High nitrates

[Pcreefer]

i have a 300 gallon reef tank and I can't seem to keep my nitrates down been doing water changes around 7o gallons weekly nitrates are around 50 phosphates 1 running Gfo that don't seem to help and that's it tried carbon dosing with vodka but seems to be hurting some of my lps been losing a lot of corals lately thinking about using bio pellets any thoughts

 

[Evan West]

How old is the tank? Sounds like you have a nutrient sink somewhere.

 

[Pcreefer]

5 years or so cleaned deep sand bed blown off all rocks several times with power head and have atb 1860 protein skimmer

 

[Evan West]

I assume you have a sump? Any rubble, sand, ect in there?

#reefsquad

 

[Pcreefer]

Yes I have a sump nothing in there just skimmer

 

[reeferfoxx]

5 years or so cleaned deep sand bed blown off all rocks several times with power head and have atb 1860 protein skimmer

Look into getting a bio-pellet reactor.

 

[Pcreefer]

Do you have one?

 

[reeferfoxx]

Do you have one?

For sale or...?

 

[Pcreefer]

No do you use one I have 2 little fishes phos ban reactors150

 

[reeferfoxx]

You have a lot of options for nitrate removal. With a 300 gallon tank, water changes won't suffice. Dosing large amounts of nopox or vodka will be costly and annoying too. You could do some serious sandbed vacuuming or remove half the sandbed. Or run bio-pellets. You can hide it in the sump area and it's easy and convenient. I don't use a bio-pellet reactor but I don't have a 300 gallon tank either. Those are your options. Good luck!

 

[Waterjockey]

How long did you dose vodka and how much did you get up to? The key with carbon dosing (vodka, vinegar) is going slow and steady...skimming wet and patience. I keep lps almost exclusively on a vinegar fed tank.
Have you tried macro algaes or skimming wetter than average?

 

[Pcreefer]

I used vodka for about 1 month 2 weeks in I also started to used mb7 got to 18 ml but had a lot of my chalice /frogspawn /bird nest /brains / plates started to die off so I stopped and started to do massive water changes Im just thinking about using bio pellets (what's the negative affects of bio pellets

 

[goatcorals]

Biopellets aware just automated carbon dosing but probably would work if dialed in properly. Marine pure thick blocks in lower flow area/sump might help. Refugium with cheato. All would be a multi-pronged approach, but just some research and sone vodka/vinegar would likely work with patience.

Wet skimming also a good suggestion.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I used vodka for about 1 month 2 weeks in I also started to used mb7 got to 18 ml but had a lot of my chalice /frogspawn /bird nest /brains / plates started to die off so I stopped and started to do massive water changes Im just thinking about using bio pellets (what's the negative affects of bio pellets

The downside to bio-pellets is it will deplete no3 like gfo does to po4. You can supplement nitrates with KNO3 or Amino acids.

 

[Waterjockey]

I used vodka for about 1 month 2 weeks in I also started to used mb7 got to 18 ml but had a lot of my chalice /frogspawn /bird nest /brains / plates started to die off so I stopped and started to do massive water changes Im just thinking about using bio pellets (what's the negative affects of bio pellets

I've never used biopellets, but they are basically another way of dosing carbon. 18 ml isn't a very high dose for a 300 gallon tank, I am surprised you saw such a negative reaction at that kind of dose. My only concern with going the biopellet route, is if you invest in the reactor and media, etc.....and then you get the same reaction from your corals...(as it's carbon as well) ...that would suck. It's going to cost a fortune to keep up those kind of water changes. Algae turf scrubbers, macro algaes, are other options if your tank just doesn't like carbon

 

[jsker]

I run a bio pellet reactor, with no issue. That being said I started with a quarter dose and built my dose up over 3 months, I am now running a 1/3 dose. My No3 were in the 40's+ and now the are running at a 4 ppm. You can also look at sulfur reactors this might be a better and more economical solution for your system. I still run GFO for my phosphates right now but looking at experimenting with a new product. I also run Aquaforest line which uses bacteria type system to manage nitrates and phosphates

 

[Pcreefer]

I'm assuming the vodka dosing is what's doing it or the high nitrates killing my corals it's depressing to see corals dying and not knowing what's causing it

 

[goatcorals]

Just looked back... are your phosphates 1 ppm? Desirable level is .03 ppm. Agree you will have trouble at 1. GFO will usually strip it pretty quick. If you need to pull it down farther, Phosphate Rx would pull it down. Melev's video helpful with that. You'll want to go slow.

Another idea... have heard really big water change (up to 90-100%) before you start carbon dosing/pellets can work... Then you're just maintaining rather than using it to take your nitrates down. Check out BRS 52 weeks of reefing series on YouTube... Biological filtration I believe. Perhaps more will weigh in on this idea. Some say it will shock your corals too much, but if you match ALK, salinity, might be OK.

 

[jsker]

Nitrates means that you have dirty water, phosphates at 1.0 ppm will make your corals more unhappy than running high nitrates. High nitrates cause more algae issue.

If this were my tank I would run GFO in a reactor, and then also run a sulfur reactor since this is a large system and monitor every thing closely, until the number came down.

 

[jsker]

Just looked back... are your phosphates 1 ppm? Desirable level is .03 ppm. Agree you will have trouble at 1. GFO will usually strip it pretty quick. If you need to pull it down farther, Phosphate Rx would pull it down. Melev's video helpful with that. You'll want to go slow.

Another idea... have heard really big water change (up to 90-100%) before you start carbon dosing/pellets can work... Then you're just maintaining rather than using it to take your nitrates down. Check out BRS 52 weeks of reefing series on YouTube... Biological filtration I believe. Perhaps more will weigh in on this idea. Some say it will shock your corals too much, but if you match ALK, salinity, might be OK.

I like everything except the water change. Water changes areonly a one day attempt to bring down high nutrients. Large water chances also strip the bio load of the system and will do more harm.