frequency of water changes with nitrates over 150?????

[ReeferBill]

Ok, so tested my water sunday night and all levels were fine, but the nitrates were over 150 using my API test kit. It turns red within 30 seconds of starting the test. All fish, inverts, corals, and tank look normal. Inhabitants are french and queen angel, naso tang, parrotfish, chromis, clowns, cucumber, urchin, tube nems, RBTA, GSP, leathers, toadstool. So I did a 10% last night, and wet skimmed as much as I could out. And am planning another 20% for tomorrow. That will be a 48 hour time between the 2. Is this a problem for a tank that looks otherwise healthy. I am not sure if my nitrates have slowly climbed to this high, and the inhabitants are used to it, or if my test kit is bad, but either way, I dont want to shock the system by doing to much too fast. Any thoughts on if I should do the 20% tomorrow, or just do weekly? I am afraid that if I do weekly changes, I will never catch up and get the levels down. Here are my specs...
180 tank with 75 sump
Reef octo skimmer
2 stage carbon reactor
UW sterilizer
half sump of cheato
RO water topoff
350lbs of rock
1" sandbed
No algae problems at all.

 

[fragmatic]

RO is better that not RO but RODI would be better. I seriously doubt your NO3 is 150. Not with so many healthy forms of life. Take a water sample to a LFS and let them test it. Do not tell them anything about it being that high so you get a pure answer. Then tell them. I bet you come home with a new test kit.

 

[jedidad]

You should be fine with a 20% water change tomorrow. I would get a different test kit though like salifert because the api kits are known to read way to high. I had that problem with my api kit and switched to salifert. Nitrate was high but not nearly as high as as the api kit read.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Reef2Reef Aquarium Forum mobile app

 

[FishLipz]

If it's not your test kit, check your RO water. It may be way past the time to change out the filters. If your RO water is good I'd be doing 20-30% changes a couple times per week to get it down. JMO

 

[ReeferBill]

Hey thanks for all the responses. First off, I am sorry, I did mean to say its an RODI, 4 stage. Second, I know the DI resin is older, but the rest of it is less than a year old, and the company said it should still have life in the filters. Either way, I am getting new filters though. Frag, that is a great idea to take it to a LFS and have them test. Of course if it comes back really above 100, I will be a bit embarrased. I thought the same thing though, since all the life in there looks healthy. The only thing I lost was my anthias about 3 weeks ago. Thanks for the advice, I will continue on the water change method and get this under control.
Thanks,
Bill

 

[ReeferBill]

Forgot to mention, the test kit could be as much as 2 years old. Not sure how the shelf life is on these.

 

[Alex27]

Get a new test kit first. You can do smaller weekly water changes, if this is the route you want to take. until you get the nitrates lower. Also try to figure out what the cause of the high levels are , this way you can take care of the problem.

 

[ReeferBill]

Just worried that small water changes wont get them lower. I think the reason for my high nitrates, was lack of water changes, several huge fish, and overfeeding for a week, because I just added the parrotfish. BUt it could be my test kit too....I hope so.

 

[Alex27]

Just worried that small water changes wont get them lower. I think the reason for my high nitrates, was lack of water changes, several huge fish, and overfeeding for a week, because I just added the parrotfish. BUt it could be my test kit too....I hope so.

the smaller water changes will be effective if you also curb the over feeding as well.

 

[ReeferBill]

Hahaha, yeah you are very right about that. I was just overfeeding because the parrotfish was not eating and I wanted to give it every chance. I quickly stopped that once he started eating(monday), and once I found out the nitrates were so high. I am running the light over my cheato 24/7 now, to also help remove nitrates, and will continue 2 water changes a week, until it gets better...unless the test kit is off, then all is well. Thanks for the post.

 

[Alex27]

Hahaha, yeah you are very right about that. I was just overfeeding because the parrotfish was not eating and I wanted to give it every chance. I quickly stopped that once he started eating(monday), and once I found out the nitrates were so high. I am running the light over my cheato 24/7 now, to also help remove nitrates, and will continue 2 water changes a week, until it gets better...unless the test kit is off, then all is well. Thanks for the post.

Do you rinse your food first before feeding? rinsing can remove some of the extra nutrients which they contain.

 

[ReeferBill]

No never done that.