5.5g nitrate problems

[warr40]

hey i had a 24g aquapod it cracked so now my only option was to move my livestock in to my 5.5g
-in the 5.5 theres a clown a big piece of LR 10 snails 1 hermit and a star polyp frag

-i just tested my params and i noticed my nitrates are high.....and i have GHA
-what should i do
-add more LR
-differnt filter media in the HOB filters??


what type of sand bed?-----ts bare bottom
how much current in the tank?----- it has 2 HOB filters i think 200-300 gph total
what kind of filter(s)-----1x penguin 170 1x whisper 10
what media is in them?----- carbon in the whisper
what fish and inverts are in the tank?----- 1 clown 10 snails 1 hermit 1 GSP frag
when you say high, what are the levels you are reading?----- 15-20


the water it from my exsisting 24g that cracked and so is the rock

i do about 1-2g w/c every other day(i try) i dont have an r/o unit

btw i'm using catalina pre-mixed SW for w/c

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/warr40/nov12/2005_081950015.jpg

 

[Jasonf08]

I have a 12g eclipse with the same problem. The problem is there isnt enough water vs no way for it to get out. Effectively skimming and more importantly a fuge would benefit. But considering cost & the difficulty fitting something in your tank i would go with a HOB fuge. Just modify one of the aquaclears and stick a azoo light on it from drfostersmith.com Then it should help keep the levels down, while most of your nitrate export will be from weekly water changes.

 

[LittlePuff]

Are you getting rid of the bacteria in the HOBs at least weekly? How much live rock is in there?

 

[warr40]

there is just cheato in the HOB and i think its 5-6 pounds

 

[LittlePuff]

Live rock in your tank, not the HOB.

 

[Spracklcat]

Water changes! Large and frequent!

 

[chocolateblnt]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8698644#post8698644 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Spracklcat
Water changes! Large and frequent!

Ditto ...

 

[chocolateblnt]

oops