As you can see from the picture of this test, our nitrate level is extremely high.
The fishes waste produces ammonia. Our filter has good bacteria in it to decrease the level of ammonia, but when there is to much ammonia the bacteria turns it into nitrates and nitrites. See the Nitrogen Cycle below.
The nitrate and nitrite count should be close to 0ppms but it is .5-1.0ppms which is dangerously high.
From http://www.freshwateraquarium.about.com/:
"High nitrate levels are especially harmful to fry and young fish, and will affect their growth. Furthermore, conditions that cause elevated nitrates often cause decreased oxygen levels, which further stress the fish."
Plan of Action:
- Tomorrow we are going to do a 40% water change (THE MOST WE HAVE EVER DONE).
- Get some freshwater aquatic plants-live plants use nitrites and help keep nitrates in check.
- We could have been feeding them a little too much because overfeeding is a major factor of increasing waste. We will now be monitoring the food intake even more diligently!
- We are going to do a full clean of the filter before our winter break.
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