Bifferwine
I am a girl
Water change will be your best bet. Do you have any guesses as to how they got so high? Did something die? Overfeeding?
New to the hobby.
- Thread starter mtkid6
- Start date
mtkid6
So much to learn....
A snail died and the hermit crabs are eating it. Would that be enough?
Bifferwine
I am a girl
No, I don't think that would be enough to spike them to 80. I think there's something else going on, but until you get it figured out, you should do some water changes to try and bring the nitrates down. No need to panic -- just up your maintenance for the next week or two.
mtkid6
So much to learn....
Water change and hope now I guess?
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Well you shouldn't have too much in a new tank for the nitrates to hurt. ;)
mtkid6
So much to learn....
Just one fire shrimp
mtkid6
So much to learn....
The tank came with a aqua 70 hob filter. Could that be leading to the high nitrates?
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Yes, especially if you don't clean it often.
mtkid6
So much to learn....
It has carbon in one bag and ceramic rings in another. What all should I do to the them and the rest of the system?
little_fish
Moderator
Toss all of it IMO, but slowly so you dont shock your system. You can keep the bare bones of the filter and make a hang on the back refuge (which is always nice and can used as a place for pods to breed) or chuck some rubble in there to increase your natural filtration.
mtkid6
So much to learn....
so just keep some rubble in the bottom? I don't have a skimmer yet will it still be ok?
little_fish
Moderator
Yes, and dont panic if you dont have a skimmer right away. Many of us, me included, dont run a skimmer. I just do water changes, have a really low stocked system (mostly cuz ive been lazy about ordering more seahorses) and i dont over feed.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Yes, you will be fine until you can get a skimmer (if you plan on getting one).
mtkid6
So much to learn....
thanks for all the help. Any chance the fire shrimp is going to live?
mtkid6
So much to learn....
So everything appears to still be alive. Water change and nitrates came down to 40. I also removed the carbon and sponge from the filter. Will be putting live rock rubble in it tomorrow. Thanks again to all for your help!
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Sure there's a chance the fire shrimp will live. Shrimp are generally very sensitive to nitrates, but these animals continually surprise me.
mtkid6
So much to learn....
Which HOB Octopus would everyone recommend for a 37 gallon tank?
mtkid6
So much to learn....
So I went to the lfs for live rock rubble to put in my filter and all they had was dry rock. That had been sitting on shelves. He told me to soak it in hot water then put it in. Is this ok or will this create more nitrates in my tank. Help please.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
This is okay, but just keep in mind, it's not live rock. If you have live rock in your tank currently, this new rock will become live over time. Your nitrates won't go up by adding base/dead rock.
Zissou
What about my dynamite?
Just fyi, you'll want to boil some RO or distilled water if you're going to follow the LFS' direction of soaking it. Hot water out of the tap, from what I understand, may contain more metals in it than cold, and possibly copper.
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