nitrate overload.

R

ricksconnected

New member
did a chem check last night and my nitrates where very very high.
API test: fire truck red. did a 40% water change of 30gal.
still in the very red zone. wasnt like that last week.
nothing new added or taken away from the tank. i cant figure out whats happened. the tank was taken down a couple months ago and relocated here at my house so the tank setup isnt new.
im lost for ideas. anybody know what i can do to get this lowered?
ive relocated my power heads to point behind the rocks and in other locations just incase theres piles of old food or whatever.
new filter in but left the old biowheel in place.
 
cortez damsel,blue devil damsel, engineer goby, 2humbug damsels, clown, a few red scarlet crabs, a hermit crab, 3 emerald crabs, a sally light foot, and several different type of snails.

filtration is a over the back filter with biowheel, live rock about 25lbs, and a protein skimmer. 2 power heads control the flow. then theres the sand. its that white and black stuff. i really dont like it but didnt want to ruin any good stuff it might have any it from the previous owner so i left it in.
 
So to clarify, it was a deep sand bed for some time, then you removed it, moved the tank, then put all the sand back in?

If so, that could be the source of your problem.
 
whys.

yes a good friend moved and couldnt take the setup with him so he gave it to me. so if thats the problem, why?
what happened that caused the problem 2 months after i set it up? does everybody that moves a tank go through this?
so now what do i do to lower the nitrates?
 
Why am I the one talking DSB when WK is in the room? :confused: ;)

A DSB is a living thing and can saturate with toxins. Disrupt it and you both release the toxins and kill many of the critters. At the moment your DSB is probably working against you, not with you. Even if there were no toxins, all those critters are now decomposing in your sand.

Waterkeeper is more qualified than I to give advice on how to fix it.
 
why

what is DSB? remember im very new at this and we will have to talk on simple terms until i get up to speed. im thinking sand right? so what now? do i replace the sand with something better?
is the biowheel working in my favor or is it doing damage?
how do i keep the sand alive?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14999037#post14999037 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WaterKeeper
True, but adding a skimmer would sure beat the bio-wheel.
Click to expand...

keeper

there is a biowheel and skimmer in use on this tank.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14999384#post14999384 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ricksconnected
why

what is DSB? remember im very new at this and we will have to talk on simple terms until i get up to speed. im thinking sand right? so what now? do i replace the sand with something better?
is the biowheel working in my favor or is it doing damage?
how do i keep the sand alive?
Click to expand...

DSB = deep sand bed
The biowheel can actually become a nitrate factory. I would remove that if you could.
You would probably be better off using live rock as your main source of filtration. Did you say you only had 25 lbs of LR?
If so you should consider 1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon of water.
As for the sand I still have alot to learn. I know that you should provide a variety of sand sifting critters that continuously stir up your sand bed. Thus releasing the toxins in a controlled manner in which your system can handle.
Hope that helps a bit.
 
oxy

DSB oh ok. doh!
ok get rid of the biowheel or just replace it with a new one?
how does it become a nitrate factory?
yes 20-25lbs im guessing.
ok sand sifting critters. give me some ideas here please.
like what?
sorry so many questions folks. being a newbie one can often sound like a moron. :D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15000067#post15000067 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ricksconnected
oxy

DSB oh ok. doh!
ok get rid of the biowheel or just replace it with a new one?
how does it become a nitrate factory?
yes 20-25lbs im guessing.
ok sand sifting critters. give me some ideas here please.
like what?
sorry so many questions folks. being a newbie one can often sound like a moron. :D
Click to expand...

I think the majority will tell you to ditch the biowheel completely.
From what I remember the biowheel doesn't process ammonia and nitrates in a effiecient manner in a marine environment. If I remember corectly It doesn't have enough time exposed to air to perform it's intended function. Thus it simply builds up with toxins and becomes a "nitrate factory"
Your going to need to find some more live rock probably another 50 lbs. As for sand sifting critters there are quite a few. A good place to start may be some nasarius snails.
Your nitrates need to be addressed first though before putting any new livestock into your tank. If the sand bed is the issue then someone else will have to chime in with some advice as I don't know enough to help:)
 
i have those snails, plus a few other different ones. they dont care about the sand, none of them. they stay on the glass always, or the rock. what else do ya think will work?
 
The biowheel is converting your ammonia to nitrite then nitrate very efficiently as it has ample exposure to air. The problem is the biowheel does not provide any anaerobic conversion of nitrate to nitrogen. This is also true of canister filters, bioballs. The prevailing wisdom is that liverock provides a better balance of aerobic to anaerobic bacteria and thus a less toxic environment.

The primary function of a DSB is to provide an anoxic environment where anaerobic bacteria can thrive. This happens because so little oxygen reaches the bottom layer. DSBs have proved to be one of the tricker elements of the hobby with many hobbyists failing to maintain them properly and becoming disenchanted with them. Some keep a DSB remotely for a variety of reasons, but that is its own story and I see no need to go into that. Basically, I'm supportive of you having a DSB in your display if it appeals to you, but right now you don't have a DSB so much as a lot of rotting biomass at the bottom of your tank.

I was hoping Waterkeeper might have a suggestion since he is an expert on DSBs. All I can tell you is if you believe the sandbed is the problem, then you need to get it out. Leave yourself a half inch for a shallow sandbed and wash wash wash the rest. Once clean, add it again a half inch at a time about once a week. Test your parameters each time before adding more. Your liverock will reseed your DSB with many of the smallest critters it needs. Nassarius snails are also a good addition for a DSB.

Hope this helps.
 
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