Rising Nitrates

[allan]

I have the API brand. I'll swing by AD in the morning.

[BA]

how did the tests come out afterall?

[allan]

I am working on another thirty gallons to change out now. I wasn't able to get water down to AD today... although I did stop by.

Fixing to run the test now to check the color.

[Squiers007]

Keep us updated

[Bill S]

Hey, I'm right here in Encino Park.

Check your water - tap water here occasionally has quite large spikes in nitrates. 20 is typical. If you are making RO/DI - you could have blown a membrane. If your nitrates out of the tap are 20 or 40, it's hard to make progress.

If you need RO/DI I have about 30 gallons

If you need salt, I have about 300 lbs

If you need your water tested, I can do that too!

The clams MAY be your nitrate source. They are great at REMOVING nitrates. BUT, when they die, they get released back in!

[allan]

BStreep,

Thanks for your offer and I hope I won't have to take you up on it. Hadn't thought about the trates in the water that I'm making, but I will check the RODI now to see if something is amiss.

yeah, about the clams, I, uh, I got them at HEB. Uh.... probably not where most aquaria folks go for their livestock but I kind of thought it was cool at the time. I will check those while working on the test of the RODI.

I did a complete thirty gallons last night. This time I shut off my return pump, siphoned what I could from the bottom tank and the remainding 30 gallons was pulled from the display. This was kind of late last night.

This morning I verified that my testing kit still read in the 40 to 80 zone, depending how I held the sample up to the light or to the chart.

It's quite vexing and to tell the truth I am no longer certain that I want to go into a bigger tank. Not until they come up with a good nitrate filter that is.

[Bill S]

Go ahead and test your water. That will narrow it down - your kit is good, your water is bad, or your kit is bad. Feel free to drive over tonight. We'll be up until midnight - and we are only about 10 minutes away. 663.8079.

[allan]

Rodi looks zero, light yellow.

The trates must be getting lower though, the flower pot started to open up today. The bta is open and happy. Just looking at the tank everything seems happy.


I'm good with salt and I can whip up another thirty gallons in about half a day.

[Bill S]

Cool. Test your mixed water too, just in case.

I'm seriously wondering if you have a bad kit. Could be those clams though!

BTW, saltwaterfish.com sells them as "cleaner clams". The ones HEB has are from cold water - expecially if you don't get them in the late summer, when the water up north is warmer. They would need to be slowly aclimated.

[allan]

I thought they were on ice to slow their metabolism a bit. I did float them, but in hindsight I probably should have drip aclimate them. I see their little breathing tubes just over the level of the sand and occasionally I see a plume of debris that is jetted up from them.

Ok, just tested the remnants of water at the bottom of my barrel and they came up yellow as well. I checked the tank water again this morning and the levels appear the same, 40-60. Going to swing by AD today and get tested (I promise, me and the mrs are going to be about today looking at furniture).

On the optimistic side a few more tests and I will be required to get a new test...