my fish should be dead now - NO3 180mg/l - please help me

worton[pl] · Post by **worton[pl]** » 11 Sep 2004, 11:23

As I wrote in previous topic I got few problems with my tank. I bought today a NO3 test and hyh I know what is going on now :(. I got really serious problem I will check out my tap water right now and I'm going to change 100% of water in my tank but I dont know if it is good idea :] please help me becouse I do not know what to do I dont want to loose my catfishes, loches and uarus :) help them :P
TIA :]

worton[pl] · Post by **worton[pl]** » 11 Sep 2004, 11:25

ok my tap water got NO3 on level 0 :]

coelacanth · Post by **coelacanth** » 11 Sep 2004, 12:10

Don't change 100% of your water in one go, this may actually cause a lot of stress to the fish. If your tapwater is low in Nitrate, this gives you the option of changing 25-40% every two days until the levels are down where you want them, and then 25-40% once a week should keep it there. If you find this is insufficient, it does mean that your filtration is efficient but that you almost certainly have too many fish in the aquarium. Nitrate is a chronic rather than acute problem, even at this level, so it is far better to remedy it in a controlled fashion.
One of the best buys I ever made was one of those Python 'No Spill' hoses, it makes water changes so easy it's untrue. You do need a threaded tap though. Using it I can actually do a 10% water change in under 5 minutes, or I can make a 40% water change stretch to two or three hours to prevent thermal shock, whichever is appropriate for the time I have available. I can even prepare a meal or watch a TV show at the same time!

worton[pl] · Post by **worton[pl]** » 11 Sep 2004, 12:50

it is all becouse of a medicine that I used. It killed my filtration system :(. I do about 15% waterchange every 3 days :] untill now I will follow your advice and I will change about 30% every 2 days untill NO3 back to normal :) thanks :)
I got 65galons tank with 2 uaru, 4 clown loaches, few small plecos, 2xasian bumblebee cats and synodontis something :] I got also a lot of cryptocoryne.

Post by **Barbie** » 11 Sep 2004, 16:53

Nitrates are the end result of your filtration cycle. You put food in, the fish eat it, the filter has the waste to deal with, and it puts out nitrates. The only way to get rid of them is with partial water changes or plants. I would definitely agree with coelacanth on his recommendations for water changes. You might check your pH in the main tank, as opposed to your tank before you start. Fish waste is acidic, and when you've accumulated that much, it can shift away from the tap parameters a great deal.

Barbie

worton[pl] · Post by **worton[pl]** » 11 Sep 2004, 22:05

hmm ok I will watch for Ph also :) thanks :).
I didnt got any problems with this tank :] for 3 years I think that it is all because of uarus. they produce a lot of waste, much more than loaches or small catfishes and of course because of this medicine :) I used to big dose and bang :( but thanks again for your help :). It is not so bad at all because I bought all this tests :P which I thought are unnecessary until fish were healthy. I wonder how long all of my bacteries would rebuild their colony any ideas?
Maybe I will wrote something about my filters. I got one outside filter which can pump about 240l/h and inside filter that is able to pump about 1200l/h and my tank is about 65 galons. Both work with full power non-stop :)
TIA.