Nitrates How Long Stay Up After Cycling?

[saltwatergal2]

I have set up a reef tank. The tank has been cycling for about three weeks.
The nitrates are at 20.p.p.m. They have stayed at this for a few days. I did a 50% water change a few days ago.
The nitrates dropped to 10. Now they are back up to 20.
I have no nitrites or ammonia showing.
Should I do another water change in a week to try and bring it down.
I do want to mention it is a 58 gal reef tank with 90 lbs of live rock and 60 lbs of sand. Most of the rock was cured, but ordered it on line. Probably uncured when it got here. Running Remora Protein Skimmer and two outside filters. Two Seio powerheads and one Powersweep. Been using distilled water. Checked the distilled water for nitrates it read 0. Can't get ro system right now. Calcium is good and ALK. Using Purple Up every few days according to directions on the bottle. Have some brown and green algae on the rocks when the lights are left on for about 1 1/2 hrs per day.
No Phos. reading. Have cleanup crew inside.
Any feedback would be helpful.
Thanks
Judy

 

[bureau13]

If nitrites and ammonia are both consistently 0, then I would say your tank has cycled. The typical nitrogen cycle won't help with nitrates, it will actually produce them. Water changes are really your method to get them down again. With no fish (you didn't say that, but I'm assuming from the rest of your post that you haven't added any yet) you shouldn't be continuing to build up nitrates if you're not adding food or fish waste, so I would guess its the last bit of your cycle finishing up...a few more water changes and it should stop (until you add more waste producers).

Now, if your sand bed is deep enough, you can actually get anaerobic bacteria in there that consume the nitrates. That takes time though, and is really a different process than what most people refer to as the cycle.

jds

 

[saltwatergal2]

Thanks for the feedback.
Will due a smaller water change this weekend.
My sand bed is 2 1/2 inch.
Just wondering if the Nitrates ever go down after cycling!
I heard if you want to keep corals, you need to have very little or no nitrates in your tank is this true?
Appreciate Feedback.
Thanks
Judy

 

[bkbailes07]

if you have a good skimmer or a refugium, the nitrate should go to 10 or below which is fine. for some reason, it seems like water changes dont do anything.

 

[saltwatergal2]

Water changes seem to drop the nitrates for a day then back up they go. They are at 20 p.p.m after 3 weeks of cycling no Nitrites No Ammonia No Phos.
I noticed that the brown algae is a problem.
Does this eventually disapear after the tank is cycled.
Is this normal process to have brown algae first, before you have green?
It seems even if I turn my lights on for a hour or two more rocks start to turn brown on their top. I see some green coming on others.
I do have my cleanup crew in the tank.
When is this brown algae going to leave?
I wanted to get a better lighting system H. Lighting. I feel if I had any stronger lighting I will get more brown algae.
Any Suggestions Appreciated!
Thanks
Judy

 

[keefsama2003]

Dont feel bad i have a 300 gallon tank with a 90 gallon refugium and 90 gallon sump and i have total water volume of about 410 gallons give or take.

my nitrates are about 25-30 ppm

i have 2 large angle fish / 2 pairs of clowns ( 1 pair lives in the refugium ) / a pair of wrasses / powder blue tang / and a damsel

i have been feeding lightly and my nitrates wont go down i have 6"-7" dsb in my refugium with about 120# lr in the fuge as my tank is not a reef but im still fighting and it was fishless and cycling for 6 months before i put any fish in the tank. and havent added anything since.

keep fighting the good fight.

 

[saltwatergal2]

Nitrates When Will They Go Down* Tank Cycled

Nitrates When Will They Go Down* Tank Cycled

I did another water change this last weekend. Changed 1/3 of the water.
Nitrates are still at 20 p.p.m.
Tank has been up for one month.
57 gal tank
90 lbs live rock
60 lbs live sand.
Cleanup Crew
1 Pair Per. Clownfish
1 cirrhilabrus lubbocki fairy wrasse.
nitrites 0
Ammonia 0
Phos. 0
Nitrates 20.p.p. m. Nitrates have been at 20 p.p. m for over a week.
Calcium and Alk. Good
Should I keep changing the water 10 % every week. Wondering if some of the live rock is still dying off.
I want to put in some corals in a few months.
Can the nitrates be at 20.p.p.m for corals?
Appreciate Feedback

 

[saltwatergal2]

Let you know what is running it.
2 Seio Powerheads
1 Aqua C Remora Protein Skimmer
I Powersweep
Liberty Hang on Filter.
Tank is 30 inches long. 24 1/2 inches high 18 inches deep.
Water is Distilled.
Don't have RO system.
Renting home.
Appreciate Feedback.
Thanks.
Judy

 

[mickeylu]

what are you running inside your hang on filter? From what I heard, if you have any kind of a sponge in there, you will need to clean it or replace it often.

 

[saltwatergal2]

I am running just carbon and filter pad that comes with it.
I have running the Liberty hang on for the same amount of time the tank has been set up.
I replaced the carbon once when I did a water change.
Appreciate Feedback.
Thanks.
Judy

 

[bureau13]

Hmmmm...maybe try removing the pad (even if this means removing the carbon) and doing another water change. See if it stays down this time. Where are you getting your distilled water? If you're getting it from the grocery store see if they have RO filtered water...that would probably be better. Publix down here has a variety of waters, I used to use RO water from there before I got an RO/DI up and runnning. However, I've never heard that not having an RO/DI could lead to high nitrates...phosphates, yes.

If removing the filter pad helps, you may want to use carbon in reactor of some kind, rather than in the pad. Phosban reactors are cheap and seem to work pretty well, although I'm pretty sure I'm not changing out my carbon nearly often enough.

jds