water change BAM high nitrate low oxygen

[ccole]

Hi there everyone

I was wondering if you wonderful people could help me out with what happened here.
All my nitrates were about 20 standard as per unreliable tests and only ever had one time occurrence of pleco's showing low oxygen behaviour (hanging around top of tank)

I did my normal 30/35%a weekly water change and then bam the nitrates spilled to 180 and my pleco's were hanging around the top of the tank. I added extra oxygen and then tested the tap water which had spiked to an apparent 180ppm. I would say maybe its the test, to old etc but why would they then also be batching strange?
Of course as the tap water nitrates spiked so did my tanks. . .
I had this nitrate problem before and resolved with your help and I still continue to use that advice hence not having any other problem until now. . .

I don't want to do another change as the tap water still had the same reading-could a break in the pipe out something do this?

I had started to use rain water but lack of rain haven't had enough to use in all tanks.
Could I do a partial train water change to help?

Any ideas more than welcomed!
Thanks everyone cc

 

[bigbird]

a silly question but it has happened to me, did you check the use by date of the water ager ? Also I still treat rain water all the time as well, have you ? cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[ccole]

Hi bn
Thanks for replying as I am still not sure what to do-
I checked the bottle of prime and I can't seem to find a date?
I was adding it to my rain water as a just in case measure-
I am going to do a rain water change if I don't get others ideas-as my wife says the solution to pollution is dilution! Lol

 

[ccole]

Hey bn
Checked the bottle of prime and no date could I find. . . I have a different bottle of another brand would that help? Howwould out being out of date effect the nitrates?
I have been adding to the rain just in case.
Of no one else head any other help I think I will have to do a rain water change-the solution to pollution is dilution after all lol.
Cheers cc

 

[bigbird]

i would now do three things.

1. test the tap water
2. test the rain water
3. change water 20% for a few days and then test the water again.

I would presume your heater is also ok and not faulty.

weird but good luck cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[ccole]

Hey there!

I tested my water again from the tap, the aquarium and then from the tap after adding the prime to it.
I found that my tank was still high, the water had lowered from the tap and the diluted tap water with the prime was near no nitrates.

I then noticed that I had changed the syringe I used to measure and dispense the prime into the buckets of tap water.
So I had basically under dosed the water by five times less the amount I had usually used!

If I hadn't tested them silk I would not have noticed. . .

Major sum dum

 

[bigbird]

glad you found that out....cheers jk :thumbup: