nitrate question
- Thread starter HANDYANDY
- Start date
Threelittlefish
New member
Can you have nitrates without having an algae problem?
With DSB, good skimming, refugiums/cheato, and live rock how can we raise nitrates and hold them where we want them. Reduce the # of hours the skimmer runs per day? decrease the amount of cheato?
With DSB, good skimming, refugiums/cheato, and live rock how can we raise nitrates and hold them where we want them. Reduce the # of hours the skimmer runs per day? decrease the amount of cheato?
sanababit
Active member
i would say yes, if you have chaeto or an algae scrubber running. then that algae can use the nitrate to feed itself and grow, later you can harvest it and let it do its job again
sana
sanababit
Active member
IMHO, we always blame nitrates for all the problems we have and i think i know why, because they are easy to test, lol, OMG i have alge, we blame nitrates, OMG no color on corals, we blame nitrates, OMG fish look bad, we blame nitrates, theres got to be something else, like phosphate, maybe?, or low alk?, maybe?, or not enough light?, well its just a theory and i am throwing it out there for all to see and debate over it, lol
sana
sana
Threelittlefish
New member
I was talking about nitrates and SPS the other day and the discussion led to the fact that there are no nitrates in seawater. So how can nitrates be beneficial to SPS?
dvanacker
DID I SOUNDS SMRT??
I currently do not have high nitrates and although I did upgrade tanks all my other testing procedures,lighting, dosing etc remains the same as my old tank. The differences would be skimmer, low nitrate and Im using more GFO then I ever had before but have no idea what my P04 level is.
LifeAquatic
New member
I dont think 40 PPM nitrates is good for any kind of tank. Shoot for 20 max. Im not answering why. JMO.
LifeAquatic
New member
Here ya go. Pulled from About.com: lol
What Is Nitrate?
Nitrate is the waste by-product of nitrifying bacteria (nitrobacters), which develops in the third and final phase of the nitrogen cycling process. It is what makes an aquarium's biological filtration system function and stay in balance.
Why Is Nitrate a Problem Element?
When nitrate is allowed to accumulate or build-up to high levels it can effect the health of the animals you are keeping, and because marine plants and algae feed on nitrate, this is one of the main reasons problems with algae blooms occur.
What Is an Acceptable Level?
The optimal amount of nitrate in any type of saltwater system is an immeasurable one, but an acceptable range for fish-only tanks is from 10 to 40 ppm. Although fish-only tanks may run at much higher levels, sometimes with no ill effects, this is not recommended. In reef systems even a minor level of nitrate can cause damage as well as death to delicate corals, anemones and other invertebrates, as well as some crustaceans. The acceptable range of nitrate for reef tanks is 0.25 ppm, but not more than 5 ppm.
What Is Nitrate?
Nitrate is the waste by-product of nitrifying bacteria (nitrobacters), which develops in the third and final phase of the nitrogen cycling process. It is what makes an aquarium's biological filtration system function and stay in balance.
Why Is Nitrate a Problem Element?
When nitrate is allowed to accumulate or build-up to high levels it can effect the health of the animals you are keeping, and because marine plants and algae feed on nitrate, this is one of the main reasons problems with algae blooms occur.
What Is an Acceptable Level?
The optimal amount of nitrate in any type of saltwater system is an immeasurable one, but an acceptable range for fish-only tanks is from 10 to 40 ppm. Although fish-only tanks may run at much higher levels, sometimes with no ill effects, this is not recommended. In reef systems even a minor level of nitrate can cause damage as well as death to delicate corals, anemones and other invertebrates, as well as some crustaceans. The acceptable range of nitrate for reef tanks is 0.25 ppm, but not more than 5 ppm.
thanks for the response please read
thanks for the response please read
the reason for asking is ive been trying to keep them down and always worried about my fish dying cause i only feed every second day i do water changes 40 gallon twice a month ,change out my carbon and phos once a month ,clean my sponges in my exchange water ,and also change my 100 micron bag every second day ,220 gallon 200 lbs live rock,7095 tunze with 4 5000 gallon power heads.1500 gallon a hour return pump and i will say a good 3 inch arragonite reef sand ,i also dose ultrabac and vodka in small amonts with some bio ,some colors are coming into my acros but not like the reefers pics Ive seen ,now im using a tunze 9020 protein skimmer that's pulls out junk i just dont feel it sufficient enough for this tank and its rated for 500 gallons .ill just throw this out there if i buy say a bubble king will i see a huge difference ,phosphate 0 alkalinity 8 ca 400 mag 1400 nitrate 30 parts .now will a high powered skimmer help my cause? thanks Andy
thanks for the response please read
the reason for asking is ive been trying to keep them down and always worried about my fish dying cause i only feed every second day i do water changes 40 gallon twice a month ,change out my carbon and phos once a month ,clean my sponges in my exchange water ,and also change my 100 micron bag every second day ,220 gallon 200 lbs live rock,7095 tunze with 4 5000 gallon power heads.1500 gallon a hour return pump and i will say a good 3 inch arragonite reef sand ,i also dose ultrabac and vodka in small amonts with some bio ,some colors are coming into my acros but not like the reefers pics Ive seen ,now im using a tunze 9020 protein skimmer that's pulls out junk i just dont feel it sufficient enough for this tank and its rated for 500 gallons .ill just throw this out there if i buy say a bubble king will i see a huge difference ,phosphate 0 alkalinity 8 ca 400 mag 1400 nitrate 30 parts .now will a high powered skimmer help my cause? thanks Andy
I think with sps you should worry more about Po4 then the nitrates. Since I've been dosing vodka I've got my po4 down and my nitrates to zero my corals started fading in color. So i started to feed more and they are coming back better than ever. But i do do believe ther is a limit to how much n03 you have in your system, be it 5, 10, 40, etc, it is going to be differant in every system.
LifeAquatic
New member
Do you have room for a refugium? Maybe add macro algee to a section of your sump? That will bring your nitrates down to 0.
dvanacker
DID I SOUNDS SMRT??
I fought nitrate for a long time with my old tank. Definately get a bigger skimmer. I found a refug did nothing for the nitrates. Also start vodka dosing. Maybe even tear the tank apart and clean the rocks right out.
