Help Raising Nitrates

[eLReef]

Hello R2R Team,

I wanted to get some advice on how to raise my nitrates on my system naturally. I prefer not to use additives such as neonitro, stump remover etc..My nitrates have always been at zero and I would like at least show some level of detection. I run a Nyos Quantum 120, Pax Bellum n18 chaeto reactor with cheato lights on for 16 hours. I also use marine pure ceramic bio media half way filled in the 2 filter cups. Should I not use a Skimmer since I use the reactor? Would lowering the amount of time the reactor lights are on increase my nitrates? Should I remove the marine pure ceramic bio media?let me know what you would recommend. Thanks in advance.

Tank:
Redsea Reefer 250 mixed tank

Livestock:
Yellow Tang, Storm Clown, purple dotty back, Dragonet, purple fire fish, 2x Anthias,
Scarlet hermits, bumble bee & Astrea snails.

Food:
Pellets and 1/4 cube of mysis/brine daily
Reef roids/reef chili, Coral Vitalizer, LPS amino acids 2x weekly

Maintenance:
10% water change biweekly
Change polyester in filter cups weekly

Parameters:
ph: 8.1
Alkalinity: 8.9
Calcium : 456
Magnesium: 1,400
Phosphates: .01
Nitrates: 0
Temperature: 77

Lighting:
2 x Radion XR15W w/diffusers: 11am-10pm 55% intensity (blues on 100% , whites 10% only for 4 hours)

Filtration:
Nyos Quantum 120
Pax Bellum n18

Flow:
2x Mp40qwd: 40%

 

[PDR]

First thing I would do is cut your algae reactor photoperiod in half. Personally I’m not a big fan of ceramic media, especially if you have plenty of live rock, but I don’t think removing it would make much of, if any, difference.

 

[eLReef]

First thing I would do is cut your algae reactor photoperiod in half. Personally I’m not a big fan of ceramic media, especially if you have plenty of live rock, but I don’t think removing it would make much of, if any, difference.

Ok, I will cut my photoperiod. Any other tips to increase my nitrates? What’s your opinion on ceramic media? I probably have about 30lbs of live rock.

 

[PDR]

Ok, I will cut my photoperiod. Any other tips to increase my nitrates? What’s your opinion on ceramic media? I probably have about 30lbs of live rock.

I'm not a fan of adding it to begin with, but it probably isn't going to cause any issues. I would leave it in place as removing it could cause a destabilizing event.

I would probably up your fish feeding. How many times a day do you feed what you have listed and how many pellets?

 

[Rakie]

Dose nitrates.

Specifically kno3 from NilocG. It's high quality and exceptionally pure, very simple, and adds potassium which most people are a little shy on. I'm a huge believer in nutrients, especially for SPS.

 

[eLReef]

I'm not a fan of adding it to begin with, but it probably isn't going to cause any issues. I would leave it in place as removing it could cause a destabilizing event.

I would probably up your fish feeding. How many times a day do you feed what you have listed and how many pellets?

I feed my fish once in the evening. About 4-5 pinches of new life spectrum pellets and 1/4 cube of frozen brine or mysis shrimp. Should I add a scoop of reef roids to the feeding on a daily basis?

Dose nitrates.

Specifically kno3 from NilocG. It's high quality and exceptionally pure, very simple, and adds potassium which most people are a little shy on. I'm a huge believer in nutrients, especially for SPS.

I’d prefer not to dose nitrates. I had a real bad experience with neo nitro that was mostly my fault. I think I raised them to fast and caused a STN that killed so many of my Corals

 

[Ktran350]

Can you up your feeding to twice a day? Once in the morning and once in the evening? You can try broadcasting reef roids every other day or every 2 days. Do you have a skimmer? Try taking that offline for a few days or just take off the cup so you are still oxygenating the water.

 

[eLReef]

Can you up your feeding to twice a day? Once in the morning and once in the evening? You can try broadcasting reef roids every other day or every 2 days. Do you have a skimmer? Try taking that offline for a few days or just take off the cup so you are still oxygenating the water.

I can try feeding twice a day. Just have to hook up my auto feeder. I will try broadcasting reef roids every other day. I do use a Skimmer. I will try this for 2 weeks before I turn my Skimmer off to see if it helps bring my nutrients up.

 

[RobZilla04]

I can try feeding twice a day. Just have to hook up my auto feeder. I will try broadcasting reef roids every other day. I do use a Skimmer. I will try this for 2 weeks before I turn my Skimmer off to see if it helps bring my nutrients up.

By "broadcasting" Reef Roids, do you mean sprinkling it in dry into the DT or allowing it to rehydrate in a cup of tank water first?

Simply adding to the variety of foods and increasing feedings should help bring nitrates up.

 

[madweazl]

With the anthias, I'd suspect you'll need to feed at least twice a day to keep them healthy. I'd personally skip the Reef Roids in favor of a quality frozen food and use it two times a day for the fish. In regard to the biomedia, I'd drop those before I turned off the skimmer or reduced the macro-algae reactor but I'd start with feeding the fish more. I feed our fish LRS Reef Frenzy twice a day, add a piece of an algae sheet for the tang/angel, and also feed a whole, littleneck clam.

 

[pickupman66]

Fish food and poop is in my opinion the best way to increase them. also agree with cutting photo period of your reactor.

 

[eLReef]

By "broadcasting" Reef Roids, do you mean sprinkling it in dry into the DT or allowing it to rehydrate in a cup of tank water first?

Simply adding to the variety of foods and increasing feedings should help bring nitrates up.

I was thinking of putting the reef roids in a small cup with Aquarium water along with mysis or brine Shrimp. I hope this helps.

With the anthias, I'd suspect you'll need to feed at least twice a day to keep them healthy. I'd personally skip the Reef Roids in favor of a quality frozen food and use it two times a day for the fish. In regard to the biomedia, I'd drop those before I turned off the skimmer or reduced the macro-algae reactor but I'd start with feeding the fish more. I feed our fish LRS Reef Frenzy twice a day, add a piece of an algae sheet for the tang/angel, and also feed a whole, littleneck clam.

Yea I will instal my auto feeder tonight to feed while I’m at work and I’ll feed them at night myself when I get home as usual. Hmm what frozen food do you suggest? I’ll have to try that. Thanks.

Fish food and poop is in my opinion the best way to increase them. also agree with cutting photo period of your reactor.

I dropped my reactor light from 16 hours to 10 hours a day. I will also start feeding twice a day and test my nitrates In a week then at 2 weeks.

 

[madweazl]

Yea I will instal my auto feeder tonight to feed while I’m at work and I’ll feed them at night myself when I get home as usual. Hmm what frozen food do you suggest? I’ll have to try that. Thanks.

Are the anthias eating pellets? Our Lyretails would occasionally but spit them out most of the time. There are lots of quality frozen options but use LRS Reef and Herbivore frenzy pretty much exclusively now.

 

[Ktran350]

Yea I will instal my auto feeder tonight to feed while I’m at work and I’ll feed them at night myself when I get home as usual. Hmm what frozen food do you suggest? I’ll have to try that. Thanks.

Do you have a LFS that sells LRS frozen food? I just started using it and have great feeding response from fish and corals. Has many different type of food all blended into it.