Nitrate Factory?

[hondadude2k5]

I have been told that my canister filter is more than likely the leading cause to my nitrate levels. I change the media often as i use the canister as a location to place De*Nitrate and carbon and phosphate sponges. Is it possible that this is the reason my nitrates have shot through the roof in the last few days?

 

[Entropy]

If you change the media often I doubt it. Anything missing in the tank that could have died and started to decay?

 

[hondadude2k5]

It started with a dead Tang. Everything since then has been down hill. Constant water changes and changing of filter media. Anything that could have trapped dead stuff has been replaced.

 

[pngbb]

I don't think so. Fish is nitrate factory indeed. canister filter just convert NO2 and amonia released by the fishes into a less toxic form, NO3.

 

[Sk8r]

Do you have any idea what killed the tang, and is it possible it could have gotten to the live rock inhabitants? I'd estimate I have the biomass of a very large fish in the holes and surface of my rock. If that's hurting, or if something has died in a deep hole in the rock, that could be a problem. You might also run some polypad and see if it changes color, in case there's something your other filter isn't picking up...like metal contamination, etc.

 

[djtodd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7014446#post7014446 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hondadude2k5
It started with a dead Tang. Everything since then has been down hill. Constant water changes and changing of filter media. Anything that could have trapped dead stuff has been replaced.

First what are your nitrate levels?

Second, you put a tang in a 26G. I'm not a card carying member of the tang police, but ouch.

 

[hondadude2k5]

I put a 2 inch tang in a 24 inch tank that was supposed to be there for only a matter of 2 no more than 3 weeks until the bigger tank was done cycling. nitrate levels were up to 40ppm sometimes spiking to 60ppm. Nitrites have been close to 2

 

[mikeatjac]

When you say you are changing your filters often. I have heard often mean many different things. Once a week is what I think of as often.

 

[hondadude2k5]

Lets back it up and explain my often. Now that I have been using it for awhile, I refresh my De*Nitrate every 30 days. i also replace the carbon pack every 30 days. I replace the phosphate pad every 15 days. i don't let them build up too much trash.

 

[djtodd]

I guess it comes down to how old the tank is. I had a 60ppm nitrate problem in my 90G until I cleaned out the sump and removed like 1/8" of detritus from the bottom. Then as it matured (the contents were migrated from my 40G) the levels slowly dropped to 0.

But if you only set this up 3 months ago, didn't/don't use RODI water, etc. etc. the tank may not be able to support much of a bioload yet. Plus if you're not using RODI water, you may be pumping more nitrates in with every water change.

 

[hondadude2k5]

This tank has been set up since October of 2005. All the rock and substrate was already matured from another tank. Up until the Tang died i was running zeros across the board.

 

[jjokcca]

I am not certain but your canister filter might be the cause of your high nitrates. you are changing your filter media every 30 days, and with high bio-load with tang and etc, you filter might over work specially carbon filters. if you let carbon filter age it release phosphorus (spelling?) which you do not want to have in your tank.

I have completed remove all the media once my tank was established. My canister is acting as external pump for my SCWD.
it works great you might want to change the filter media least every 15days and see it helps.

side note hobby since 2003

 

[hondadude2k5]

I understand what you are saying but I don't think I wrote it up higher, the tang died and as the result we are having these problems. As of right now I have an Aqua Clear 110 set up with 3 pounds of live sand and rock and I also have the canister filter with the De*Nitrate and carbon pack that is all new. The only thing in the tank is my corals and 1 clown 1 scooter blenny, 1 clown goby, and a shrimp. Ill be adding 1 more clown in a few weeks. That will be my max in the tank

 

[hutch1814]

get a fuge that will take of yoru problem hem things eat up everything in the water since i put one on i have had zeros on everything!

 

[hondadude2k5]

Hutch,

I do have a refugium.