High Nitrates How To Lower

[pnkrcklives]

I have noticed the nitrates ramping up in my system. Almost to 20mg/l Yesterday. my system is mostly softies. They are staying very small and slow to open. Same with the nems. I am sure my tank is over stocked and I probably feed to much. My skimmer is probably too small(I do get a pint of skimate a week). But I was wondering what the best way to lower nitrate is. Without spending a fortune. Small water changes each day and my normal 10% per week? Or up my weekly water changes to 20%. I am also concerned with the fact that my calcium lowers when I change water. Any help will be appreciated I am pretty new to this saltwater game.

Nitrate 20mg/l

Nitrites undetectable

Ammonia undetectable

Calcium 380

Kh 7

PH 8.2

Magnesium 1200

PH 8.2

Specific gravity 1.026

[ClayTheSavageFraser]

More live rock, better skimmer, refugium. As of now to lower it I would do water changes until it was undetectable. It's weird that they are there with your regiment of water changes. How long has your tank been up? Has it gone through the "Cycle"? What livestock do you have? Oh, and are you using an ro/di to purify your water?

[tigerv503]

For softies it's ok, but try to get it down to 5 or 10 on Nitrate.

[pnkrcklives]

Maybe an excuse to get some more live rock wink wink. I will just do small water changes each day this week and reduce my feeding a little. Thanks for the Info what about mangroves in my sump. Maybe I will do some more research on this vodka dosing I hear about. Any good links? What about a few more hermits to eat some detrius(or would that just raise nitrates further)

[Barelycuda]

I personally would opt for for larger water changes. If the water changes are to small the amount of change in the reduction of nitrates may not be as productive as a few less larger ones.

[coralreefer]

a deep breath and here we go.....

 

1) larger water changes

2) increase flow within tank

3) more frequent water changes

4) reduce feedings

5) larger, better skimmer

6) filtration pads changed more often

7) reduce livestock

8) vodka dosing

9) vinegar dosing

10) sugar dosing

11) above combo dosing

12) biopellets

13) GFO/carbon

14) increase clean up crew numbers

15) work aggressively on a refugium

 

I'm getting tired...

 

16) vacuum tank weekly

17) increase live rock amount

18) blow off rocks weekly

19) skim wetter

20) make an algae scrubber

21) DSB in sump or remote> 10 inches

 

High nitrates usually equals plenty of room for improvement with husbandry...

 

DrMerle

[steelhead77]

The quickest, easiest way is a 50% water change. Your nitrates are automatically cut in half. Another one and you're down to 5. Easy as that. Then you can figure out why they are up and takes steps to mitigate it from going back.

[pnkrcklives]

Is it possible to do a 50% Water change and not harm anything(re cycle the tank)? I will be looking into a better cleanup crew today mine is very sparse. Along with stocking up on water(man I really should start making my own). What is the difference between a refugium and a sump. How much and what kind of carbon should I use I have none in the tank. Looks like I have along way to go thanks for all the great advice.

[Barelycuda]

Doing a large water change should not affect the cycle of a tank if the biological filtration is working properly which it is based on your parameters of 0 ammonia and nitrites. That will be the easiest way to get them down intially while you look into upgrades/changes to your system.

 

What brand of salt do you use?

[pnkrcklives]

That is what I will do. Then it looks like I will be building a refugium. Needed an excuse for another tank. Thanks alot guys.

[coralreefer]

you can receive lots of great advice here, but then reading and researching articles and blogs and columns and forums will help sooooo much..

 

DrMerle

[pnkrcklives]

You are correct. I just bookmarked several to read later. Cant thank you guys enough. Keep up the great work!!!

[reefboy]

not sure if I missed it but how old is your system this will have allot to do with how it exports nutrients and if it is over stocked at a young age it may be tough to get things ware you want it until the tank matures.

[pnkrcklives]

Tank is 8 months old in my house. It was running two years before I brought it home. Tank, sand, some rocks, couple fish, and all the water. Yes I really did transport all 110 gallons of water. What a PITA...

