Keaton
Reefing newb
So last night I did a 15% water change. Nitrates before the water change were 10ppm. Nitrates after the water change were 20ppm. I double checked. Anyone know why? I'm confused.
What the @$!% is up with my perameters?
- Thread starter Keaton
- Start date
yote
In Memoriam
Sounds like your "new" water had some nitrates in it.Thats about the thing I can think of that would cause that to happen.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
+1 yote
Keaton
Reefing newb
If thats the case then i got some bum RO water. I guess thats possible, I get it from wal-mart. I'll test it.
Oscarsdad608
Reef enthusiast
Did you stir anything up when you were doing the WC? That could cause the rise in nitrates. I used to get water from the LFS until I tested it. Sainity was low and full of nitrates.
yote
In Memoriam
Thats happened to me a couple of times.So I started using all distilled water for now.
But will be investing in a RO/DI system within the next 6 months.That I can control my water quality better.
Keaton
Reefing newb
Ok i just tested the RO water and it tested ok, maybe 5 ppm, hard to tell. I did clean part of the sand bed but i figured that the siphon would grab most of the nasties. I guess I'll just keep an eye on it for the next day or two. All the rest of my parameters are spot on perfect.
Smitty
Reef pro
I'm willing to bet that you stirred the sand bed a little bit, releasing the trapped crap/nitrates into your water...if your nitrate levels are still high in a few days, then I would just conduct another water change, without touching the sand :D.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
If you have a sand bed, you really shouldn't be touching it during water changes (or, ever). That is what caused your nitrates to spike, I bet. Make sure you have enough nassarius snails, they will do the job of keeping the sand bed clean, and they'll do it safely.
