Battling High Nitrates

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As already mentioned, test phosphates too. Make sure your rodi water is reading 0 tds on output. Before trying any of the remedies listed above, I would recommend that you try and track down the source first. Otherwise is could be a never-ending uphill battle. Have you added any new rock or substrate lately? Do you feed heavily? Excessive nutrients are caused by over feeding, most of the time. I would have your water tested by using better test kits - red sea, salifert, etc. Your lfs may have this service available.

Once you have verified your water parameters and checked your rodi system, then I would get a gameplan together. It would be a waste of money to go out and buy reactors, pellets, vodka, etc at this point - imo.

 

[glb]

As already mentioned, test phosphates too. Make sure your rodi water is reading 0 tds on output. Before trying any of the remedies listed above, I would recommend that you try and track down the source first. Otherwise is could be a never-ending uphill battle. Have you added any new rock or substrate lately? Do you feed heavily? Excessive nutrients are caused by over feeding, most of the time. I would have your water tested by using better test kits - red sea, salifert, etc. Your lfs may have this service available.

Once you have verified your water parameters and checked your rodi system, then I would get a gameplan together. It would be a waste of money to go out and buy reactors, pellets, vodka, etc at this point - imo.

I agree. There has to be a reason it got so high. Could something have died in the tank? I'd also buy another nitrate test kit. I use salifert. When I used API I could never read it properly and the ranges were too big to be useful. That being said, salifert doesn't measure that high so it might be more useful once your numbers are down. I've used Seachem purigen, Seachem de nitrate and dr. Ps nitrate reducer. Other people have used nopox with success but I haven't so hopefully someone who has will chime in. Good luck!

 

[Sn4k33Y3z]

Any chance you have a big turbo snail that has died???

 

[mcarroll]

If your nitrate reading is correct (plz take a sample to your LFS to verify) it's astronomically high. I've seen tanks that were massively overstocked and overfed with a lower nitrate number than that.

Do you know what you did to get nitrates to this level? You may never make progress if nutrient inputs are still as large as what generated this situation.

-Matt

 

[jimmybling31]

I am doubting your numbers and think you need to get a lfs to test your water. If it really is that high I don't see how your carpet anemone is still alive. My carpet that I had would show signs of stress with just 15ppm nitrates when I overfed the tank a bit. If it really is that high get a bottle of clean vodka and start dosing multiple times a day. It will cause an explosion of bacteria and make your biopellets activate much quicker than normal. It will also stress your fish out for a few days, but it will bring down your nitrates fast. I really do doubt that your number though. I'm guessing that you're systematically doing something wrong with the test.

 

[CKI]

Once again, I have already stated that i have taken a sample to my LFS for testing. I have also used 3 other API kits and all come back with the same reading.

 

[mcarroll]

Do you know what got Nitrates to this level?

-Matt

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Once again, I have already stated that i have taken a sample to my LFS for testing. I have also used 3 other API kits and all come back with the same reading.

Where did you state this?

 

[CKI]

Do you know what got Nitrates to this level?

-Matt

I have no idea. Apparently i have had a faulty test kit and this has been a issue with me keeping SPS ... so i would like to believe this has been a issue. I do have a goby thats missing, but it has been missing for well over a month, so even if dead, the hermits should have had him gobbled up. (I would think anyway)

 

[mcarroll]

150 ppm doesn't come from one missing goby and a lack of water changes if that's what you mean by a messed up test kit. Not IME at least. Unless you literally never did a water change and this number includes by products from the initial cycle?

It's going to be hard to make progress if you can't figure out where all these nutrients came from in this fairly short time.

-Matt

 

[CKI]

150 ppm doesn't come from one missing goby and a lack of water changes if that's what you mean by a messed up test kit. Not IME at least. Unless you literally never did a water change and this number includes by products from the initial cycle?

It's going to be hard to make progress if you can't figure out where all these nutrients came from in this fairly short time.

