Water Polluted - Help!

[Adam_1992]

I’ve recently started my own 100L nano reef & I’ve been cycling my tank (fishless) for about three weeks now and today I had my water tested by my local aquarium shop. He was testing all the nitrates and instantly the colour changed to detect it in my water instead of showing up after 5 minutes. He thinks my water is polluted with something but we can’t pin it to anything.

I haven’t put anything in my saltwater other than bacteria, and water prime plus some fish food to cycle.

He recommended I use Red Sea Carbon so I’ve used about half the container (100 grams) to filter out any pollutants.

Can anyone please recommend anything to remove these pollutants / nitrites and nitrates from my water?

 

[dwest]

I’ve recently started my own 100L nano reef & I’ve been cycling my tank (fishless) for about three weeks now and today I had my water tested by my local aquarium shop. He was testing all the nitrates and instantly the colour changed to detect it in my water instead of showing up after 5 minutes. He thinks my water is polluted with something but we can’t pin it to anything.

I haven’t put anything in my saltwater other than bacteria, and water prime plus some fish food to cycle.

He recommended I use Red Sea Carbon so I’ve used about half the container (100 grams) to filter out any pollutants.

Can anyone please recommend anything to remove these pollutants / nitrites and nitrates from my water?

I would first make sure to use RODI water. I also doubt that carbon will remove nitrates. I would just keep going with the cycle.

 

[Adam_1992]

I have a feeling that the shop I purchased my tank from sold me a display tank and have used soap to clean the tank, so there is probably soap residue in my tank. Should I just keep cycling as normal?

 

[Sparkymarc]

What’s up Adam. Welcome to R2R! It’s natural to have high nitrates toward the end of a cycle. Have you tested for ammonia and nitrites? Water change IMO is best way to lower nitrates. Usually when the cycle is complete, you do a large water change to lower nitrates.

 

[WVNed]

I don't know why the test did that and I bet neither did the people in the LFS. So they told you something. It is more likely they did the test wrong than you have some mystery pollutant in your tank.
Learn to do your own testing. If you don't you will always be flying blind.

 

[Adam_1992]

Thanks everyone! Tomorrow I’m going to try find some RODI water and do a 40% water change. I’ll also do the test myself and if I can’t find any nitrates I should be ok to add a Clown or two in.

 

[WVNed]

I would read some of the threads on cycling here. It is the simple process of starting a biofilter in a new tank. But it has to be done before you add stuff or it dies.

 

[BrandonS]

I am interested why he was testing for nitrates and went straight to a pollutant? i would wait to put in fish until you can get a better handle on things. What tests did the LFS take? do you know the brand they used?

 

[WVNed]

If you have nitrites in your tank it will make the nitrate test not work.

 

[Adam_1992]

He wasn’t 100% specific if he was testing nitrites or nitrates (colour of the test of purple if that helps). To be 100% honest I don’t think he was very knowledgeable in it.
I also don’t know the brand he was using but I think it may have been Red Sea.

 

[dwest]

He wasn’t 100% specific if he was testing nitrites or nitrates (colour of the test of purple if that helps). To be 100% honest I don’t think he was very knowledgeable in it.
I also don’t know the brand he was using but I think it may have been Red Sea.

That sounds like nitrites. And is a normal part of cycling. Basically the cycle is ammonia ==> nitrites==> nitrates. If you had lots of nitrites, that just means your cycle isn’t done. Just wait.

 

[Adam_1992]

I can definitely wait another week if I have to! I’d rather keep my fish alive and safe when it comes down to it. Should I need to add fish food and A little more bottled bacteria or not?

 

[dwest]

I’m sorry, I thought you were in a fishless cycle. If there are fish in there, I would do a water change. If no fish, just wait. This assumes you really have nitrites. Nitrites are a poison to fish. I agree with the advice to get nitrite and nitrate test kit to monitor cycle. Please read

Cycling an Aquarium

Cycling a new aquarium. One of the earliest topics a new aquarium hobbyist needs to learn is how to properly cycle their aquarium. There is a ton of information on this process and many different methods on how to accomplish it. There are many different chemical and biological cycles our tank...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Adam_1992]

I just read that now!

Yes you are correct I am running a fishless cycle!

Also after reading the article, it simply sounds like I am not finished cycling - so my ammonia levels are down but my nitrites and at a peak! I wish I new that before buying the carbon which I probably did not need right away.

 

[dwest]

Exactly