GoTakeANap
Valuable Member
What are my options to remove nitrates besides doing water changes. Ive already done a ton of water changes and I cant seem to get them under control.
Help With Nitrates.....
- Thread starter GoTakeANap
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Steviereefs
Well-Known Member
How old is your tank? When you do water changes how much water are you changing? Before you do the water change do you blow off the rock work of old food and detris, and lightly stir the top of the sand bed? Do you have a fuge?
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Steviereefs
Well-Known Member
Couple more things sorry. What kinds of filter media do you use? Are you using a protein skimmer?
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GoTakeANap
Valuable Member
Tank is 2 years old. I've been blowing off my LR the last few times. I siphon the top of my sand bed every water change. The only media I run is gfo and I have a sump with skimmer in it.
SeahorseKeeper
Where's the mysis?
How high are the nitrates? Do you have a refugium?
Steviereefs
Well-Known Member
Your tank is more advanced than mine age wise, and the maintenance, system and media your running sounds fine. So the only thing I can suggest is
1. You should cut down feedings if you feed a lot often.
2. Vodka dosing is proven a effective method of lowering nitrates, here's a link to a very thorough article explaining and illustrating vodka dosing
@ Melevsreef.com
Click here Melevsreef.com - Dosing Vodka to Lower Nitrate & Phosphate
1. You should cut down feedings if you feed a lot often.
2. Vodka dosing is proven a effective method of lowering nitrates, here's a link to a very thorough article explaining and illustrating vodka dosing
@ Melevsreef.com
Click here Melevsreef.com - Dosing Vodka to Lower Nitrate & Phosphate
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GoTakeANap
Valuable Member
No marco algae. Don't have anywhere to put it. Nitrates are over 50. I feed every other day. Half a cube for 4 fish and shrimp. I do 15 gallon water changes.
Lilmatty5dimes
2500 Club Member
here a method when doing a WC also. if your nitrates are 100(making it easy} and you do a 20% WC. your only going to remove 20 nitrates out of your system. now you have 80. lets say you dont add anymore and you do another 20% WC you just took out another 16 now you 64 and so on.
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GoTakeANap
Valuable Member
Just curious but what's the max amount of a water change u can do a day? Can I do them day after day to reduce them down to 0.
Anything I can run in a reactor to keep nitrates in check?
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GoTakeANap
Valuable Member
75 Gallon Tank
Livestock- Midas Blenny, Coral Beauty, Black/White Clown, Firefish and a Cleaner Shrimp. Snails and Crabs as well. Few Corals. Had a Cumcumber in there but havent seen it in a few days.
Yes have been using RO/DI water for month now.
KoleTang
Valuable Member
A month is not long enough for everything that was introduced from non-RO/DI to be removed. Do you do weekly or bi-weekly water changes? How many gallons?
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GoTakeANap
Valuable Member
Well let me reword this. I've been using ro/di water for a month bc my LFS is a hour away. The only time I've used water out of my faucet is for top off water is when I run out which isn't often. Maybe once a month I've ran out and had to use a gallon or 2 of water that wasent ro/di. I did use api stress coat with it thou. Been using ro/di water for years but top off once a month if even that with city water.
jedimasterben
Bubble coral sting good
So long as you can keep super low flow through it (less than 50GPH), running Seachem deNitrate biomedia in a reactor is very effective at denitrification.
There are many other things that can add excess nutrients into your tank like some commercial foods which may contain undesirable things like nitrates, phosphates etc and overfeeding the tank is also another factor.I strain/rinse my fresh/frozen foods before feeding my tank. You may want to consider feeding your fish less often. Using RO/DI water, a high quality salt with no NO3, phosphates etc like Tropic Marin or similar good quality salt should really help too.
Pkunk35
Valuable Member
Is there a reason you want to lower your nitrates other than the fact that they are at 100? Is algae growing or something not looking well? How are your corals looking?
Also, when you are doing WC, are your nitrates testing lower after the change and how quickly are they rising and is it after some kind event such as feeding?
If your nitrates aren't moving after WC then i suspect the sand bed or bad test kit. You said siphon the top...is there a reason you are not siphoning the whole sand bed, is it very deep?
Also, when you are doing WC, are your nitrates testing lower after the change and how quickly are they rising and is it after some kind event such as feeding?
If your nitrates aren't moving after WC then i suspect the sand bed or bad test kit. You said siphon the top...is there a reason you are not siphoning the whole sand bed, is it very deep?
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GoTakeANap
Valuable Member
Not sure on the TDS from LFS. My unit I ran for the 1st time yesterday (IN) started out at 3, then went down to 2 after running 2-3 hours. Guessing that good right? (OUT) was 0 the entire time.
That would be good. Thinking about adding a Reactor to help with Nitrates or Carbon. Cant decide.
What are some good brands besides Tropic Marin. Ive always used Instant Ocean. If thats not a good one let me know and ill go to some better quality salt. I want whats best for my tank.
I have a litt bit of hair algae growing in the tank and want it gone, also fighting cyano at the moment. Test reading was 50 on Nitrates but who knows what it is. Never tested after a water change. Will do that today when I take out 15 gallons on this water change im about to do in a few mins. I dont siphon the entire sand bed bc when i do half of my 5 gallon bucket is filled with sand. Dont wanna run out of sand. My sand bed is about 3-4 inches down. Corals are all fine. Opened up big and as pretty as can be. Fish are fine. Coral growth just dont seem to be happening for me. Thats the only thing I can tell about my corals.
MBG75
Well-Known Member
A fuge with macro would help. If no room, could you do a hang on fuge?
Other option would be bio pellets. But you would have to read up on them before using.
What skimmer are you running?
Other option would be bio pellets. But you would have to read up on them before using.
What skimmer are you running?
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GoTakeANap
Valuable Member
Vertex skimmer. Rated for 100 gallon tank. My tank is a 75 gallon so it should be able to cover it. No room for a hang on fuge.
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