problem------can't get nitrates down.......ApI test of 10+ even after water change last night...... setup-------150gal with 150 lbs cured live rock (tank/rock 8mo old) model 4 overflow that has been removed of anything that can hold nitrates etc. protein skimmer in sump, 1200 gph return pump.. power heads in tank.. completed water change last night (40 gal) when reading was high.....little change..... ANY IDEAS??????????/
HIGH nitrates!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter bobcat178
- Start date
stingythingy45
New member
10+ on a API test is nothing to freak about...IMO.
patsfan1130
Premium Member
Something die? fish or any inverts? how old is the test kit? maybe it's bad. what do your trates usually run at? what do you feed? maybe a piece(s) of food never got eaten?
Amphiprionocellaris
New member
Just adding my agreement that 10 ppm nitrate is no problem. On a large, heavily-stocked tank, you may just be seeing nitrates before they can be metabolised.
just reading other post and saw a ? about base.....i have bout 2-3 in carib sand base, and did stir up some during change.....if that put levels in water how can i filter that out? or should i do another change. also how can you vac that fine material without losing part of it?
Amphiprionocellaris
New member
As your tank matures and stabilizes, it will reach a point where you no longer detect nitrates. Until then, your system will have small peaks of nitrate due to an oscillation in bacterial population. Once the process is complete (which takes a year, sometimes two), it won't be a problem, and until then the best thing to do with a relatively low level is let the bacteria and other organisms in the tank take care of things.
It will take much higher nitrates than that to do any harm to fish. I read about an experiment done quite awhile back where it took nitrates literally in the hundreds (I think it was 500ppm or more) before they had any fish losses. Granted it wasn't tested on reef fish, but it was saltwater fish. 10ppm is probably only a problem for very sensitive invertebrates.
Water changes aren't a very good reactionary measure to bring down nitrates, because it really doesn't address the problem. How often do you normally do water changes? Even after 8 months, your tank could still be stabilizing, so I wouldn't be too concerned yet. One thing that seemed to help for me, although it was probably an indirect impact, was running carbon. I say indirect, because I know carbon doesn't remove nitrate, but within two weeks of using it, my nitrates went from 5-10ppm to undetectable. Could have been cooincidence, but you may want to give it a try if you're not using it already.
Water changes aren't a very good reactionary measure to bring down nitrates, because it really doesn't address the problem. How often do you normally do water changes? Even after 8 months, your tank could still be stabilizing, so I wouldn't be too concerned yet. One thing that seemed to help for me, although it was probably an indirect impact, was running carbon. I say indirect, because I know carbon doesn't remove nitrate, but within two weeks of using it, my nitrates went from 5-10ppm to undetectable. Could have been cooincidence, but you may want to give it a try if you're not using it already.