-Matt

That is why i am stumped! I do a 20% bi-weekly water changes, and i have changed out nearly 60 gallons this week alone. I have tested water straight from my RO/DI unit and it tests at 0. Perhaps today, I will pull out all my rock and scrub and dip it in fresh made saltwater before placing it back into my tank?

 

[Reefing Madness]

what would be the steps in this method? <--- new to reefing

Going about it the Article way
Vodka Dosing by 'Genetics' and 'Stony_Corals' - Reefkeeping.com
Melevsreef.com - Dosing Vodka to Lower Nitrate & Phosphate

Or per my instructions. Start out with 5mls a week, and add 5mls every week until you see them drop. If you want a drastic fast drop, you start with 5mls, and add 5mls after every 3 days that it doesn't come down. Be aware your tank will cloud up with the bacteria growth, but it will not harm anything. Make sure your skimmer is running at peak performance during this period.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

I never saw where you stated that you had your water tested by your lfs. If this is true, what test kit did they use?

 

[Reefnjunkie]

If you're doing water changes and not seeing any change in nitrates I'd wonder about the accuracy of the test results. API tests are notoriously inaccurate and the directions have to be followed to the letter or you can get messed up readings. You have a carpet anemone in that tank and if the nitrates were that high you would be seeing serious signs of distress. Before adding anything like Waste-Away do a few more water changes and really vacuum the substrate paying attention to spaces in the rockwork and lower flow areas. What is your water source BTW?

Dose Vodka, we can get em down in 2 weeks from 160. But your tank will be cloudy until we drop the dose to normal daily maintenance ranges Up to you, but when this is done, you don't have to worry about changing anything that your doing.

what would be the steps in this method? <--- new to reefing

Once again, I have already stated that i have taken a sample to my LFS for testing. I have also used 3 other API kits and all come back with the same reading.

I would suggest another brand of test kit, as mentioned API is, well inexpensive thats all the good I will say about them in my experiences.

If you are going to go down the road of vodka dosing do some reading, make sure you skimmer is up for it, not having a great skimmer will peove to be detrimental with vodka dosing (In my experience) a quality skimmer will alleviate many woes in this hobby.

No offense meant to Reefing Madness or you but if you are new there is a learning curve. I've done vodka, bio pellets, sulpher denitrators, etc all I would advise is do a lot of reading and never take any single persons advise-mine included.
This hobby is all about "taking it all in and making an educated decision" Vodka works, bio pellets work (I'd suggest a recirculating reactor for bio pellets) but if you don't take the proper steps the results could be terrible.

If you don't have things dying take your time, water changes are good and if you have been doing the volume you have I would agree with others based on your bio load it sounds like false readings-granted 3 kits all giving you same reading is baffling.

Out of curiosity, what where your nitrates last month, and the month before-what is it that you have done to your tank that is new and was not present back before when your nitrates where at lower levels.

Look for the "what have I added, or whats changed" thats typically where we can all find the root of the problem.

Good luck

 

[CKI]

I would suggest another brand of test kit, as mentioned API is, well inexpensive thats all the good I will say about them in my experiences.

If you are going to go down the road of vodka dosing do some reading, make sure you skimmer is up for it, not having a great skimmer will peove to be detrimental with vodka dosing (In my experience) a quality skimmer will alleviate many woes in this hobby.

No offense meant to Reefing Madness or you but if you are new there is a learning curve. I've done vodka, bio pellets, sulpher denitrators, etc all I would advise is do a lot of reading and never take any single persons advise-mine included.
This hobby is all about "taking it all in and making an educated decision" Vodka works, bio pellets work (I'd suggest a recirculating reactor for bio pellets) but if you don't take the proper steps the results could be terrible.

If you don't have things dying take your time, water changes are good and if you have been doing the volume you have I would agree with others based on your bio load it sounds like false readings-granted 3 kits all giving you same reading is baffling.

Out of curiosity, what where your nitrates last month, and the month before-what is it that you have done to your tank that is new and was not present back before when your nitrates where at lower levels.

