Help Please - Wierd Nitrate Problem

[thebigdog]

Help Please - Wierd Nitrate Problem

This is driving me nuts, and I cannot figuer it out.
I have a 90 gallon tank with a 29 gallon refugium.
Mechanical filtration is by a fluval 405, and a skimmer also running.

Since day one, I always had Zero Nitrates in the tank.
All of a sudden for the past 4 days, nitrates have spiked dramatically.
I'm at the very end of the scale, at 160 PPM.
I have used Amquel Plus daily, to tempoary bring nitrates down.
It however does not seem to be doing much.

The other test are fine:
PH = 8.3
Nitrite = 0ppm
Ammonia = 0ppm
Salt = 1.023, with a refractometer

I did a 40% water change yesterday, with RO water.
The Nitrates an hour after the change, came down to about 40ppm.
I just check the nitrates now, and their back up to 160ppm :mad2:

The fish all seem fine, but I am now loosing coral.
Most seem to be starting to desolve away.

Forgot to mention: I had to use Aqua-Zole Metronidazole last week.
I aquired a fish that had Hole In Head, and he was being treated with this.
(I have done two 40% water chages since, with no improvements)

Has anyone else experienced a similar problem?
Does anyone have any idea what happened all of a sudden?

Help !!!

 

[Don-Coraleone]

how many fish do you have in the tank?

 

[tank o tang]

My guess would be that there are WAY to many fish in the tank to a point your macro can't keep up (especially if it was pruned recently).

Depending on the last time you cleaned the canister you could have wiped out a good portion of bacteria, causing a re cycling of your tank.

Or compete opposite and canister is past due for cleaning and has become a nitrate factory.

 

[mike33]

I was thinking the canister filter. I own a fluval 405 and used it for years on a freshwater setup. I don't believe many people use them in a saltwater setup because of the hassle of having to change the foam every other day or so-plus the expense. I would take out all of the filtration media, change the water, and retest. However, feeding and stoking levels cannot be looked over.

 

[RTMA]

Either the Metronidazole killed a portion of your good bacteria or that Fluval has turned into a Nitrate factory, like Jeff said. You have a refugium with macro, dosed Amquel, WC and still have Nitrate increasing. That's the only explanation, your tank is either cycling again, can't handle the bioload or the fluval is dosing nitrates. I'd get those corals out or if you have live rock from another cycled tank, you could throw it in there to boost the bacteria temporarily.

 

[mike_dani]

Re: Help Please - Wierd Nitrate Problem

I have used metro for months and have never seen any nitrate spike. I would have to say the filters need to be cleaned

 

[thebigdog]

Thanks everyone for all of the help and suggestions.
My tank has been over crowded since day one.
However everythings been up over a year, and I never had nitrates before.

I did give the filter a good cleaning job yesterday.
I was reading many post online that bio balls can cause this too.
I did add ceramic ring bio balls about a month ago.
They may also be the problem :hmm3:

Tommorrow they get removed and I'll add live rock rubble.
I have some agrocrete rocks I made previosly.
I figuer it won't hurt to add some more rocks, to hold benificial bacteria

 

[tank o tang]

Hows the tank doing?

 

[thebigdog]

Hello Jeff,
It's a little better but still far from being totally safe.
Most of what I have looks still good, but I thing my frogspawn's a goner.
I've done two 25% water changes this pass week, but it doesn't seem to phase it.
Tommorrow I'll do a 50% change, and hopefully be able to put a dent into it.

With that large of a change, I have to make sure everything is almost identical.
I'm matching the salt with my refractometer, and using a heater in the barrel to match the temps.

QUESTION: I was going to call you, but I was very busy.
Could you possible hold what I was coming to get, till maybe next weeekend?
I just want to make sure that nothing happens to it.

thanks
Louis

Hows the tank doing?

 

[thebigdog]

In the pass week, I've done three 25% water changes.
After all those changes, my nitrates were down to 80ppm last night.
Yeah I know that's still super high, but it beats my previous 160ppm.

Early this morning, I did a 50% water change.
I honestly expected to see a reading of about 40ppm afterwards.
I was amazed to now see my nitrates at ZERO ppm.
Even though I did a 50% change, it shouldn't had gone down that low.

I'll test it again late tonight or early in the morning.
If it's still ZERO, than I have no freaking clue what the hell happened.
As I said: From 0 ppm it spiked up to160 ppm.
Now from 80 ppm, it shot back down to ZERO.

I really am starting to start believing in Little Green Gremlins...

Check this post in the morning, and I'll say what the new readings are. :hmm2:

 

[thebigdog]

Here's the verdict.

From a Nitrate of 0 ppm last night,
now they have risen slightly to 20 ppm.
I can live with that for now :fun2:

The other water checks are:
PH = 8.2
Nitrite = 0ppm
Ammonia = 0ppm
Phosphates = 0.25
Salt = 1.023, with a refractometer

I noticed today that I haven't seen my Brittle Star for a while.
I seached but no sign of it, perhaps it croaked and maybe affected the Nitrates?
Strange though that the Nitrites never changed and were always zero.

Anyway, I think I'm good again, so I thank everyone for their help.

Perhaps GREMLINS do exist, hiding in the plants of the sump? :worried:

 

[thebigdog]

Nitrates Now Seem Under Control - Most Of My Corals Died - Donations Appreciated

Nitrates Now Seem Under Control - Most Of My Corals Died - Donations Appreciated

Nitrates Now Seem Under Control.
Maybe it was that missing Brittle Starfish????

I lost my Frogspawn, GSP, and trumpets :furious:
If any has too much coral growning, and need to clear some space.
I'm looking for donations - Anything, Any Color
Beggers cannot be choosey

I'm also looking to buy some reasonable frags.

Well, at least I didn't loose any of myt fish :celeb1:

My current readings are:
PH = 8.2
Nitrates = 0.10
Nitrites = 0.25
Ammonia = 0
Phosphates - 0





- Most Of My Corals Died - Donations Appreciated

 

[terahz]

I lost my Frogspawn, GSP, and trumpets

Wow you lost a GSP? That thing is immortal! I can't believe nitrates can do that.

Glad to hear your tank is back to normal levels though.