Can I use Seachem Prime to drop Nitrates?

[Rocksor]

How long have they being doing only once a month water changes? You don't want to do a large 50% change if they haven't been changing the water that often for years. The fish will go into osmotic shock.

[Lady Hobbs]

The nitrites dropped because you did a water change. Prime detoxifies ammonia and nitrites. It does not eliminate them. Dechlorinator only remains in the water for a day or so and then is gone. By then, the chlorine or chloramines have been eliminated.

[Brhino]

I'm curious... what are they stocked with? That's not a small tank...

[serbusfish]

How long have they being doing only once a month water changes? You don't want to do a large 50% change if they haven't been changing the water that often for years. The fish will go into osmotic shock.

Years, they usually do around a 35% water change and rinse the pads in aquarium water.

The nitrites dropped because you did a water change. Prime detoxifies ammonia and nitrites. It does not eliminate them. Dechlorinator only remains in the water for a day or so and then is gone. By then, the chlorine or chloramines have been eliminated.

OK makes sense, thanks for clarifying. God knows when my nitrites will climb back up then, I might have to dose some more prime tomorrow as im at work and wont be able to do a water change til Thursday.

I'm curious... what are they stocked with? That's not a small tank...

3 Clown loach
1 Bala Shark
4 Tinfoil barb (juvenile)
2 Bleeding Heart Tetras
1 Silver Dollar
1 Common Pleco
1 Ruby Shark
3 Paradise fish
1 Golden Sucking Loach
1 Unknown Small Pleco (4")



The Paradise Fish are mine as I bought them before I setup my own tank, i'll be moving one of them to mine once its cycled and will probably give the other 2 away as they dont seem very happy in this tank as its full of really big fish. Ive heard keeping them together is a bad idea anyway as they'll probably end up killing each other.

[Rocksor]

I wouldn't do more than a 35% water change if that's what they have been doing monthly for the past number of years.

In order to solve their nitrate problem, I would do that much everyday for the next 7-10 days, and see what the nitrate levels are after that time frame. From that point on, you can do a big change to get it below 20ppm.

[Lady Hobbs]

I think the nitrates should be brought down asap. Changing 10% water changes to 90% suddenly might cause a slight problem but not 35% to 50-60% and then doing another one that evening.