jon'sreef1977
New member
I have done two 30% water changes and my NITRATES are still hovering between the 120-180ppm range. I can't seem to bring them down. What can I do?
Nitrates 120 ppm, need help
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jon'sreef1977
New member
55 gallon tank- It's been up and running for about 4 months now.
Filtration: Berlin method with turbo-venturi protein skimmer, 40 lbs. live rock.
I also now have two fish (yellow tang and a percula clown) in the system as well as several invertebrates (20+blue legs/red legs, 10 turbo snails, 2 emerald crabs, 2 brittle stars)
one possible cause could be that I have used tap water instead of ro/di, but I've done that from the beginning and the Nitrate levels never got above 20-30ppm on the worst days until recently.
Filtration: Berlin method with turbo-venturi protein skimmer, 40 lbs. live rock.
I also now have two fish (yellow tang and a percula clown) in the system as well as several invertebrates (20+blue legs/red legs, 10 turbo snails, 2 emerald crabs, 2 brittle stars)
one possible cause could be that I have used tap water instead of ro/di, but I've done that from the beginning and the Nitrate levels never got above 20-30ppm on the worst days until recently.
DrBDC
Active member
4 months is still a new tank and to some degree it's still balancing itself out. W/o a form of nitrate removal it will build up w/time. Typically up to 2 lbs of live rock per gallon is used. That doesn't necessarily mean all in the display but in the system in general. i.e. in the sump. If you don't have a sump, then the display is the only choice. But lets look a little deeper.
How much skimmate are you producing a day?
Do you have a sump with some cheato or other macro algae for nutrient export?
Tap water can be a cause. Test some new saltwater change water and see what it's levels are. At times the tap water will increase or decrease in various levels.
Def. don't add any more bioload until this balances itself out.
How much skimmate are you producing a day?
Do you have a sump with some cheato or other macro algae for nutrient export?
Tap water can be a cause. Test some new saltwater change water and see what it's levels are. At times the tap water will increase or decrease in various levels.
Def. don't add any more bioload until this balances itself out.
jon'sreef1977
New member
I produce enough skimmate to fill about half the collection cup per day (approx. about a 1/3 of a cup).
I do not have a sump as a sump will not fit under my stand and I do not have a basement to rout to.
The tank itself has been active for over three years now, but for just about three years it was a fish only tank, with coral bone rock only. The tank was never fully shut down. I sold off all of my large fish (puffers, triggers, etc.) did a 50% water change, and bought 40lbs of live rock and placed it in the tank. I did not add any livestock until a little over three months had gone by.
I do not have a sump as a sump will not fit under my stand and I do not have a basement to rout to.
The tank itself has been active for over three years now, but for just about three years it was a fish only tank, with coral bone rock only. The tank was never fully shut down. I sold off all of my large fish (puffers, triggers, etc.) did a 50% water change, and bought 40lbs of live rock and placed it in the tank. I did not add any livestock until a little over three months had gone by.
poissonist
New member
i use ethanol (vodka) and i can control precisely if i want 0 OR 2 OR 5 OR WHAT I WANT nitrates. I use dosing pump. it work fine also on phosphates and water is more clear. it is known for more than 50 years!! of course sellers will never tell anybody about this....
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm
That article discusses various approaches to nitrate problems. Growing and harvesting a macroalga is one approach that's worked well for me. Dosing vodka or sugar has been known to work, but it can be toxic to corals.
That article discusses various approaches to nitrate problems. Growing and harvesting a macroalga is one approach that's worked well for me. Dosing vodka or sugar has been known to work, but it can be toxic to corals.
i have had my tank running for more than 2 years,and my nitrates have never been below 20ppm, after reading the thread about dosing sugar and vodka, i dosed sugar to the tank and after 2 weeks they dropped to 0 you just have to dose a few pinches of sugar everyday. there is a long thread on here about it