[Rick]

How much and how often do you feed? I struggled with Nitrates until I cut back to feeding once every 3 or 4 days.

 

I agree with all of the suggestions above although be very cautious if you decide to dose carbon (Vodka, sugar, vinegar). If you go overboard it WILL kill fish.

[reefnjunkie]

a deep breath and here we go.....

 

1) larger water changes

2) increase flow within tank

3) more frequent water changes

4) reduce feedings

5) larger, better skimmer

6) filtration pads changed more often

7) reduce livestock

8) vodka dosing

9) vinegar dosing

10) sugar dosing

11) above combo dosing

12) biopellets

13) GFO/carbon

14) increase clean up crew numbers

15) work aggressively on a refugium

 

I'm getting tired...

 

16) vacuum tank weekly

17) increase live rock amount

18) blow off rocks weekly

19) skim wetter

20) make an algae scrubber

21) DSB in sump or remote> 10 inches

 

High nitrates usually equals plenty of room for improvement with husbandry...

 

DrMerle

 

Ah Merle, I did not even read your list but saw this thread and had to poke and see what I saw. I really like the part where you wrote “a deep breath and here we go.....”

 

All I will say is please take what everyone says as "suggestions" this is similar to the threads "MH or T5s" or "what the best skimmer" do your own reading and the answer usually is in the masses.

 

As with A LOT of advise in reefing, there is a lot of advise that works, but not everything that works for some works for others. I do things to keep Nitrates under control that does not work for others and conversely others have suggested things to do that I have had TERRIBLE results trying.

 

Take it all in, form an educated opinion and good luck, and last but not least.....

GOOGLE (or what ever search engine you use), is your best friend.

 

There are a lot of things that people will suggest or do themselves that if are not done correctly will kill off things in your tank.

 

Good luck in finding the answer-its not black and white unfortunately

[grassi]

As Brad said all of them could be successful or catastrophic, and it really depends on your tank, your maintenance routine and 100 more variables.

Do a lot of researches, test, be careful.

Always give the tank some time before the next try. Let it adjust. This is one task that at the end will leave you with a lot of experience. It is possible that you will end up redesigning most of your system

Water changes are always good after the first cycle. They solve, at least temporary, most of the problems.

Good luck!

[pnkrcklives]

That is why I am on here is to see from experience what others have done and to make the most educated move I can. Grassi I have seen your tanks a while ago. I have your longspine urchin and some zoos. If you are feeding only every three to four days than I am feeding four times as often as you. I feed once nightly. I would be curious as to what and how much you feed. I know each tank does not have the same creatures or requirements but any information I can get will help me better in the long run.

[Beckie]

I feed every afternoon as well. I thaw all food on paper towel before it goes in the tank. I limit most pellets. I started feeding less but I eat everyday as do all my pets, wet and dry. I would make a big water change, feed a little less and test again next week. If you do 1 change at a time you will know what is was that worked of failed.

 

Beckie

[grassi]

That is why I am on here is to see from experience what others have done and to make the most educated move I can. Grassi I have seen your tanks a while ago. I have your longspine urchin and some zoos. If you are feeding only every three to four days than I am feeding four times as often as you. I feed once nightly. I would be curious as to what and how much you feed. I know each tank does not have the same creatures or requirements but any information I can get will help me better in the long run.

 

I remember you! Nice to find you again.

My system grew a little since you saw it, from about 100g to about 240g.

I feed the fish once a day, with Elos food and nori. I feed the corals every once in a while in the display (phyto, oyster, shrimps), I don't even remember when I did last time. It could be a week ago or so. I feed the frag tank (spot) more ofter, probably twice a week. I'm having what I consider a great growth rate on most of the coral for a 14k lighting color temperature.

I have a good skimmer (that need to be upgraded after adding more water volume), refugium, and 4 cups of GFO 24/7. I have probably about 12000gph of flow in the system.

