Nitrates - Problem and Solution?

**Cermet** · 07-04-2012, 02:26 PM

Well, some days you gotta say that no luck would be better than the luck I am having. The bio-reactor of death requires that I slowly remove bio-media from my other filters for it to operate properly - recently, I did that. In this way that reactor cycles and produces nitrite as its regular bacteria consume the fish ammonia. This is not a big deal except I have been without power for five days and that means I have no hot water! Yes, a generatoir can operate my well pump but it can't do anything to heat water!

So while the tank's nitrites are under 0.1 ppm, they are not zero and I can't make a large enogh change of the water without harming the fish! If I remove the fish the filter will crash and I'll have to start over again. Some days ... .

The power company says tonight by midnight we will have power again (hopefully - it came on for a little over an hour before droping out again!) So, the hot water is still cold.

I will change a little a few times today (my aquarium heaters can handle that) but as I know all too well, small changes do very little. Will decide later today on what I will do. The fact that so much is going against me is really getting old.

I guess it is time to go fishless cycle. So I will remove the fish this afternoon.

**Cermet** · 07-12-2012, 11:46 PM

Been awhile ...

At last the nitrate bio-reactor appears to have cycled - its output of nitrates are zero (tank water input is a high 15 ppm nitrate!) and it is no longer yielding any nitrite signal (I have been adding 1 ppm ammonia every day.) So, I'll do a water change this weekend, clean up the tank, and return the two discus. Then, I guess, I will begin to get a feel for how well this discus murdering ... I mean bio-reactor works in maintaining the water parameter as all zero's (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.) Of course, I will still do water changes but only once a week and smaller than my previous 75% plus every weekend and my 50% mid-week. I have decided not to remove any more of my bio-filtering (noodles in the canister) since the bio-reactor can only process 90 gal/week and that, with discus (even just two large adults), would be far too little clean water then normally required in order to keep the nitrates at a low level.

The algae filter in the other tank has grown well and I'll also clean that this weekend and start following its phosphates and nitrite levels.

**Cermet** · 07-14-2012, 10:27 PM

Finally, after two days the internet is back up ...

Spoke too soon about the bio-reactor - started putting out nitrites again - almost 0.5 ppm! Way too high. Can't figure this device out - have nitrites, then none, then nitrites and once more, none and now, nitrites. This makes zero sense but this bio-reactor is not a device that I really have a handle on. Maybe next week it will be done ... then again, maybe not.

My canister is keeping the nitrites at zero in the tank but can't risk fish in the tank if the reactor puts out such high levels. Really getting old.