im back with the same nitrate problem

[baldomero]

hey guys im back again crying over nitrates its been months and i cant seem to get that darn nitrate down i do 30gallon water changes clean a little of my sandbed rinse sponges found mangroves on the beach added them to my system (and they grew fast) im thinking on doing a 60 gallon waterchange this weekend would that be ok to do at once

 

[rgrobe]

How often are your water changes? Tell us a little more about your bioload and feeding habits. How long has the tank been up? Are the mangroves in a refugium? If so are you also using algae?

 

[andrewk529]

if its FOWLR why are you concerned about nitrates?

 

[baldomero]

i try to change 30 gallons every 2 weeks feed them pellets twice a day and everyother day i throw a raw shrimp in so they can eat i have 12 medium fish in the tank no more than 3 inches with 2 nems and ricordias,hermits and seastars and a few snails the mangroves are in the overflow and growing like crazy my sump is a 20 high with a coralife skimmer rated for a 250 gallon also i have about 120pounds of live rock and a 3inch sandbed i know its a FOWLR but im more concerned about my nems and my ricordia wich i heard didnt like nitrates

 

[inovrmyhd]

You may be over feeding. Following the advice of others I feed every 2 days and only what they will eat in a few minutes time. I actually add the food a little at a time so they can catch all of it before it hits the rocks and sand.

 

[baldomero]

man these fish are greedy believe me they eat every pellet i add it a little at a time and they act like they havent eaten in days haha

 

[rgrobe]

Try 30 gallons every week for a while. Cut down on the feeding. If the raw shrimp is for the fish and it is not being totally consumed it may be laying in the tank decomposing adding to the cycle and raising the nitrates. Try using mini mysis instead and feed only what they'll eat in a few minutes. The nems don't need to be fed every other day.

Fish are greedy but remember that they more they eat, the more waste they produce. Waste adds to nitrates.

 

[baldomero]

good point i will try 30 everyweek to see but should i do a 60gallon change for this weekend

 

[baldomero]

oh not trying to be smart but when i add the shrimp i make sure its gone completely

 

[tdp22]

What are your nitrates at? Granted 0 is best, but I have very small amounts that do not seem to negatively impact my tank. Perfection is tough to achieve!

 

[rgrobe]

You still haven't mentioned how high your nitrates actually are. You have a 150. Accounting for rock, substrate and any other material inside the tank what is the actual volume of water? I would not go more that 30% unless you have dangerously high levels.

 

[baldomero]

ok lets say the color card goes from yellow all the way down to red from 0 to 160 right the last ten times ive checked the test tube color against the card its been red so id say 80ppm and its a new test kit but theres always the possibility that the test kit could of been sitting for years on the shelf of the lfs and its no good cause even with the 30 gallon waterchange it didnt go down one bit

 

[rgrobe]

Do a 30 gallon water change every couple of days for a week. The nitrates should be way down by the end of the week and the tanks params will change gradually.

Most test kits will have an expiration date. If not most will have a lot# that will indicate when the kit was manufactured. The maker can provide that information. If in doubt buy a new one with an expiration date that you know is current.

 

[baldomero]

yeah i gotta get that checked out

 

[GermanNuts]

You might try using a turkey baster to blast your lr and knock any settled waste into the water column so it can get skimmed out. If I see nitrates starting to creep up, I blast my rock with the baster once or twice a day for a couple days before doing a water change.

 

[prickles]

check out the vodka dosing thread in the reef discussion forum. I just set up a new reef and after dosing vodka for 3 days, my nitrates went from 30 to 0. (I cheated a bit and did it quicker than advised but I have some experience with it from previous tanks.) You will be shocked how quickly the nitrates go down.

 

[alaska clowns]

Just curious.... what kind of equipment do you have? Do you by chance have a biowheel filter (I got rid of mine because someone on here told me they were nitrate traps). Do you have a skimmer?

 

[xblueonex1977]

i just had the same problem with my 90 gallon tank i thought the problem was because i switch from 65g to 90g but my nitrate were about 80ppm for about 2 months i did change my water every week and nothing changed yesterday i went to local marine store and i bought amquel+ which removes nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia and i also i got pura nitratelock which cost me 50 $ but supposed to last 2 years with only ones a month regeneration i will let you know tomorrow if my nitrate drop

 

[ClownBoy]

If you have access to natural salt water - I say that because you have access to mangroves - you might consider a 20% water change to introduce more bacteria. I have cycled several tanks this way and it takes no time.

 

[baldomero]

yes i have a real good skimmer and no no biowheel and i use to use amquel when i had my tank set up in new york last year but since i moved to puerto rico i cant seem to find no amquel i think im gonna have to order from fosters and smith .