nitrate problem +sugar

[brianfleming]

Hello all,

Ok ok i know this has been brought up alot but i cant seem to find clear instructions on the dosing. I have a 60 gallon tank approx 200 litres. Just wondering how much dose and more importantly how often and for how long. my nitrates are about 110ppm and i still have crabs and cleaner shrimp living + corals. My nitrate is the only test that ever goes off the scales. I would like to bring it down to a more acceptable level.

 

[TekCat]

first of all what is your water source? are you using RO/DI for salt mix and topoff? If not, then here is probably your root cause of your high nitrates.

On sugar topic. There are not clear instructions anywere, but the consensus is to start dosing small amounts of sugar, maybe a 1/8 teaspoon daily. Then each week increase dose a little bit more and more.... until you see positive results.

Again, find the root cause of high nitrates. It could be water source, overfeeding, inadequate skimming, etc...
Alternative to sugar dosing (or any carbon source dosing) are:
- regular water changes (RO/DO);
- wet skimming
- conservative feeding
- growing macro algae in refuge
- RDSB
- other things, that I dont know

good luck!

P.S. Have your LFS test your water, it all could be a testing error or bad test kit.

 

[brianfleming]

thanks for the info. I collect sea water for water changes but my top up because of evaporation is regular tap water. My skimmer is a queen ts2000 so it doesnt collect very much at all. I put in 1/4 teaspoon last night so i will do 1/8th tonight. i may just start to top up using sea water and im currently searching for an efficient skimmer. Thnks for letting me know its a daily thing as other posts have said every 3 days etc but i guess theres no real rule, just wat works best for your system.

 

[garbled]

Don't top up with sea water, that will raise your salt levels!

 

[TekCat]

ditto, on top off. Evap. should be replaced by fresh water, because only fresh water gets evaporated and salt stays in tank. If you can't get RO/DI unit you probably could buy RO water from your LFS; or use DISTILED water from grossery store (not drinking or spring water).

Also, try to get your sea water ... maybe a kilometer or so off the shore. Rain and earth erosion bring down to the water near shore lots of nutrients from the soil. Getting water further at sea probably be "more pure".

good luck mate

 

[lvreefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8877072#post8877072 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brianfleming
thanks for the info. I collect sea water for water changes but my top up because of evaporation is regular tap water.

Two things that stand out,
1) Collection of natural sea water can be very risky due to polution.
2) Top off using tap water is a no no. Full of Po4 and No3.

Trying to correct a nitrate problem, no matter what method, will be expensive and frustrating if you don't take care of at least the tap water top off's. As far a the natural sea water, you might what to filter it through a micron or sand filter first.

 

[TekCat]

I've read that some guy in here, he has tank up and running for 30 years. He collects natural sea water, then adds small amount of chlorine (bleach) to kill whatever is in water. Later on, he adds dechlorinator to neutralize chlorine. I don't remember this person's name but you could search for something like 30yo tank or something.

 

[brianfleming]

Sea water is fine i collect at shore at a really good spot. I have run tests and results are perfect everytime. Im guessing my problem is the tap water. I guess i better get a bit more serious and look into these ro thing. in the mean time ill buy distilled water for top up. Thanks very much for the info

 

[DrBDC]

You can't test for the problems associated with near shore NSW. You need to go out and pump up from a deep source a mile or two from shore and a hundred feet down or so.

 

[BurntOutReefer]

I would not drink tap water in Aus.......remember the Sydney water scare in the "90's.....

 

[Marsfrogie]

You can always have your water tested. My tap water has less than .1 PPM of NO3 and the same PO4. I use it without any problems. Our water here is very soft and is devoid of most nasties.

 

[sinister52]

how long can u add sugar for? that is kinda new to me

 

[the other tang]

I use sugar in cycles, about 7-10 days on and a couple off. The theory is build up the bacteria then make them look for food" nitrates". This works for me but I just set up a rsdb to have a more consistent nirtate removal system. There is a 50+ page on this so you can make your own decision if its for you or not.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8962765#post8962765 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by the other tang
I use sugar in cycles, about 7-10 days on and a couple off. The theory is build up the bacteria then make them look for food" nitrates".

Thats not how it works. They can't remove any more nitrates when you stop dosing the carbon. They remove carbon and nitrates at the same time.


That being said, if you dont have a decent skimmer, you can't take them out anyways, so it doesnt matter.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Brian,

as has been pointed out, your Seawater and top of water are likely a large source of your problems. Using sugar to try and battle the problem is the wrong way to approach the situation and will cause all kinds of unwanted side effects.

You need to be using RO/DI water and SSW mix or NSW from far off shore as others have explained.

Bean

 

[TekCat]

Agreed, fix the source of the problem!!!!!