keriboi Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Test my tank water for the first time today. Been a bit naught. Used an Api freshwater master test kit tank is 3 months old pH 6.4 NH3/NH4 0.25 PPM NO2 0 NO3 160 PPM Im rather worried about my NO3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Nitrate is bit high high but water changes will do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simian Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Agreed, give the gravel a good deep vac too, IME waste in the gravel can leech out nitrates, I couldnt keep Nitrates down (even with weekly water changes) when I bought a running 3' setup once, deep gravel vac weekly for a few weeks sorted that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 When I was regularly testing for nitrates I found the longer I went without vacuuming my sand the lower the nitrates went. Then after a good vacuum they'd shoot way up. Whether it was the anaerobic deep sand bed eating the nitrates and that being destroyed by the vacuuming or nitrates produced in the sand being released...I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keriboi Posted September 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 i havent ever given my tank a gravel vac, could that be the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keriboi Posted September 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 oh no another test today. Have done two water changes. I think I may have stuff my first test up, but did todays twice to make sure so here are my readings pH 6.4 NH3/NH4 4 PPM NO2 0.25 PPM NO3 40 PPM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keriboi Posted September 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2008 tested today I gravel cleaned and water changed yesterday, levels getting better? pH 6.6 NH3/NH4 1 PPM NO2 0.5 PPM NO3 10 PPM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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