Fixing a tank that is struggling with high nutrients

[reaper93]

Hi guys! I have been struggling for over a year trying to get nitrates and phosphates down in a 55g tank. They always are around 30-50 nitrate (or higher!) and like 0.3 phosphate. It currently runs a HOB filter with mechanical filtration and some GFO. I was wondering if you guys had any advice to bring nutrients down in this system. Do you think a HOB Skimmer would be viable? Also a sump isn't feasible for this tank as much as I would like it. I have had to remove tons of GHA and there is always this brown junk on the sandbed. Thanks!!

 

[Dbichler]

Without a sump or protein skimmer your best option is large water changes with rodi water. You could try chemipure elite as well.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Plenty of HOB skimmers that would help a ton. I recommend the aquamaxx ones. they are a little pricey but you get what you pay for.

 

[reaper93]

Without a sump or protein skimmer your best option is large water changes with rodi water. You could try chemipure elite as well.

I try to do 20% every 2 weeks

 

[Bucs20fan]

I try to do 20% every 2 weeks

Thats not going to be enough to combat high nitrates. It would need to be weekly if youre already have nitrate problems. Its not hurting by any means but its just curbing the issue. You need something to either use the nutrients in the tank or take them out. You can dose microbacter 7 which is nitrifying bacteria, that will help some. I recommend getting a HOB skimmer and running it for a few hours each day. That should help a ton and keep some still in the tank to prevent dinos.

 

[Gatorpa]

Need some more info to really help.
How many fish in the tank?
What and how often do you feed?

Nutrients are coming from somewhere, the natural and mechanical filtration can only do so much.

You either increase those or decrease the feeding.

 

[reaper93]

Need some more info to really help.
How many fish in the tank?
What and how often do you feed?

Nutrients are coming from somewhere, the natural and mechanical filtration can only do so much.

You either increase those or decrease the feeding.

I am feeding pretty minimially, every other day I feed frozen mysis. I have 3 damsels, a clown, a sixline wrasse, lawnmower blenny

 

[Dbichler]

20% every 2 weeks won’t bring it down enough to notice they will just rise again

 

[AKL1950]

I believe the HOB is probably removing the junk from your tank, but it is not removing it from your system. How often do you clean it out to remove all the collected waste in it. That waste has to be completely removed or it’s still adding to the high nitrates.

 

[Gatorpa]

I am feeding pretty minimially, every other day I feed frozen mysis. I have 3 damsels, a clown, a sixline wrasse, lawnmower blenny

So going back and looking at your first post if the nitrates are 30 and the PO4 is 0.3 that's okay, the ratio is fine (which is more important than raw numbers.
Do you have any corals or is this a fish only system?
6 fish in a 55 gallon sounds like it's more than it can handle.
Was the rock live rock or dry?
how old if it was live and from where?

 

[Crustaceon]

I second doing larger water changes. I'd do a weekly 20% change with ro/di and probably reef crystals if you have corals. It's nice to have a skimmer for aeration and removing stuff from the water column that you won't really get out with water changes alone, but is it necessary? No. IMO, you're still in the "small tank" maintenance department and can basically run an extremely successful system with just water changes and gravel vacuuming half of your sand each time. You'll like having the skimmer but it's probably not going to be a game changer here. Not as much as water changes or if you started carbon dosing while using a skimmer, which on a tank of your size isn't worth the hassle/risk, again IMO. Test nitrates and phosphates twice a week and if they start creeping too low, adjust the water change percentage to 10%, continue testing, etc. Also, you'll be able to get rid of the HoB by doing this. Those things can be nitrate factories. Your sandbed/rocks/panel surfaces are already homes for denitrifying bacteria. Gravel vacuuming during the water change fills the role of mechanical filtration/removal of detritus. This hobby is about keeping water. Get that down and you'll find success more easily.

 

[reaper93]

So going back and looking at your first post if the nitrates are 30 and the PO4 is 0.3 that's okay, the ratio is fine (which is more important than raw numbers.
Do you have any corals or is this a fish only system?
6 fish in a 55 gallon sounds like it's more than it can handle.
Was the rock live rock or dry?
how old if it was live and from where?

