Clueless

[bratzmama]

I don't know all the abbreviations yet so please bare with me. We started this tank January '17. 60gal, about

80lbs live rock, 40lbs substrate, 2 percs, 1 yellow tang, 1 foxface,1 red scooter blenny, 1 blue damsel ( that I am trying to catch to get out of there), 1 coral beauty, countless snails, 1 cleaner shrimp. We test with an API master test kit. Wee have the Current light system with 2 blowers, plus an additional blower. There is a UV light in the tank. Wet/dry filter underneath with a protein skimmer in it.
Ok, my problem is all numbers read good, 0's, except nitrates, they hover around 40. ph stays around 8.2. They are fed frozen Cyclops cubes, 1 cube every 3 days. How do I get nitrates to drop. I really want to add corals and such, but unfortunately I've already killed some off by not knowing what I'm doing.
Any other suggestions are welcome too. I love looking at every one else's pictures because my tank just looks drab.

 

[JaimeAdams]

One. I would buy real test kits. Red Sea pro or Salifert would be my suggestion. API is just not very accurate and they don't test low range on some thing.

Two. Get rid of the blue balls. They give surface area for bacteria that break nitrite into nitrate but have no ability to break down nitrate.

I would add bio-blocks to the sump or possible bio spheres where the blue balls currently are.

Keep the sponges clean.

To reduce nitrate I would do a series of large water changes 2 or 3 days apart, no more than 50% tank volume.

Do you have a way of removing phosphates? I would add a Granular ferric oxide reactor or even just toss some media bags of GFO in the chamber where the blue balls are.

Welcome to R2R!

 

[Mandrew]

I'm not too sure but the two biggest rocks in your tank don't look like they're for saltwater tanks. As far as lowering your nitrates large water changes work best. 3-4 30% water changes 1-2 days apart until they're where you want them. Also not sure if wet/dry is good on a saltwater setup. Not sure exactly why but I've heard people don't suggest it.

 

[jsker]

Welcome to R2R

+1 to the above

 

[JaimeAdams]

I'm not too sure but the two biggest rocks in your tank don't look like they're for saltwater tanks. As far as lowering your nitrates large water changes work best. 3-4 30% water changes 1-2 days apart until they're where you want them. Also not sure if wet/dry is good on a saltwater setup. Not sure exactly why but I've heard people don't suggest it.

Wet/Dry filters have no ability to break Nitrates down. The bacteria that convert Nitrite to Nitrate are oxygen loving, so wet/dry filters are fantastic for that, but if you want to keep coral and not just fish your filter needs to be able to break down nitrate. Those bacteria live in areas of low oxygen, something wet/dry filters do not have.

 

[Jd120988]

What's ur water change schedule, technically speaking if I'm not mistaken let's say u do a 50% water change ur total nitrates will be reduced to half meaning approx 20ppm at this point that's dramatically lower and since u have no corals the big water change probably won't bother ur fish or inverts assuming the temperature and salinity are matched perfectly. I myself have to do small more frequent water changes to stabilize nitrates due to only having a 29 gallon and I feed heavily with a alot of different corals from softies to sps. Test frequently for nitrates and do enough water changes to get the nitrates lowered to around 5-10ppm if u plan to keep corals bc they do enjoy a bit of nitrates just not alot. Once u get them at that level just do weekly or biweekly water changes to keep everything stable. Ps u can throw some zoas or shrooms in there first they enjoy dirty water and come with some absolutely beautiful color patterns, and u can add these probably right after a nice sized water change. Keep in mind that alot of the big named coral distributors keep a decent level of nitrates in there tanks for coral growth of course they are precisely maintained for optimal results. Happy 4th and happy reefing my friend

 

[JaimeAdams]

Realistically 40ppm of nitrate isn't that bad. I have 50ppm in my reef tank and I even have some Acros that are still alive. Granted being newer to the hobby it is certainly much easier with Nitrates under 10. I would also ask about what type of hermits/snails/urchins you have?

 

[Miss_Bangarang]

Like JaimeAdams said, get rid of the blue balls and add some blocks that are for "denitrification." Actually, just do a Google search for reef denitrification, you'll get all kinds of info to help keep down your nitrates.

Make sure you're keeping an eye on your phosphates too, keeping them low will also help with the algae issue. It can help to have some kind of manual filtration like filter floss which is easily accessable, that way you're more likely to change it out every couple days. That way gunk doesn't get the chance to break down into nitrates in the first place.

 

[bratzmama]

One. I would buy real test kits. Red Sea pro or Salifert would be my suggestion. API is just not very accurate and they don't test low range on some thing.

Two. Get rid of the blue balls. They give surface area for bacteria that break nitrite into nitrate but have no ability to break down nitrate.

I would add bio-blocks to the sump or possible bio spheres where the blue balls currently are.

Keep the sponges clean.

To reduce nitrate I would do a series of large water changes 2 or 3 days apart, no more than 50% tank volume.

Do you have a way of removing phosphates? I would add a Granular ferric oxide reactor or even just toss some media bags of GFO in the chamber where the blue balls are.

Welcome to R2R!

Thank you for all of this. I will look in to all of it. I did just put a bag of purigen in my filter.

 

[bratzmama]

I'm not too sure but the two biggest rocks in your tank don't look like they're for saltwater tanks. As far as lowering your nitrates large water changes work best. 3-4 30% water changes 1-2 days apart until they're where you want them. Also not sure if wet/dry is good on a saltwater setup. Not sure exactly why but I've heard people don't suggest it.

Thanks! That's the crap of being a newbie, buying whatever they suggest at the LFS.

 

[Mandrew]

I made the same exact mistake on my first tank with the rocks

 

[Mandrew]

And it was a 60g lol

 

[bratzmama]

Thanks to everyone who answered! I will look into all of this and hopefully make some changes.

 

[Mandrew]

 

[Katrina71]

Don't get frustrated.

 

[Gweeds1980]

As mentioned by others... get the non porous rock out and replace with proper reef rock and get shot of the blue balls. The rock will do most of your nitrogen cycle.

Personally I'd add chaeto algae and a grow light where you have the blue balls atm. That will really help get and keep your nitrates and phosphates down... just harvest it when it grows to remove the fixed nutrients from the system.

 

[ssmacky2006]

You need to do a water change and then you just have to let your tank cycl

 

[Dburr1014]

All the above... But you should lower your bio load also. The foxface will out grow your tank soon.

 

[ebushrow]

What type of water are you using? RODI or tap water....that can make a BIG difference here.

 

[Gweeds1980]

Oh yeah, the foxface and yellow tang will need to be moved on once they grow... or just upgrade soon