Nitrate question for randy or someone wit more knowledge than me!!!

[tunedtank]

Yes there is an outside cat that does get in the basement from crawlspace vents under the house

 

[tunedtank]

So no simple answer huh?? Lol. I really wish I could figure out what was causing it....if there are small amounts in a regular salt mix that doesn't explain why it seems so high in this situation...I'm stumped I been trying to zero it down to a plumbing leak in basement causing ammonia to something leaking through kitchen floor which resides over top of basement but I havent been able to zero anything down none of it makes enough since to say that's why the nitrate is there

 

[Ds04384]

In the brute after a week it is 50ppm+

Why are you letting it sit for a week. Generally it is better to mix the water immediately before you intend on using it

 

[Elementalj]

Has anyone thought of the ground the container is sitting on? I mean, some plastics are permeable and can leach when exposed to extreme temperatures so.....is it sitting on bare ground? Concrete? Are you the original owner of the home? Maybe someone spilled stump remover on the ground you're sitting the container on?

Hairbrained theory I know, but....

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Has anyone thought of the ground the container is sitting on? I mean, some plastics are permeable and can leach when exposed to extreme temperatures so.....is it sitting on bare ground? Concrete? Are you the original owner of the home? Maybe someone spilled stump remover on the ground you're sitting the container on?

Hairbrained theory I know, but....

What exactly are you suggesting?

 

[tunedtank]

Yes it is sitting on the ground.. I guess it's plausable...I look into that...not original owner of the home.....

@Ds04384 I Let mix so long because the alk is much higher than i run the tanks so I do daily 2-3 gallon changes over large ones to prevent any alk spikes as this tank is predominantly acropora

 

[Diesel]

Well, no easy answer as many things in this hobby.
First of all do a second test done by a friend or LFS to see if you made a error on testing.
Secondly how is your tank looking and corals behaving on this salt water?
Just as some times this question comes up as ppl can't make the connection on 0.0 TDS on RODI water why it is around 100 TDS after you mix it with salt....,, to some ppl that doesn't make any sense either.
That said if tank, fish and corals look good why second questioning for what you do as it is different by others.

 

[domination2580]

Yes there is an outside cat that does get in the basement from crawlspace vents under the house

I would venture to say the cat is probably peeing in the water. My friend has a house cat and had ammonia in his brand new water as well which then would convert to nitrate in the end. He walked on and found his cat going into the bucket

 

[jason2459]

Yes there is an outside cat that does get in the basement from crawlspace vents under the house

Do you have a liter box for that cat?

 

[jason2459]

I would venture to say the cat is probably peeing in the water. My friend has a house cat and had ammonia in his brand new water as well which then would convert to nitrate in the end. He walked on and found his cat going into the bucket

The cat doesn't have to pee in the water or even the same room to have an effect. Or even pee a lot and could be marking territory.

 

[jason2459]

Why are you letting it sit for a week. Generally it is better to mix the water immediately before you intend on using it

My saltmix sits for many weeks and is used up slowly through an automatic water change system. Saltwater can be good indefinitely assuming no organics in the mix. The mixing container may get a musty smell though. My does but is fine.

 

[tunedtank]

@Diesel ....I understand what your saying about just not worrying about.it but it shouldn't be happening and I would like to understand why it is...also this isn't a just this batch thing or a one time testing error, this has been going on for at least the 2 months ago that I first noticed it.....the reference of some people not understanding why there 0 tds water has a tds reading after mixed with salt is a funny one but deff not a good reference similarity here...there is an easy answer to that... although there has not been an issue with the tanks so far doesn't quite mean that something couldn't accumulate from what ever is happening over time or even get worst and become an issue...I have been doing this long enough to know that in this hobby sometimes strange unexplainable things happen...but this should be explainable ( in theory) I sincerely appreciate your input but with the amount of livestock and emotional attachment to my hobby I cant bring my self to say I know somethings off but I shouldn't worry about it because I can't physically see an affect yet....something is causeing it. I usually dont bother the forums with simple questions that have been asked repeatedly but I havent been able to figure this one out so I thought maybe somebody else would think of or notice something I have not myself yet....once again thank you very much for your input I know you are a major contributor on this forum and thank you for your time..if you can think of anything else that may be causing this please inform me

@jason2459 this cat actually does have a litter box. Lol it is inside the house the basement resides under the splitlevel house. The thought has crossed my mind before and I'm starting to wonder if there is some merit to the cat issue....I'm going to mix up water in house and also in basement in an old sealed salt bucket and see if it develops the same results...that would atleast narow it down a little more

Thanks all for the Input

 

[jason2459]

Many people with cats experience this. Myself included now having acquired a cat a few months ago. I don't worry much about it at all but a new tank may see more initial typical new tank nuisances.


My sump and mixing containers are in the basement and lids on all the mixing containers. Doesn't help, cats litter box is in the room next to it.

 

[tunedtank]

I wanted to add that the cat could not be peeing directly in the bucket and it causeing it because it has happened when there is a lid left on brute...I guess if he is peeing nearby could cause it....I mean if you sat a cup of ammonia next to your tank would you get ammonia in your tank through the air?? I'm no chemist, scientist, or biologist so I don't know the answer to that... I believe randy was saying it is possible but unlikely to happen in this situation.

 

[jason2459]

I wanted to add that the cat could not be peeing directly in the bucket and it causeing it because it has happened when there is a lid left on brute...I guess if he is peeing nearby could cause it....I mean if you sat a cup of ammonia next to your tank would you get ammonia in your tank through the air?? I'm no chemist, scientist, or biologist so I don't know the answer to that... I believe randy was saying it is possible but unlikely to happen in this situation.

The cat doesn't have to pee in the water or even the same room to have an effect. Or even pee a lot and could be marking territory.

 

[tunedtank]

I hope the cat is the answer...I'll find a way to eliminate(safely lol) the cat from the equation and if any one is interested I'll post back in a few days with results aND see if this is the cause

 

[jason2459]

In the tank with same test kit it's between 5-10ppm

I see no problems with these numbers. Is there an actual problem seen in the tank?

 

[tunedtank]

No actual problems that I can point directly towards it but every now and then i will get some base recession on some acro frags...not the colonies and usually only stuff that has been in the tank 3-4 months or less...every blue moon I'll hAve a new acro frag up and rtn over night...parameters have been rock solid for a long time now so I chalk those up as those few things that cant be explained in the hobby now...but sometimes the nitrates will climb to 20ish I see no real I'll effects but it is difficult to lower nitrates in any of my systems or months now which led me to hunting for the problem in the first place...

 

[tunedtank]

One system is 8 months or so and the other 5 years+

 

[jason2459]

Hmm, some people run nitrates around the same levels, some much higher PaulB, and don't experience recession of tissues. Usually increased nutrients results in browning while extremely low nutrients result in bleaching or tissue issues. Not to say it can't be the problem.

Do you do any form of carbon dosing? I prefer vinegar which will help reduce the nitrates and feed the corals.

What kind of lighting do you run?