There are corals in the tank.
Tank is about 5 years old although it was recently moved around 6 months ago. I'm not entirely sure if it started with live or dry rock

 

[reaper93]

I believe the HOB is probably removing the junk from your tank, but it is not removing it from your system. How often do you clean it out to remove all the collected waste in it. That waste has to be completely removed or it’s still adding to the high nitrates.

Once a month usually

 

[WWC Verified Sponsor]

I would recommend looking into a Skimmer if you are in the position to get one. Without the skimmer you will be combating the issue all the time with large water changes to keep the numbers in check. If you are considering getting a skimmer our store would be more then happy to go over some options with you. You can reach us at 407-856-2066


-Keith

 

[flyingscampi]

I have no sump either and I have some red grape macroalgae which gets pruned regularly. I can't gauge how much it reduces nutrients but it must help. I can't have any green macroalgae as my crab stuffs his face until its all gone.

 

[reaper93]

I second doing larger water changes. I'd do a weekly 20% change with ro/di and probably reef crystals if you have corals. It's nice to have a skimmer for aeration and removing stuff from the water column that you won't really get out with water changes alone, but is it necessary? No. IMO, you're still in the "small tank" maintenance department and can basically run an extremely successful system with just water changes and gravel vacuuming half of your sand each time. You'll like having the skimmer but it's probably not going to be a game changer here. Not as much as water changes or if you started carbon dosing while using a skimmer, which on a tank of your size isn't worth the hassle/risk, again IMO. Test nitrates and phosphates twice a week and if they start creeping too low, adjust the water change percentage to 10%, continue testing, etc. Also, you'll be able to get rid of the HoB by doing this. Those things can be nitrate factories. Your sandbed/rocks/panel surfaces are already homes for denitrifying bacteria. Gravel vacuuming during the water change fills the role of mechanical filtration/removal of detritus. This hobby is about keeping water. Get that down and you'll find success more easily.

Yep I use RC. Really, no filtration at all besides rock/sand would be sufficient?

 

[reaper93]

I have no sump either and I have some red grape macroalgae which gets pruned regularly. I can't gauge how much it reduces nutrients but it must help. I can't have any green macroalgae as my crab stuffs his face until its all gone.

Maybe a HOB Refugium would help? Putting it in the display seems like it would take over

 

[flyingscampi]

Maybe a HOB Refugium would help? Putting it in the display seems like it would take over

The red macroalgae grows quite slowly. I keep it in a ball tucked behind a rock. The crab and sexy shrimp love picking though it for trapped food the fish couldn't get to.

 

[gbru316]

Once a month usually

Try once a week.

as soon as you change it out, it starts collecting detritus. By the time you change it out a month later, that detritus has decayed and created nitrate and phosphate in the water.

mechanical filtration needs to be changed frequently — ideally every few days at most. This is pretty much the entire reason that filter roller mats exist — to make sure collected detritus is pulled out before it decays.

the alternative is no mechanical filtration and just vacuuming a portion of your sand during every weekly water change.

 

[Crustaceon]

Yep I use RC. Really, no filtration at all besides rock/sand would be sufficient?

The thing is, nothing is going to be sufficient in a set-it-and-forget it way. Having live rock and sand will slow the rise in nitrates in particular, but you'll have to do something to level that increase out, water changes being it. I recommend this because a refugium, algae turf scrubber, biopellets, "nopox", vinegar/vodka dosing with a skimmer are runaway freight train methods of nutrient reduction and can very easily take your nutrients levels way too low and cause much worse issues than having elevated nutrients. I carbon dosed my tank for many years, and you HAVE to religiously watch your nutrient levels doing that stuff. I've also ran refugiums and algae turf scrubbers and it honesty became a hassle gauging how much chaeto to leave after a harvest....and testing iron....and wondering why it's changing colors....and picking chaeto strands out of my return pump... Keep it simple.