Please help (Test kit bad or Nitrates out of CoNTROL)

JohnDub

New member
I had this tank running for about 3 months now... Sand bottom, 70 lbs live rock, 40 lbs lace rock, 2 clowns, Dusky Wrasse, Fox Face, Coral Beauty, feather Star, 20 Neon Green Mushrooms, 3 Ricordias, 5 Red pimple mushrooms, Pink Cucumber....... My test kit reads nitrates way outa control and i dont know why... im about to do a 50% water change maybe not that much but what is making it so high?????

PLEASE HELP!!!
 
Well the test kit is correct... i just dont know what is causing the nitrates... My anemone is going to **** and some of the fish are breathing hard is there anything i can do to get rid of the nitrates faster or to stop them from coming?!?!?!?!
 
your occupation is listed as aquarium service and you are asking a basic question like this?

Go hook up a denitrator, do a water change or setup a macroalgae refugium.

Wet drys......with anemones and corals....
you gotta be kidding me right?

what is a 'high' nitrate reading? 20ppm? 100ppm?

Why would you put an anemone into a freshly cycled tank with water quality issues?

Your tank is just getting cycled at 3 months. You probably need to cook the liverock before dumping it into the tank. (I bet you have high phosphates also).

If the fish are breathing heavy, there is probably something other than nitrates causing your problems.

Sorry to be harsh, but after 5 years, you are not a noob and should know better.
 
Time to start reading. Sprung, Calfo, Borneman, Fenner, Nilson, Fossa, Goemans, Moe, Shimeck.... Brush up and you'll find the error of your ways. Once you start reading from well known published authors you'll be able to pick out the good information from the bad on the internet.
 
there are a few things that do help
water change is one for sure.

but not more then 30%
then change 20% the week after.
clams do filtrate nitrates as well as featherdusters
a good skimmer and sump. dont over feed
cut back a little maybe every other day.
 
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