Nitrate

[amcgee2842]

I usually do water changes 2-3 times a months. Try to do it once a week. I added some new fish in my cichlid tank which is now over stocked so I did a 50% water change last Thursday. Then I did another 50% water change on Monday and tested my nitrates which look to be in between 80 ppm to 40 ppm. Did another 50% water change filled it up about 80% and and took it back down to 50% water level and filled it back up and it only dropped the nitrates to 40 ppm. Should I do 50% water changes a day until I get down below 20 ppm.

[Alex1]

I'm shocked that a 50% water change didn't do the trick. I usually have to do a 20% water change.
I'm interested in what someone else on here have to say about this as well.
I will say when this happen to me I did a daily 20% water change until it came down. And my tank was not overstocked.
Good luck to you.

[Alex1]

Tell us what your setup is.
And all test results are.

[amcgee2842]

Its a 92 gallon corner. I run a eheim 2217 with mechanical filtration and purgien. On the out take of the eheim is a turbo twist 36 uv filter so at that flow rate the uv should kill just about anything. I also have a ehiem 2262 with some mechanical filtration but load with matrix and eheim bio media. I also have a eheim 350 skimmer. I have not run a test on ammonia or nitrites becuase they have been at zero for a long time but will run those test tonight and a ph test and let you know. I cleaned the filters about three weeks ago using aquarium water to clean the bio media. Also a side note when I cleaned the filters I ran some new eheim green tubing to connect the 2217 to the turbo twist and there are already black dots on the inside of the tubing which is assume algea but i thought that was awful quick in 3 weeks to get that.

[specialone0812]

Also test your tap water

[amcgee2842]

I did test tap it was at zero

[amcgee2842]

Here are my test tonight....didn't have time for water change...can't tell my pH any where from 7.6 -7.8.

[bamzam]

Do you have any plants? They should help a little bit. But in general, the only way to get rid of nitrates is through water changes.

[troy tucker]

When was the last time your filter media was cleaned? The bio filters remove ammonia by turning it in to nitrate. After some time the filter will bleed off nitrate to the tank. The filter has become a nitrate sink. Even big sumps do this just not as often.
tap water should have no nitrate but will show ammonia. That is actually chloramian. But shows up in your test as ammonia.

[amcgee2842]

No plants I have had java fern and anubias with the cichlids and they leave them alone but since they are slow growing plants they do little to help with the nitrates.

[amcgee2842]

When was the last time your filter media was cleaned? The bio filters remove ammonia by turning it in to nitrate. After some time the filter will bleed off nitrate to the tank. The filter has become a nitrate sink. Even big sumps do this just not as often.
tap water should have no nitrate but will show ammonia. That is actually chloramian. But shows up in your test as ammonia.

I cleaned filters about three weeks ago but used aquarium water to clean the bio media and used tap to clean everything else.

[troy tucker]

You clean the right way.
With the heavy bio on the tank you may need to clean more often.

[amcgee2842]

I try and clean the filters every 3 or 4 months is that enough

[mredman]

I have two 2217 Eheim filters for my 135-gallon aquarium. One is set up for mechanical filtration and the other is biological. I change the mechanical filter every three weeks and the biological every 10 weeks. If I go any longer, my water clarity diminishes.

Mike

[amcgee2842]

I have never had any issues with major issues with clarity. Some times it will get a slight haze and that's when I know the purgien needs recharging.