Any help at all appreciated!!

[Zoregon]

Tank is now 8/9 months old with consistently high nitrates.
They drop to 50 with w/c and are up to 100 within a week

The details:
180gal with 30 or 40g eshoppes sump
Refugium with chaeto
Bubble Magus Curve 7 skimmer
40w uv sterilizer
2L matrix
1 brick marinpure
500g of Purigen
2 x 11oz of chemipure blue

175lbs live rock
Cebu sun light (3x250w mh, 4x T5 actinic)
Feeding once per day LRS Reef Frenzy (rinsed)

Readings
Alk. 8.4
Cal. 420
Mag 1230
Nitrate 50+
Phos 0-.1
Sal. 1.025
Temp 78-79

Tank is clean, clean, clean. Small amount of algae on back glass but nothing noteworthy. No detritus. Can keep some lps coral but nukes others and any sps is dead in two weeks.
Inverts are fine at this time.

Have tested with RedSea and Salifert kits.

Anybody have any ideas? I've thrown everything I can think of at this and they will not budge.

 

[BillyOcean]

Lots of options on this one...bioload..Media creating bioload? Any CUC? Plenty of people with way more knowledge than me. Perhaps time for ro/di filter change if your without a tds meter?

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[heathlindner25]

Vodka. And get rid of the Matrix and the Marine pure, unless the brick is really thick.

 

[anthonys51]

Your tank can't be clean clean clean. If you have nitrates it has to be coming from somewhere. Nitrates is the end product of the nitrogen cycle. Food, poop , detritus all break down to form nitrates You can actually have very little algae and still have nitrates. It's coming from somewhere so first I would check sand , second check your sump is it dirty, Also How many fish do you have in your tank. If you have sand do you vacuum it.


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[Zoregon]

I clean sump, overflows, powerheads, etc bi-weekly. Change filter socks daily.

Yes the marinepure is the thick brick. Nitrates didn't go up or down when it was added.

I have vaccumed the sand in the past but currently am not doing so. I found it made no difference in the nitrates reading and it seems to be a topic of debate as to whether or not to do so. Also with the addition of a mandarin I don't want to vacuum out copepods.

I currently have: yellow, purple and powder blue tangs, foxface, melanarus Wrasse, 3 clowns, watchman and aura gobies, 4 shrimp, 2 strawberry conches, about 40 each of nassarius and trochus snails.

 

[dt204]

How often water changes and what volume?
How much frenzy do you feed?
How do you clean your filter socks?

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[anthonys51]

How deep is your sand bed.
Also why are you using purigen and chemipure. In a heathy reef tank there really is no reason too. You want your rocks and live sand to do it naturally. You can but I wouldn't
Also msybe stop feeding lrs reef frenzy. It's a lot of little fine particles. Try mysis shrimp it's a little easy to feed without making a mess. Also if you aren't already. Don't just drop the whole cube into the water. Break it up into 4-6 littler feedings. Also 40 nass snails is a lot In a 180. If all them are still alive you have to be feeding the tank a lot


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[anthonys51]

Also a lot of role do this. Not just you. And I commend you for asking. But you are assuming your doing everything right. When you solve problems try not to assume anything. You know what happens when you assume.


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[Zoregon]

Ok I'll try the mysis shrimp. I'm feeding the LRS because I read on here a lot of people use it so thought it was a good food. Yes it seems to be "messy" but I thought a varied diet was good?
I added the chemipure and purigen in hopes of bringing nitrates down.
The sandbed is about 2". Some spots are higher, some lower. I'm not sure exactly how many nassarius snails I have now my wrasse has taken a liking to them. The guy I get my fish from said the more the better soooo.....

 

[anthonys51]

Vodka. And get rid of the Matrix and the Marine pure, unless the brick is really thick.

I am not a big fan of carbon dosing

Your tank should be in prefect balance.

When nitrates are out of wake, it means your tank isn't in prefect harmony. Now vodka dosing works don't get me wrong. But it's a bandaid and just one more thing I have to worry and preform imo


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[anthonys51]

Also is your marine pure block

How long has it been in your tank if it dirty or in high flow area it can actually be the cause of your nitrates


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[anthonys51]

Ok I'll try the mysis shrimp. I'm feeding the LRS because I read on here a lot of people use it so thought it was a good food. Yes it seems to be "messy" but I thought a varied diet was good?
I added the chemipure and purigen in hopes of bringing nitrates down.
The sandbed is about 2". Some spots are higher, some lower. I'm not sure exactly how many nassarius snails I have now my wrasse has taken a liking to them. The guy I get my fish from said the more the better soooo.....

2 inches is good level.
Stop using the chenipure and purigen. There like vitamin imo.

Yes the more snails not the better lol.
But I guess if I was in the business of selling snails I would tell you the same thing
How often and how big are you water changes

Also you don't have to vacuum your sand bed but stir it and blast your rocks before each wAter change




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[ROB2005]

Are you getting good flow in your tank?

 

[Zoregon]

Water changes are 45g bi-weekly using Red Sea Coral Pro salt.

Turnover rate through sump is 8.8 times per hour and powerheads are low at 180gph each right now as any higher I get polyp bailout on my hammers.

i pull a lot of skimmate and filter socks are brown within 24 hours but waters very clear.

I thought I was doing everything right but entire build and additives are based solely on internet research. There is a reef club that just started up about 2 hours away and is on fb but when I ask a question they seem to only give me
a virtual shrug and show pics of their pristine tanks. Plus numerous friend requests once they realize I'm female lol. In other words....useless

 

[garygonzales]

maybe carbon dosing is in order...i have had high nitrates as well and nopox is the only thing that has worked for me....my nitrates now stay around 10...just saying....lol...

 

[anthonys51]

Water changes are 45g bi-weekly using Red Sea Coral Pro salt.



Turnover rate through sump is 8.8 times per hour and powerheads are low at 180gph each right now as any higher I get polyp bailout on my hammers.



i pull a lot of skimmate and filter socks are brown within 24 hours but waters very clear.



I thought I was doing everything right but entire build and additives are based solely on internet research. There is a reef club that just started up about 2 hours away and is on fb but when I ask a question they seem to only give me

a virtual shrug and show pics of their pristine tanks. Plus numerous friend requests once they realize I'm female lol. In other words....useless

Try doing water changes every week instead.
When you do water changes stir up sand blast rocks
After a month see if this helps
Plus it your feeding down in the mean time

You need more powerheads did you say 2 powerheads that are rated at 180 gph. You need 2-3 powerheads rated at 1350gph min on that size tank

What you do is aim powerhead at surface or at walk to reduce direct flow

I don't mind that your a female. 3 favorite people in my life are woman
Mom,daughter , wife in no particular order


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