Nitrate

[kwandrsn]

Ok I've had my reef setup for about 3 months now.

Its a 37 gallon bow front
With a hob filter with surface skimmer (not protein skimmer)

Everything seems to stay in check
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Ph 8.0
Specific gravity 1.025
Temp around 78
Kh 10
Calcium I'm trying to get up using reef code a I'm going slow adding a little each morning do far I've got it to 380

Now I do weekly water changes of 4 gallons cause all I have to mix is a 5 gallon bucket and one pump.

I cannot seem to get my nitrates lower than 20 using API liquid kit

I have tried a filter pad that reduces nitrates ha ha it didn't. I just added purigen two days ago but haven't seen any change

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[fragmatic]

Filters aren't popular with reef tanks because they tend to be nitrite & nitrate (NO2 & NO3) factories. Do you have live rock, & if so how much?
With enough live rock and a skimmer you should not need a filter.
Have you ask someone else to test your water with their other test kit?
Do you have fish, if so how many? Are you feeding flake foods, they can increase nitrogen compounds. It is the bacteria count in LR & our algae that are our largest nitrogen cpmpound processing machine.

 

[H2O]

do bigger water change 50% feed less

 

[Reefing Madness]

Give Purigen a lil more time to work. Ditching the filter if it has pads might be your best bet, and possibly adding Cheato to it insted of media.
Truly getting rid of the Nitrates via water changes would be for you to do larger WCs. Figure that changing 1/2 the water will knock the Nitrates down by 1/2 the number. So if you changed 18g your Nitrates would only go to 10. But, thats up to you, if you were able to get a bigger bucket.
You could also add a Nitrate Reducer Reactor. Nitrate Reductor
You could only feed every other to every 3rd day.

 

[kwandrsn]

Yeah I just have Poly floss in the front two slots and nitrate pad one one side and phosphate pad in the other

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[kwandrsn]

I have 5 fish and feed once a day and I alternate between flake and frozen and I feed reef chilli for my coral once a week. I have a huge cuc

And my lfs always said my water is fine even of my nitrates are at 20. Usually when I do a water change I get my nitrates to 10 and come time for another change it is 20

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[kwandrsn]

I just added my cuc Friday I had a few hermits to start and the astrea snails and now I have

over 250 dwarf ceriths
23 small nassarius
8 Florida ceriths
7 nerites
6 astrea
14 hermit crabs

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[fragmatic]

How much live rock do you have in that tank? If you have 40 pounds, nix the filter. Build a DIR skimmer in the HOB housing. Google the U-tubes for DIY skimmers.. there are tons. It is not rocket science. I recently built one from an old un-used Vertex reactor using a Pin Wheel pump and it out performs anything I've seen. We can chat more on that subject if you decide.

 

[kwandrsn]

I'm guessing maybe 25 lbs of live rock. I know I need more. I actually started with dead rock and 2lbs live

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[ak_reefer]

You said you had 5 fish, what fish do you have? Your tank is still very young only 3 months old that is part of the issue as well. I feel you have added a very large bioload to a young system to quickly. I agree with everyone else ditch the filter pads. Also I would add more live rock since you basically started with dead rock and only had 2 pounds of live to seed it. Give your system more time to mature before adding any other inhabitants. Just my 2 cents.

 

[fragmatic]

You said you had 5 fish, what fish do you have? Your tank is still very young only 3 months old that is part of the issue as well. I feel you have added a very large bioload to a young system to quickly. I agree with everyone else ditch the filter pads. Also I would add more live rock since you basically started with dead rock and only had 2 pounds of live to seed it. Give your system more time to mature before adding any other inhabitants. Just my 2 cents.

I agree 100%

The hardest thing for those of us currently alive in this world to do today is back off and slow down. You are about to turn the corner over the next 3 months or so. Do add more live rock. I get the expensive thing about live rock. Many LFS's have a pile of hard coral skeletons somewhere, these should go for the same $$ per pound and are much lighter and make great live rock because they can house many live forms and loads of good bacteria. Being they are lighter they are much less expensive per volume, you may even get them to give you a bunch or save you some. I like to run any that still have dead coral matter in them through a boiling water bath, but my favorite LFS just tosses his at one end of his LR tank ... perfect! I like to pile those into my refugium. If I don't have to boil them they tend to come full of loads of great hitch hikers, but you need to toss them in a bucket of change water for a while and see what craws out for safety.

NOTHING keeps a reef tank like plenty of live rock! Do nix the filter and work on a way to get yourself a skimmer, or build one. Then add a small inexpensive frag soft coral once in a while to both start you stock and/or test if the system is ready. BUT not for a couple of weeks or so yet.

IMO, if you are not doing so yet you should read up and consider dosing part 1 & 2 about now. I prefer Brightwell but there are a few good brands to choose from.

 

[kwandrsn]

Here is a pic


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[kwandrsn]

Well I have 2 clowns, 2 chromis, 1 firefish

2 cabbage leathers
2 Kenya tree
2 xenia
Duncan
Blasto
Polythoas
Frogspawn
Candy cane
Green candy cane
2 devils hand leathers
Birdsnest
Mushrooms
dragons eye zoas
gargonian (I think it was a hitchhiker)

The tank was an established tank and the guy drained it before I bought it and screwed everything up but it only took me 10 days to cycle

Most of the frags I have are single polyps or heads or very tiny

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[fragmatic]

I see the pic, you are doing darn well. Just slow down.

I have a feeling you simply need a higher bacteria count. = more LR. ...LR is a "life form" too.

 

[kwandrsn]

Yeah I'm about done with coral for a while. I may add some war coral and some more mushrooms than I'm done. Maybe a six mine wrasse and a goby and pistol shrimp and maybe cleaner shrimp then I'm done with that too.

Yeah I'm going to get more lr in a few weeks (income tax)

I have been really surprised with how things have went so far. Since cycled I haven't seen even the slightest amount of nitrite or ammonia.

The tank came with a skimmer but it doesn't have the original pump and it fills the tank with micro bubbles no matter how I adjust it.
It is,a coralife 65 and the pump says g500

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[kwandrsn]

Here is a newer pic

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[fragmatic]

Can you restrict the input to that skimmer pump to reduce the volume of water it pushes into the skimmer, some how? That may be all it takes. ..and... ummmh.. easy on adding more fish.. the shrimp doesn't count you can add it. At the least space those fish additions out over a few months. You need LR first and each fish you add will increase the nitrogen compounds until the bacteria count catches up.

 

[ak_reefer]

Yeah I agree with putting the brakes on more fish. Give it some time and take it slow and your tank will come into balance. Is there a valve on the skimmer to reduce the incoming flow from the pump?

 

[ak_reefer]

Also there is a break in period for skimmers after it settles and you get it dialed in the micro bubbles should be reduced.

 

[kwandrsn]

Yeah I'm not getting any fish for,a while that, was just, what I want when I do get them.

The pump has a valve on the line coming out the skimmer has one on the line coming out of skimmer. I tried blocking off water going into pump with thread tape wrapped around the cone. I even put a valve on the air line as well nothing helped. Either no bubbles or it fills the tank so bad you can't see anything in it :-(

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