18ppm Nitrates - advice

[RaymondL]

15 Gallon tank - cycled 3 months ago - added 2 clowns and some soft corals a few weeks thereafter, and doing 2.0 gallon water changes each week. Nitrates seem to be going up every week. First it was 12.5ppm, and the week after it's now at 18ppm - using HANNA tester. I don't overfeed - just spot feed a 1 or 2 pellets and the clowns grab them, so there never is an excess. I have a skimmer running for 3 weeks as is.

Thoughts how I can bring the Nitrates down? Doing water changes I don't think is helpful as I think a >50% water change is needed, which I don't want to do as it might create other issues.

LFS said to use Red Sea's NoPOX - not sure if that's the route I should go.

Cheers

 

[Chlorinated]

Don't do carbon dosing. Especially since it's mostly softies. They love Nitrates! And 18 isn't an issue so long as algae is at bay. Make sure you have detectable phosphate as well and you will be fine.

Just don't chase numbers...detectable is enough...exact numbers on these don't matter. Nitrates <50 and phosphate less than 1 and you should be fine unless algae is out of control.

Nutrients are your friend, not your enemy. Corals need them to grow and thrive. Just find the balance that works for your tank.

 

[GHOSTLY]

That isn't a horrible number although it may bother lps and sps. If you wanna lower it (I like keeping it around 5) then just wc that are bigger and maybe some chaeto. I agree with above

 

[exnisstech]

The tank is very young and 18 N is not really bad. I would just let the tank mature and see where it settles in at 9 months or even a year. It seems like so many folks coming into the hobby these days are chasing numbers way too soon and that results in frustration and more bottled chemicsls. Add this add that etc. I cycle my tanks with liquid ammonia and have never used bottled bacteria. I've also never failed to cycle a tank or had a stalled cycle etc. I have never added a chemical to reduce N or P. I use gfo occasionally if P gets high. I do dose N and P in one tank to maintain detectable levels. That tank has been running for over 3 years so that is just how it runs. I guess I'm just old and like things as simple as possible and don't buy into all the bottled majic but try to let time and patience be a tool.

 

[RaymondL]

That isn't a horrible number although it may bother lps and sps. If you wanna lower it (I like keeping it around 5) then just wc that are bigger and maybe some chaeto. I agree with above

I might just do a 50% water change - it's a small enough tank - I'll do that later this week and measure the nitrates with the Hanna - I'm curious to know how much it'll change.

 

[RaymondL]

The tank is very young and 18 N is not really bad. I would just let the tank mature and see where it settles in at 9 months or even a year. It seems like so many folks coming into the hobby these days are chasing numbers way too soon and that results in frustration and more bottled chemicsls. Add this add that etc. I cycle my tanks with liquid ammonia and have never used bottled bacteria. I've also never failed to cycle a tank or had a stalled cycle etc. I have never added a chemical to reduce N or P. I use gfo occasionally if P gets high. I do dose N and P in one tank to maintain detectable levels. That tank has been running for over 3 years so that is just how it runs. I guess I'm just old and like things as simple as possible and don't buy into all the bottled majic but try to let time and patience be a tool.

It is a young tank still yes - in your case you never had any ongoing/major Nitrates or Phosphates issues? What is your set up like?

 

[exnisstech]

It is a young tank still yes - in your case you never had any ongoing/major Nitrates or Phosphates issues? What is your set up like?

To be honest when I first start a tank I use liquid ammonia and I don't test much once ammonia and nitrite reach zero. I add a fish or 2 and see how thing go for a while.

My setups are as follows A 180g with a 125g as a sump. Total volume 200ish gallons. Chaeto, a skimmer along with 4g daily water changes is normally my only nutrient removal. I am using gfo right now as P is high. I only use it a few times a year as needed. Basically when I start seeing some cyano I know I need to test. I drip kalk and add 20ml 2part to keep alk stable around 8dkh. Tank is a mix of LPS, softies, bubble tip nems and a few SPS monti caps being the largest along with a few large tangs and some smaller fish.
This is the 180 a few months ago

My other tank is a reefer 170 24x20x20 total about 40 gallons. This tank runs totally different than my 180. Cheato in the sump and 1g daily water changes are the only nutrient removal. No skimmer and N and P run at or near zero and always have for the last 3 years. I recently changed the rock and decided to have a go at SPS and have to dose N and P to keep the frags from starving as well as 2 part to keep alk stable. The tank has 3 fairly large LPS colonies. A trachy, acanthophyllia, and a pectinia along with 5 fish. I really want the LPS out in my 180. I have moved them out there twice and both times they deflate and stay that way. I move them back into the reefer 170 and within 24 hours they are fully inflated. I don't know why unless the fish are bumping them and they don't like it I think what I'm trying to say in my long winded unscientific manner is that I believe a tank should be allowed to mature and come into its own so to speak to see just how it is going to run in its natural state after maturing before adding chemicals and chasing numbers. Intervention at times can be needed for the health of animals but as long as things appear healthy I let it roll. All tanks run differently as my two examples show so there is no one size fits all regiment. Old time reefers (and some younger knowledgeable ones) say be patient. It has taken me over 7 years to develop that patience as I am a very impatient person by nature. But I will say reefing is a lot less stressful now.
This is the reefer 170, currently a work in progress. Happy Reefing!

