Nitrates

[Lifwilend]

My reef tank has a terrible problem with nitrates. I have aragonite sand that has been in the tank for a year to a year in a half and about 1/3 of the tank is filled with live rock.

I am trying to figure out where the nitrates are coming from. At this point i am thinking of removing all the sand to see if the nitrate levels drop. If not then all the nitrates are probably coming from the rock.

Anybody have any advice on this subject?

 

[TimBob]

Your nitrates are not coming from the sand or the rock. Nitrates are what is left after bacteria consume your Ammonia and Nitrite. If anything the sand and rocks will help lower Nitrates by creating areas with no oxygen where the bacteria that consume nitrate can survive.

Reduce feeding and do water changes, that's the best way to reduce nitrates. Weekly 10% water changes won't likely have any effect either, you need to do frequent large water changes to see the nitrates drop.

I dropped my nitrates from over 50ppm to 20ppm in one weekend of water changes (25% each day for 3 days) A few more water changes and I should be to a really low level, just need to find the time this weekend.

 

[WaterKeeper]

Gee Lif.

The idea of having a sandbed is to reduce nitrates to nitrogen gas; not the other way around. Most nitrate comes from the introduction of food into the tank and its digestion by the tanks inhabitants. That creates the all too familiar nitrogen cycle. How high are your nitrates and how deep is your sandbed?

 

[Therbligs]

What equipment do you have?

Filtration
Skimmer
Flow

 

[Lifwilend]

Nitrates read 50+ and there is about a 2 inch depth of sand.

 

[nightOwl]

Lifwilend,
Here is some good info that may help. Everyone has heard about Melev's Reef but in case you have not he has a lot of helpful info. I attached his link to lower your nitrates and the link to his hidden treasures page. A lot of great info and ideas for various things.

Lower Your Nitrates


Good info

Hope this helps,
Henry

 

[mg426]

Two things come to mind with nitrates.
#1 remove the stuff that cause them before it is processed into nitrates SKIMMER !!!!! Water changes
#2 Process nitrates in the tank DSB REFUGUIM

Anyway you figure nitrate reduction is going to be a combination of these steps

 

[WaterKeeper]

I'd say deepen that bed by about 2 inches. The D in DSB stands for deep. Too shallow, and de-nitrification process does not occur. Also, add some more LS for seeding things. I bet those nitrates drop.

 

[Spuds725]

Or consider a remote DSB...

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=595109

 

[skylab1]

Lif,

A TOTALLY AEROBIC Nitrification Cycle with a correct flow rate would solve your problems once and for all. Add 2 more inch of sand won't help solve the problem, I have no sand in my tank and I don't have Nitrate (plus I feed a ton of food every day). But many people here don't believe TOTALLY AEROBIC Nitrification Cycle works, so what can I say.

P.S. I am sure I'll hear from some of them as soon as I post this.

 

[jimbo045]

Thanks to Tim for a great rule of thumb. JD

 

[TekCat]

May I also suggest growing Chaeto (macro algae) in fuge perhaps. It had established itself as an excellent nitrate reducer.