Battling High Nitrates
- Thread starter CKI
- Start date
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DSP
Valuable Member
Dont waste any money on those bacterial additives and purigen doesnt help much if at all at reducing nitrate, just keep doing waterchanges until your pellets kick it.Waterchanges is the best thing for nitrates.Also watch your feedings make sure no food is hitting the sand bed and not getting eatin.And I agree with the others about using a turkey baster and blowing all the rocks off.Do you have sand in the tank?If so how deep?And what kind of flow and skimmer to you have?
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CKI
Active Member
I changed out nearly 80 gallons with no drop at all. My pellets are still online, but i just began vodka dosing. Reefing Madness has helped a alot with dosing advice, and my trip to Dr.Macs monday they even recommended it as well. As far as flow, i have 2 MJ900s and 1 MJ1200 plus my return which is 850gph. So nearly 4000GPH. As far as skimmer i am using a eshopps PSK150
DSP
Valuable Member
Then you need to check your water source or test kits again.If your do such big waterchanges it has to lower nitrates unless your putting nitrates right back in the tank with the fresh saltwater.also check your salt there have been many bad batches
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CKI
Active Member
That is what I thought as well. I tested my tapwater, tested freshly made saltwater, both came back zero. I even took all 3 samples to Dr.Macs with me and confirmed ... im stumped! Unless my nitrates in my tank was really that high. beats me. nothing is dead yet! lol
DSP
Valuable Member
Have u added any kind of additives to the tank?I know theres some that can mess up test results so thats the only thing left I can think of lol.Surely if the nitrates were that high the livestock wouldnt be doing to good.Also do you have any coraline algea growing?I know to high of nitrates Will stop coraline from growing
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It sounds like indeed your Nitrates were very high to begin with. Consistant water changes will eventually bring the nitrates down as long as the source is not high and you keep your feedings in check.
Can you send a full tank shot ?
Everything looks happy. Is that a carpet nem? Logically your nitrates will have to drop if you keep changing water. I cant think of anything else you are doing or not doing. Cut waaaay back on feeding.
Patience with carbon dosing. It takes a while. If your nitrates were to awfully bad that carpet would walk out of that tank. They will lower in time.
There are many products that temporarily lower nitrates and they work well but the same problem wil continue to come back. Knowing the source of the problem is key to controlling it.
I have been using Nopox from Redsea and it does work. You have to be carefull though and not overdose. Sometimes you will get a algae bloom from carbon dosing but with a good skimmer it is only temporary. I only use a small amount on my 100 everyday and my levels stay right where i want them. After i use up what i have i am going to try brown sugar. A contact and known author of several books on reef care has suggested this to me and uses it on his tanks with great results. There are many carbon dosing regiments out there so you have to decide which you prefer but they do work.
+ 1 I agree totally. Listen to the people that have tried and proved it works.
CKI
Active Member
That is what I am doing, Reefing Madness has helped a lot with getting me in track with my vodka dosing. Now just waiting for results! Hopefully i start seeing my nitrates drop soon...I'd be tickled to seem em drop to 80ppm at this point!
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