Nitrate Problem....Need Advice!!
- Thread starter Orangetruck94
- Start date
Wow I feed morning and night too 1 frozen cube thawed. I have 5 fish they eat it all both times in about a minute. Is that normal?
We had seven fish and would feed them (the fish-not the family)2 cubes thawed every 2-3 days...sometimes would forget and feed once in 4-5 days. They eat it fast, but that is good...you don't want food ending up in the substrate and collecting. We would also alternate and feed frozen on a feed day and the next feeding day would be flake and pellet.
Also, as far as feeding them flake as opposed to mysis, someone once told us it's like eating McDonalds french fries. Sure they are good and you can eat them every day, but they are bad for you and you get nothing out of them. Flake food is like french fries for fish....processed junk food.
In my opinion feeding more than once a day and even daily is way too much food and nitrates going in to your tank.
I'm no expert, but this is what worked for us. Maybe an expert can chime in.
Also, as far as feeding them flake as opposed to mysis, someone once told us it's like eating McDonalds french fries. Sure they are good and you can eat them every day, but they are bad for you and you get nothing out of them. Flake food is like french fries for fish....processed junk food.
In my opinion feeding more than once a day and even daily is way too much food and nitrates going in to your tank.
I'm no expert, but this is what worked for us. Maybe an expert can chime in.
bluelair
New member
Look, before anyone gets the wrong itea, I'm not saying "don't feed". Every tank (system) is different. Every fish is different, you have to get to know what you're keeping, and also have to take into account what status your tank is at.
However, there is one simple, governing rule: The only thing in your tank is what you put in there. No animal manufactures nitrates or phosphates from the air. If you have a nitrates problem, it began with something you put in there, whether it was food or one too many fish.
All I'm saying is be cautious... I'd rather have my fish be a little hungry for 3-4 days than be poisoned and dying from nitrates and ammonia due to feeding.
However, there is one simple, governing rule: The only thing in your tank is what you put in there. No animal manufactures nitrates or phosphates from the air. If you have a nitrates problem, it began with something you put in there, whether it was food or one too many fish.
All I'm saying is be cautious... I'd rather have my fish be a little hungry for 3-4 days than be poisoned and dying from nitrates and ammonia due to feeding.
coralreefer2110
New member
Nitrates
Nitrates
I can't speak with any authority on the chemical additives but I very much second the "only thing in there is what you put in there comment." I have kept SPS systems with heavy bioloads and lots of fish for a long time so Nitrates are always something I watch for. Using the basics of moderate feeding with good skimming and routine water changes have always kept mine at less than 5ppm.
Try adding some chaeto or mangroves to the sump system. There are no negative effects (other than possibly Mg getting quickly used by mangroves) bu using these items so it is one of the very few risk free/low risk options out there. Many people can get you plenty of chaeto for free. You should not have to pay for it. If not, I will gladly give you some. I just am pretty far from you.
Good luck.
Nitrates
I can't speak with any authority on the chemical additives but I very much second the "only thing in there is what you put in there comment." I have kept SPS systems with heavy bioloads and lots of fish for a long time so Nitrates are always something I watch for. Using the basics of moderate feeding with good skimming and routine water changes have always kept mine at less than 5ppm.
Try adding some chaeto or mangroves to the sump system. There are no negative effects (other than possibly Mg getting quickly used by mangroves) bu using these items so it is one of the very few risk free/low risk options out there. Many people can get you plenty of chaeto for free. You should not have to pay for it. If not, I will gladly give you some. I just am pretty far from you.
Good luck.
I also agree about the "only thing in there is what you put in there" comment. All of our corals were happy and growing and we never put additives in the tank. We did when we were newbies and didn't know better and we had sky high nitrates as well. We went back to the basics of letting the live rock do it's job, only feeding the fish, and doing water changes as needed. I don't even know if regular water changes are always necessary. Honestly there were times we went for a couple or even a few months without a water change. I like to use the motto "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". If everything was happy and levels were good, why disrupt that? I also agree that if you do need to take extra measures to bring your nitrates down, you should try 'natural' low risk things first before adding a bunch of costly chemicals to your tank. Get some good macro algae and give it time to do it's job.....don't panic and start disrupting everything. Take your time, find the source of the nitrates and go from there. Just my opinion.
Orangetruck94
New member
Blueair
I understand what you are say about feeding. I am going to try and feed them ONCE a day and see how they are doing after a week.
Orangetruck94
New member
CR
Yes, I recently bought 2 mangroves and put them in my sump. They are doing great, one of them has opened its leaf. I also have a good clump of Chaeto with a plant light in the sump.
Thanks for the offer on the Chaeto!!:beer:
Orangetruck94
New member
I think you are right!!
This is my first problem with the system and I was to "gun hoe" about it!
I want to do things the right way.
Orangetruck94
New member
Update on the nitrate readings.
Yesterday I installed the Eheim system and did only half the dose of BioFuel.
This morning I checked my nitrates (API & Salifert tests) and they are at about 20 ppm.
That means they dropped about 40-50%
I think the next step is to get a media reactor and use Neo Zeo to keep the system stable.
Yesterday I installed the Eheim system and did only half the dose of BioFuel.
This morning I checked my nitrates (API & Salifert tests) and they are at about 20 ppm.
That means they dropped about 40-50%
I think the next step is to get a media reactor and use Neo Zeo to keep the system stable.
In my opinion, most media reactors are a waste of time and money. I don't know what Neo Zeo is so I could be wrong. We had a phosban reactor for a while and it seemed to make no difference and was just a pain in the rear to clean. Our tank did it's best when it was left alone once it was established and I too think we were too 'gung hoe' about testing and treating when we first set it up. It's so hard to be patient and let the tank cycle and do it's thing but it really is best. We wanted our numbers to be perfect as soon as possible so we could put fish and inverts and such in it. I think we wasted a lot of money and energy by being so impatient and dumping chemicals in to make the tank do what we wanted it to do instead of letting it do what it needed to do. Again, this is all my opinion.
jerryz
New member
I'm in the when I remember it category.. well 2-3 times a week as a general rule. If you have Tangs then you'll need to make sure that they need to keep something around they can munch on. But if you have algae growing in the tank and high nitrates would indicate you have algae growth also then you can let them raze that and keep the feedings low until the nitrates come down.
category.. well 2-3 times a week as a general rule. If you have Tangs then you'll need to make sure that they need to keep something around they can munch on. But if you have algae growing in the tank and high nitrates would indicate you have algae growth also then you can let them raze that and keep the feedings low until the nitrates come down.