Look for the "what have I added, or whats changed" thats typically where we can all find the root of the problem.

Good luck

My nitrates read zero for awhile (so i thought) i kept having sps die and i could not figure out why, so i took my test kit to my LFS and told him to test for everything, he perks up "hey your nitrates are through the roof" so we checked with the kit i took him, and it showed 0. So i purchased another kit since all he sells is API and checked it before i left and it read the same as what his did in the store.... so as to how long have my nitrates been that high? i really have no idea. I will continue water changes, and i will try Purigen while running my biopellets and see if that helps at all. I will go to the vodka dosing as a last resort, as i am a NEW reefer

 

[Reefnjunkie]

Understood, so perhaps they have always been high, that would be tough to understand, like mentioned you have a small bio load.

This was a great video (actually both)that made me change from the Aquamaxx bio pellet reactor I was using- Bio pellets are good but can be dangerous, just as playing with any type of carbon dosing, vodka, vinegar (which is much more forgiving than vodka)

Anyway I hope you find the problem

FWIW, I did not buy their reactor, I copied the design and built one

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sLhmI8vtnfw&desktop_uri=/watch?v=sLhmI8vtnfw

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zMx4HOsG3Rc&desktop_uri=/watch?v=zMx4HOsG3Rc

 

[Reefnjunkie]

Its worth noting, SPS require extremely stable environments (you may know all of this)
They won't tolerate swings in alkalinity, thats probably the number one killer and salinity......, so if you are trying to keep your parameters stable buy just doing water changes it "can" be difficult, not impossible but difficult-

I'm an SPS junkie and have a little experience in that realm LOL

Again, good luck, I know it can be frustrating

 

[Eienna]

I just remembered hearing that some kits will test out 0 if the value is past the readable range. Don't recall which ones those are.

Did you cure your rock in the tank? Even if it comes "pre-cured" there will most likely still be a period of die-off. Curing causes very high ammonia from organisms dying in the rock, and once that is processed by the nitrifying bacteria it translates into a truckload of nitrate. Usually you would avoid that in your tank by curing the rock in a separate vessel, such as a clean trash bin.

 

[glb]

I would suggest another brand of test kit, as mentioned API is, well inexpensive thats all the good I will say about them in my experiences.

If you are going to go down the road of vodka dosing do some reading, make sure you skimmer is up for it, not having a great skimmer will peove to be detrimental with vodka dosing (In my experience) a quality skimmer will alleviate many woes in this hobby.

No offense meant to Reefing Madness or you but if you are new there is a learning curve. I've done vodka, bio pellets, sulpher denitrators, etc all I would advise is do a lot of reading and never take any single persons advise-mine included.
This hobby is all about "taking it all in and making an educated decision" Vodka works, bio pellets work (I'd suggest a recirculating reactor for bio pellets) but if you don't take the proper steps the results could be terrible.

If you don't have things dying take your time, water changes are good and if you have been doing the volume you have I would agree with others based on your bio load it sounds like false readings-granted 3 kits all giving you same reading is baffling.

Out of curiosity, what where your nitrates last month, and the month before-what is it that you have done to your tank that is new and was not present back before when your nitrates where at lower levels.

Look for the "what have I added, or whats changed" thats typically where we can all find the root of the problem.

Good luck

I agree. Respectfully, you need better testing kits if you're going to do saltwater. It's not fair to the livestock. Your tank has gotten way out of control and the only way to get it back under control is to know what you're dealing with. I agree with everyone above. Pellets, vodka dosing, etc require a lot of expertise. Invest in some good testing kits and do a lot of research to figure out what happened. Salifert, Red Sea and hanna checkers are much better kits and will really help you figure out what's going on.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Just for the record, Vodka Dosing is not dangerous, unless your taking it yourself, and you get so drunk you dump the bottle into the tank. You can mess up dosing in the MLS, its not going to affect anything. I've been at this for some time now, and am here to tell you, these dangers that most talk about, are from people totally botching the dosing proceedure.