This noob's ongoing nitrAte war =( Now trying Instant Ocean's Nitrate Reducer. HELP!

[greenladdy]

Hi everyone. My 7 month old 90 gal cichlid tank is probably overstocked (25 fish.) I realize there are lots of fish in there, but I don't mind regular cleanings. Well, my nitrates are off the chart. The test turns DARK RED almost immediately after shaking the tube after the 2nd drops are added. I've been doing 40% water changes every week for 2 months and the conditions haven't changed. I clean my Rena Filstar 3 basket filter about once every month too. I have that black/gray sand substrate and when I do a WC I try to agitate the sand after taking any gunk off the top layer. The sand is pretty deep (about 2 inches.) I know this is bad, but I just added the amount the guy at the LFS told me to. I also remove all rocks and ornaments for every other WC. I just can't get my nitrates down!

I purchased Instant Oceans Nitrate Reducer and double dosed yesterday. I will do the same in a week. Live plants are a no go in my tank. Am I missing something? I feel like with the amount of work I've been putting into the tank, I should see results. I don't know what skimmers are, but I don't really want to add anything else to my set up. I heard some sort of algae house filter may work too, but I feel like many other people don't need to mess with this stuff. Any advice for a struggling noob? I just feel like I must be doing something wrong. Thanks.

[papagimp]

In my experience with cichlid tanks (some south american discus and malawi tanks) overstocking them is often a correct way to stock, as it keeps aggression down. 25 in a 90 seems okay to me, although i'm not exactly an expert on cichilds. I do know that due to the higher stocking levels, you have to do more water changes than the average fish tank. I've seen it often recommened to change water twice a week and at higher levels than a 'normal' water change.

skimmer won't help, at least I don't think it will. It's a saltwater piece of equipment and I'm not sure if the salty conditions of the Rift Lakes are enough to get one working properly.

Agitating the sandbed will cause it to release any junk it's accumulated, which can lead to higher nitrate levels. I'd probably gravel vac the sandbed clean during water changes every time (lower sandbed might be easier to do this with) . Do water changes more often. clean your filters more often, Like a minimum of once a week. I wouldn't say your doing anything wrong, just not doing enough of the right stuff ;P

btw, posting in a freshwater or chiclid forum might yield better results than my limited Cichlid knowledge can provide. RC is Marine oriented, not freshwater/brackish/or even Rift lake.

[greenladdy]

Haha, I didn't realize that this Reef forum is mainly marine. Yikes! and Thanks! =)

Thanks also for the advice, gimp. The guy at my LFS told me not to do more than 1 40% wc/week so I don't kill the bacteria. I'll give it a try though. I'm hoping that Instant Ocean stuff is a miracle worker.

[disc1]

No worries with that much nitrate in a cichlid tank. So long as there's not an algae issue and it dosn't look like there is. Just keep up with water changes.

The nitrate reducer product you speak of is a form of organic carbon dosing. I don't know whether that is effective in freshwater tanks or not. Probably not since there is likely very little in the way of anoxic zones in your tank.

[greenladdy]

"No worries with that much nitrate in a cichlid tank."

I intially thought this, but I tried adding a fish or two over the past few months and they all die within a day or two (even with super careful acclimations.

You lost me on the organic carbon dosing, so I'll research it. Thanks.

[BlueFyre]

I have a tank set up very similar to yours but mine is an 80 gallon. I would add another filter and up the water changes to 50%. I have 2 canister filters on my 80 and I do 50-70% water changes weekly. My nitrates never go above 20. I also have some vals in my tank that do well. The mbuna eat them but they grow fast enough to still live. I would also test your tap water to see if their are nitrates there.

High nitrates in a freshwater tank are bad.

[Gfoot2000]

how often are you feeding your fish? maybe try using a different brand test kit

[greenladdy]

Thanks for the replies. I only feed my fish cichlid crisps (flakes) 1x per day. They eat it all in about a minute.

Originally Posted by BlueFyre

I have a tank set up very similar to yours but mine is an 80 gallon. I would add another filter and up the water changes to 50%. I have 2 canister filters on my 80 and I do 50-70% water changes weekly. My nitrates never go above 20. I also have some vals in my tank that do well. The mbuna eat them but they grow fast enough to still live. I would also test your tap water to see if their are nitrates there.

My tap water tests fine. Maybe I'll try those plants. I guess they can be potted? I heard if any dead plant matter falls to the floor, all the toxic cehmicals it absorbed are released all over again.

Here's a question about my WCs. Each time I change water (e.g 20 gallons) I add the appropriate amount of Lake Malawi Cichlid Salt (1 and 1/2 teaspoons I think.) My LFS guy told me this promotes healthy fish and buffers the water to the correct pH. I also add 2 or 3 capfuls of Prime (periodically) to condition the 80 degree tap water I'm putting in. Is this correct? Should I be doing more? Less? Thanks!

[ed102475]

The amount salt you are adding sounds fine . You only need one cap full of prime per 50 gal. , Use at every water change . Do 20% twice a week or 40% once a week till you see the nitrates where you want them . African Cichlids are big hungry fish they will make a mess fast . I had 24 Malawi in a 55 nitrates at 20ppm doing 30% WWC and running carbon. Good luck

[BlueFyre]

I have a ton of snails in my tank so they take care of any dead pant matter.

I don't use any buffers so I can't comment on that.

[papagimp]

Originally Posted by greenladdy

Thanks also for the advice, gimp. The guy at my LFS told me not to do more than 1 40% wc/week so I don't kill the bacteria.

Tell your LFS guy we could recommend alot of nice books for him to learn his trade before he passes on info like this :P

Originally Posted by greenladdy

Each time I change water (e.g 20 gallons) I add the appropriate amount of Lake Malawi Cichlid Salt (1 and 1/2 teaspoons I think.) My LFS guy told me this promotes healthy fish and buffers the water to the correct pH.

The Malawi Cichlid Salt will add everything the water needs and adding it to tap water could cause you to have other stuff beyond that, that may not be the best. I always used Ro/Di water regardless of my fish tanks and added appropriate salt/additives to get what I needed. Even when dealing with the S. American Cichlids, I still used ro/DI and added the correct amount of ro right to get the water where it should be. You always hear people saying to only use ro/DI with their reef tanks but I find not nearly as many recommend this course of action with freshwater fish, and IMO it's just as important for the over all health of your livestock. Just my opinion, as I've known many to keep Cichlids using tap and salt accordingly as well.

You mentioned plants, their are plenty of safe plants to use, just research them accordingly. I do love some nice aqua plants in my tanks

As for your new fish additions killing off quickly like that, are they being picked on by your other fish by chance? Adding a single or couple individuals to an already stocked tank could lead to the newbies getting picked on or killed. Just a thought, it should be obvious is this is the case.

love the croc skull in your pic nice touch.