and or needing to do some 20% daily water changes to get those nitrAtes down to the 20ppm region.

^_^

[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

I had considered the test strips being old, but I bought them only three weeks ago! How can I fix these problems? Do I just keep doing water changes every week until it fixes the problem? Is there something that I can add to the water? My fish all appear to be healthy. I will take a water sample to my lfs tomorrow and see what they say. Thank guys!

Pit, I would like to ask you about your water change schedule.

How often do you gravel vac?

How much water is replaced in the process (20%, 30%, etc.).

High nitrates can accumulate with time when the schedule is far apart - say monthly or longer, or when the bioload is excessive for the tank, even with frequent changes.

Nitrates are a reason for concern because in the past we did not think they were an issue. Fish Vet, Dr. Erik Johnson and Edward J. Noga, Professor of Aquatic Medicine have written on the issue.

High nitrates are known to dilate blood vessels and lead to decreased immunity. In goldfish, effects of high nitrates are easily seen in their delicate fins when they become angry looking with red streaks. In fact, some people mistakenly believe such fish have septicemia, a deadly condition often linked to infection. The "varicose veins" often fade away all on their own when conditions are improved.

Fish that go from high nitrate conditions to consistent low nitrate conditions (less than 20ppm), often have things clear up on their own. So, getting the nitrates down would be an important first step.

I have a feeling your water changes are more sparse than they should be leading not only to high nitrates, but to a decrease in pH. Any tank will drop in pH with time.

The way you get the nitrates down is with a series of water changes. It is best if you can do a series of water changes of 15% daily. After the first few, increase that to 20% daily until you get your nitrates down to 5-10ppm. At that point, I'm willing to bet your pH will have risen.

That is, unless your replacement water is loaded up with nitrates. You may want to check your tap water.

Anyway, answer my questions on water change schedules and lets just see if it makes any sense. Also, if you could please do two checks on your tap water if you have the ability: Check pH straight out of your cold tap and record it. And, Check pH 24 hours after it is out of the cold tap and aerated. Just put a 1/2 cup of tank water in a shallow bowl and keep agitating the water any time you walk by. Keep it open. Once the gases in the water equalize with the atmosphere, your pH from the tap will likely adjust. This would be your true pH. If it is higher, as I suspect, then I think we have good reason to believe your pH will come up with that series of water changes to correct the situation. Otherwise, it may be a waste of time.

I'd also like to know how your cories look. Do they have good barbels that are nice, long and pointy? Or, are they eroded? Nitrates are thought to be a contributor to barbel erosion in cories, and are implicated in Swim Bladder Disorder (SBD) in some fishes, as well.

With a gold gouarmi in a 20 gallon, that is alot of mass. Sometimes our tanks are simply telling us it is time to upgrade to a larger tank so that there is more water per fish. I'm doing water changes twice weekly to control nitrates in my 36 gallon goldie tank with just two 3.5 inch goldfish. I experienced the effects of high nitrates and now work to keep them low with frequent water changes until I can get them into a larger tank.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 14-Mar-2005 18:40