Nitrate help

brandie2122 · 04-05-2008, 06:32 PM

Hello everyone!! This is my first post. I have a 150 gallon Reef ready FOWLR (going to start getting some corals in the next few months hopefully

) and I have a problem. I have 10 fish in the tank and 100 lbs of LR in the tank and 10 lbs in the wet/dry. I have been having a nitrate problem. It stays around 80ppm. I have a wet/dry that did have bio balls (I replaced the bio balls with LR rubble 3 months ago.) I have been doing weekly PWC's and I only feed frozen foods once daily. Does anyone have any other suggestions?? I would really like to get this under control before I start buying corals. Thanks in advance!!
Brandie

DarthOcellaris · 04-05-2008, 06:49 PM

How often do you siphon out detritus and leftover food? how MUCH do you feed?

DarthOcellaris · 04-05-2008, 06:50 PM

btw...welcome to TRT!

DarthOcellaris · 04-05-2008, 06:51 PM

A few more questions...do yo use a skimmer?
what is your flow like in the tank? low, high?

brandie2122 · 04-05-2008, 07:14 PM

I siphon once weekly when I do a PWC. I do have a skimmer. the flow is low right now. i only have my return. my PH died. I dont feed too much. Usually a mix of 3 different frozen foods.

tdwyatt · 04-05-2008, 09:35 PM

Wait on buying the corals until you get your water params in line. Start doing large water changes by replacing the water removed when siphoning out the detritus from the rock and under any places where it can accumulate. Make sure to use a turkey baster to blast the nooks and crannies to remove the accumulated detritus there. Ultimately you'll need to get rid of the bioballs, but only after reducing your bioload. How big are the fishes you have in how many gallons of system water? Do you have any mechanical fiiltration in the tank (FILTER SOCKS, FLOSS, ETC)? Do you follow your watr arameters for alkalinity and calcium?

What type of corals do you intend to keep in your system, and do you have biotypical goal for the system?

brandie2122 · 04-06-2008, 01:13 AM

I did get rid of the bio balls back in Jan. of this yr. I replaced them with 10 lbs of live rock rubble. I have a 5 inch Foxface, 3 inch clown, 2 inch yellow tang, 2 inch flame angle and 6 green chromis. Like I said, my tank is 150 gallons. I still have the foam pads in the wet/dry. I add calcium weekly although I do not test it. My CA test kit is old. I Need a new CA tester. I do test Nitrates which are 80ppm, the Nitrites are 0, PH is 8.3, Amm. is 0. So far everthing is good except for the Nitrates. At this time I do not know what corals I intend on getting. I have not decided. Although I would like to start getting some in the next few months.

david426 · 04-06-2008, 01:21 AM

Hey brandie! Replacing the bio balls with live rock rubble won't help because the rubble will collect detritus and create nitrate just like the bio balls did; you have to get the detritus out before it breaks down. The live rock in your tank will be enough to process ammonia; just keep it clean. Blow it off when you do your water changes.

brandie2122 · 04-06-2008, 01:24 AM

Is there anything I can do to lower the nitrates other than water changes?

david426 · 04-06-2008, 01:37 AM

Deep sand bed. That subject is a huge can of worms. There is plenty on them to read here on this site. They seem to have fallen out of favor. At one time many used a properly maintained DSB to control nitrates. Now days many grow macro algae in their sump or fuge with a grow light, usually chaetomorpha. As it grows it binds phospates and nitrates, which are then removed as you trim the algae.

Loverotties · 04-06-2008, 06:49 AM

Are you using RO/DI water for WC and top-off?

Kimberfish · 04-06-2008, 10:05 AM

there is a product called denitrate that I used succesfully
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4180

Just stuck it in a mesh bag in my sump

DarthOcellaris · 04-06-2008, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimberfish

there is a product called denitrate that I used succesfully
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4180

Just stuck it in a mesh bag in my sump

Products like this are great but the are only a band-aid and can get expensive. Better to find the cause of the problem to eliminate it forever

tellycoleman · 04-06-2008, 12:10 PM

DO you have any other problems like algae.
3 cubes of frozen food for that bioload seems like alot.
Do they eat all the food.
do you have a clean up crew.
What is your husbandry
If you have alot of food left over and nothing to eat it then their is your problem.
are you also feeding Nori for the tangs?
Do you have any snails or hermits.
Also you gotta get more flow. More flow will suspend the food and waste in the water column longer. hopefully long enough for the skimmer to take it out.
When you added more rock rubble was it cured rock? if not this could be your cource.
How old is your tank?

Loverotties · 04-06-2008, 12:34 PM

3cubes a day IS ALOT!Try every 3 days!