 

[GHOSTLY]

I might just do a 50% water change - it's a small enough tank - I'll do that later this week and measure the nitrates with the Hanna - I'm curious to know how much it'll change.

Id do the 3 15s

 

[MrGisonni]

Small water changes, but really your nitrates aren't that high. My mixed reef seems happiest between 20 and 30ppm.

 

[RaymondL]

Small water changes, but really your nitrates aren't that high. My mixed reef seems happiest between 20 and 30ppm.

Thank you - ok, so it can be okay to have nitrates at 20-30ppm? Everyone I've spoke to locally here say it's a recipe for disaster - that's what makes all this so confusing.

 

[MrGisonni]

Tank Parameters Of Some Masters

Tank Parameters Of Some Masters To this day one of the most frequently asked questions I get, and actually that many “old time hobbyists” get is “How do I get rid of the algae in my tank. My first question then is “what are the parameters of...

www.reef2reef.com

read this. My reef is at 30ppm nitrate and my corals have never looked better. It's really about that sweet spot. I did dose trace elements and Iodide just recently and wow what a difference with coral color.

 

[MrGisonni]

Problems happened for me when my nitrates went below 10 ppm. Cyano followed by dinos. Tank is stocked with mostly LPS but some sps and softies Lobos, chalice, ricordea, monti, stylocoenella (growing like crazy) hammer coral, psammacora, favia kenya and others 2 clams as well

 

[workhz]

I'm starting to think that high nitrates is more problematic when you already have an algae issue as you're feeding the algae. If you don't have an algae issue then 'high' nitrates are feeding the corals and 'high' is going to be a little different between LPS and SPS. That's my uneducated take anyway.

 

[Fishy888]

18 nitrates is not a problem especially since your system is so young. Like everyone has said don’t chase numbers. It’d be different if your nitrates were 100 or something but 18 isn’t bad. By this time next year you’ll likely have to dose N and P.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

That isn't a horrible number although it may bother lps and sps.

Can you please clarify how 18 nitrates may "bother" lps and sps?

What is bother?

Do you believe it to be high, or low?

I can make about Zero sense of that statement.

 

[killer2001]

I noticed my SPS react negatively once my Nitrates hit around 33 ppm. So now I try to keep them below 30 ppm. Anything above 5 ppm and lower than 30 ppm I am content. Just tested about an hour ago and got 20 ppm, and everything is looking good!

 

[tsharpe291]

My nitrates are consistently 20/30 in a 130 gallon system and everything is happy. Like everyone else says don’t chase numbers but do be mindful of your levels and effects they may have. Water changes are your friend in my opinion.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I live in the la area and can walk into some of the best shops. Funny when you test the water. 20 nitrates in the SPS grow out tank are super common. So is .1 p04

Stop shooting for these low numbers and read your coral.

Nitrates is the easiest. It's a simple in/out game. You are already feeding barely anything and skimming 24/7. You Could upgrade the skimmer to do more volume, or you could just bump your water change up.

 

[areefer01]

15 Gallon tank - cycled 3 months ago - added 2 clowns and some soft corals a few weeks thereafter, and doing 2.0 gallon water changes each week. Nitrates seem to be going up every week. First it was 12.5ppm, and the week after it's now at 18ppm - using HANNA tester. I don't overfeed - just spot feed a 1 or 2 pellets and the clowns grab them, so there never is an excess. I have a skimmer running for 3 weeks as is.

Thoughts how I can bring the Nitrates down? Doing water changes I don't think is helpful as I think a >50% water change is needed, which I don't want to do as it might create other issues.

LFS said to use Red Sea's NoPOX - not sure if that's the route I should go.

Cheers

Maybe do what Frankie says and Relax. 3 month old tank. No need to panic especially with such a small display. You can do a water change and be fine.

Also for what is worth giving just one or two pellets to the fish is akin to you getting one or two peas. I'm pretty sure you don't feel full after that. Right?

 

[GHOSTLY]

Can you please clarify how 18 nitrates may "bother" lps and sps?

What is bother?

Do you believe it to be high, or low?

I can make about Zero sense of that statement.

Just my experience i found that my lps and some birdsnest appreciated lower parameters more it seems and open up more when its a bit lower. Not saying its bad its just what I personally experienced. I'm not telling the op he must lower his nutrients im just telling him what I experienced