Comparing to other people feeding regimen, seems like I let my corals and fish to starve. But I have a mandarin goby since 10 months at least, and he's doing great. He's not the kind of guy that eats pellets or frozen food. So I think there is enough food (pods and other critters) in the tank to let my corals and fish to thrive.

 

I don't know exactly what are you running and what is your current bioload, but if you feed a lot you should have some equipment that can take care of it.

[grassi]

How many gallons is your tank/sump and what skimmer are you using?

And what food do you use? For instance I was having some problems until I switched to Elos

[reefnjunkie]

That is why I am on here is to see from experience what others have done and to make the most educated move I can. Grassi I have seen your tanks a while ago. I have your longspine urchin and some zoos. If you are feeding only every three to four days than I am feeding four times as often as you. I feed once nightly. I would be curious as to what and how much you feed. I know each tank does not have the same creatures or requirements but any information I can get will help me better in the long run.

 

This is a great group but not the volume I suggest-I feed daily sometimes twice a day, my Nitrates are around .01

 

here is a recent FTS;

 

I just wanted to emphasize that even though it works on one tank it wont work on another.

It has as much to do with the bio load-fish versus corals, deep sand band, shallow sand bed. Refugium no refugium, skimmer and the list goes on and on

 

Take these guys opinions, reef2reef, 3reef, reef frontiers etc-there is only about a dozen or so here that chime in (IME) and those are not the numbers I would like to see-Grassi's tank is nice, I think mine nice, Rick's is nice, Merle's is nice and we all do different things.

 

as the "general rule"

Less food is good

weekly water changes are good

RO/DI=good

etc etc. I am not trying to do anything more than suggest reading what other say which you are doing so that’s awesome!!

 

Check out a few reads from Randy Holmes/Farly or whatever his name is-Sorry no disrespect meant Randy, but I have read to many threads to remember the accolades for those of whom I have read-LOL

 

 

For me as an example, I change my water approx 15% once a month sometimes every 3rd week, I run a skimmer, phosban reactor, and float Purigen in my sump, but IMO I don’t have a lot of fish 6 or 7. I swear its the purigen that helps but have others that say it did not work for them.

 

I now I had NO3 at levels of 20ppm every single week after doing weekly water changes and the NO3 was still 20, I added the purigen and within a week they are were they are now which is why I feed like I do, before I was afraid and would not feed but once every other day or every 3rd.

 

I also change my filter sock weekly, clean the skimmer weekly, scrape any algae out of the overflow as it builds etc. etc.-

 

Its as much to do about everything you do as a whole as it is any one thing in particular. The age of your tank, how well you practice good husbandry. As the age increases so does all the good bacteria that eats the organics before they have a chance to convert to Nitrate-

 

I'm bouncing around to much so I'll stop-

 

Reduction in NO3 is what we all seek, I did not try turf scrubbers but was close, I tried vodka dosing, I tried about everything you have read (or may read) plus it may have been a fluke or a coincidence, but after I tried the purigen my NO3 went to near zero, which it would be there (near zero) if I did not feed a cube of mysis, 2 good sized pinches of pellets and 10ml of Oyster feast a day, but I do feed tha daily and I think IMO its the purigen-

 

 

 

 

Good luck

 

Sorry I started typing this short novel before Grassi posted and then a few questions from my son delayed the posting

 

 

I included the pic of the tank so you can see what mine looks like.

 

I guess I felt it worth posting, becuase I know I would be leary about taking safety advise from the shop teacher missing 3 fingers.

[pnkrcklives]

That tank is beautiful. Someday mine will be too!! I added some activated charcoal to a new filter sock. Noticed a small reduction in the last 12 hours(5) we will see after work another 12 hour period. Then I will be due for my weekly water change. which I will up to 20%(from 10%). I will keep you updated. Cant thank you all enough.

[jackaninny]

Junk-

 

Do you recharge your Purigen using the method described by the manufacturer?

If so how many times do you do that before tossing it?

[reefboy]

the safest thing to do right now is smaller more frequent water changes with purified water and a good salt mix you could even do small daily water changes like 5gal if you wanted until your problem resolves.