Can rocks contain nitrates

[Steven31922]

I have been having a nitrate issue for months with big water changes it doesn't lower i clean the gravel also. I went to petco and asked and the women said that the rocks store stuff including nitrates so she recommended me to take all the rocks and soak it in tap water then soak it in water conditioned water I not doubting her but can someone confirm her idea nad treatment? I just want to be completely sure this is the right move and this is necessary

 

[colossal_tater]

Can we get some pictures of the rock/tank? What are your nitrates at currently (via a text kit)?

To answer your questions, no, they can’t store nitrates but they could have junk on them slowly decaying that is releasing some nitrates. To the pet store employee, DO NOT do that. It would kill a lot of the bacteria on the rock and cause more problems than high nitrates.

Please post some tank pictures and maybe give us a run down of how you setup your system and how you run it. That will help us give you a real solution.

 

[MarshallB]

What sized tank, how many fish, how much do you feed, what kind of filtration do you run?

If you think it could be the rock, take out some of it and put it into a bucket with freshly mixed salt water. Test it in a few days. If there are nitrates in the bucket then you will know you have something dying off on the rock.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

For the love of the reefing gods don't listen to them. Nitrates are largely just a nitrogen cycle thing. In addition to the above questions, do you use RODI? Have you tested tap water for nitrates?

Also, WELCOME TO R2R! Post a welcome thread!

 

[Steven31922]

What sized tank, how many fish, how much do you feed, what kind of filtration do you run?

If you think it could be the rock, take out some of it and put it into a bucket with freshly mixed salt water. Test it in a few days. If there are nitrates in the bucket then you will know you have something dying off on the rock.

i have a 75 gallon tank. 4 clown fishes, 2 damsels. 1 cardinal fish 1 green chromis, 1 sunshine dottyback

 

[Steven31922]

For the love of the reefing gods don't listen to them. Nitrates are largely just a nitrogen cycle thing. In addition to the above questions, do you use RODI? Have you tested tap water for nitrates?

Also, WELCOME TO R2R! Post a welcome thread!

No i dont use RODI water but i have tested the tap water it has no nitrates

 

[Steven31922]

I can pinpoint when the nitrates went up. It was when we had a bunch of snails and they would die off sometimes i would think they were just hiding when they were really decaying. But however this was months ago like 5 months ago I got the nitrate down from 140 to 80 but now it stays at 80 or sometime rises

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Long term still might be a good idea if you plan to add coral.

When my nutrients rise it is typically due to a couple reasons. I need to change out my filter socks, my skimmer isn't skimming as it should be or my tank has been overfed. Removing detritus/uneaten from rocks/sandbed by siphoning into a sock can help.

 

[Steven31922]

What sized tank, how many fish, how much do you feed, what kind of filtration do you run?

If you think it could be the rock, take out some of it and put it into a bucket with freshly mixed salt water. Test it in a few days. If there are nitrates in the bucket then you will know you have something dying off on the rock.

Can we get some pictures of the rock/tank? What are your nitrates at currently (via a text kit)?

To answer your questions, no, they can’t store nitrates but they could have junk on them slowly decaying that is releasing some nitrates. To the pet store employee, DO NOT do that. It would kill a lot of the bacteria on the rock and cause more problems than high nitrates.

Please post some tank pictures and maybe give us a run down of how you setup your system and how you run it. That will help us give you a real solution.

I would upload some photos soon. We have 2 filters I would have to clean one of the fitlers out every 2 months because it would get clogged and the filter wouldnt be able to run then the other filter we have pellets that says they would help the nitrates but clearly not.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Large water change and look into nutrient export methods and their effectiveness.

 

[Steven31922]

Large water change and look into nutrient export methods and their effectiveness.

I kept doing big water changes but it didnt change so i gave up doing those big water changes. It was 20% water changes and did it for a whole month nothing changed

 

[Steven31922]

Long term still might be a good idea if you plan to add coral.

When my nutrients rise it is typically due to a couple reasons. I need to change out my filter socks, my skimmer isn't skimming as it should be or my tank has been overfed. Removing detritus/uneaten from rocks/sandbed by siphoning into a sock can help.

When I do water changes i always siphon the part where i feed my fish at first the debris made the bucket of water pitch brown but as of now cleared up quite a bit

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I would try a massive WC of about 50-75% to bring those down. 20% is only removing 20% of the issue.

it’s either feeding, overstocked(more food) or your removal that is your issue. What type of filtration do you have?

 

[Steven31922]

I would try a massive WC of about 50-75% to bring those down. 20% is only removing 20% of the issue.

it’s either feeding, overstocked(more food) or your removal that is your issue. What type of filtration do you have?

Im just curious why now does the nitrates go up? last year the water was quiet fine and we have less fish now than then thats what i find confused. I have a magnum canister 350 and then a marineland magniflow C220 canister fitler

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Im just curious why now does the nitrates go up? last year the water was quiet fine and we have less fish now than then thats what i find confused. I have a magnum canister 350 and then a marineland magniflow C220 canister fitler

Nitrates build up over time as waste breaks down. In a newer tank waste sits largely on the surfaces but can trapped under sand or more likely in your canister filters. The reason canister filters are not largely used in reefing as they become nitrate factories fairly quickly. Not 100% sure what the long term solution is but I would bet my lunch money that if you did a single large water change and did twice as much replacement and cleaning of the floss/sponges i the canisters that your nitrate issue would resolve itself. I would say that a weekly replacement would prevent most of the trapped waste from breaking down.

Look into HOB overflows and evaluate the risks/benefits of a sump.

 

[Steven31922]

Nitrates build up over time as waste breaks down. In a newer tank waste sits largely on the surfaces but can trapped under sand or more likely in your canister filters. The reason canister filters are not largely used in reefing as they become nitrate factories fairly quickly. Not 100% sure what the long term solution is but I would bet my lunch money that if you did a single large water change and did twice as much replacement and cleaning of the floss/sponges i the canisters that your nitrate issue would resolve itself. I would say that a weekly replacement would prevent most of the trapped waste from breaking down.

Look into HOB overflows and evaluate the risks/benefits of a sump.

Im thinking about changing the media in the canister filter, do you got any suggestions? also im removing one fitler and adding a protein skimmer in

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Im thinking about changing the media in the canister filter, do you got any suggestions? also im removing one fitler and adding a protein skimmer in

It depends on how good you are with your maintenance schedule and how much live rock you have in the display. If you do filter floss you want to change it weekly or use something to catch larger particales to avoid waste from breaking down. Carbon when needed. Seachem pond matrix or bio media or similar can help with nitrate processing bacteria populations. GFO can go in there but honestly canister filters are more designed for mechanical flow instead of chemical