High nitrates

[Jeff Carman]

We recently bought a new house and it came with an established reef tank. It’s a 125 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump and contains a lot of rock, coral, and several fish including 2 tangs, 4 damsels, 2 clowns, a few small gobies, and some clean up crew.

I knew nothing about reef tanks or saltwater aquariums until we bought the house, so I had a local aquarium store guy come out and do some stuff and educate me.

I recently checked my chemistry and everything was fine except the nitrates were >100. Everything looked healthy, except I was getting a lot of green growth on my glass.

I have done a lot of reading and discussion with people and have gotten a lot of differing advice from leave it alone to OMG you need to change water and add vodka, etc.

Please help! I have done several 20% water changes, I have begun to sift my sand during those changes (which I never did before), I am adding a carbon source to the water, I have added nitrate/ phosphate reducing filter media, changed all my filters and socks, etc.

Despite all of this work, my nitrates remain at >60. Everything else is within normal limits in regards to chemistry.

I feed once a day and always feed frozen brine shrimp cubes, 3 per day which the fish seem to eat quickly.

I have a protein skimmer that is catching a lot of protein daily. I don’t have Chaeto or anything in my sump...

What could be causing my high nitrates and why all of a sudden is the algae a problem? Thanks for any help you can give me...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The nitrate is almost certainly "caused" by foods, ultimately, unless things are dying in the tank and decaying. The issue is always one of matching export somehow to the import. That said, it isn't likely any sort of emergency, but something that may benefit the tank if lowered.

There are many good ways to keep nutrients lower, and for nitrate these include growing macroalgae, organic carbon dosing, various types of denitrators, water changes, skimming, etc.

IMO, I'd consider some organic carbon dosing since it has other benefits such as feeding filter feeders.

This has more:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/nitrate-in-the-reef-aquarium

 

[Jeff Carman]

Thanks for the quick reply. How much vodka or vinegar should I be using for 125 gallon tank? Do you have a preference?

Also the guy at the store said I should get a larger skimmer, thoughts?

 

[Jeff Carman]

And can you tell me if you think three cubes per day is too much for the fish I have?

 

[Zack K]

What kinda do tangs do you have? L know this is a little off topic but tangs like nori. Nori if fed can decay and drive up nitrate’s as well

 

[Gnarles]

And can you tell me if you think three cubes per day is too much for the fish I have?

Three cubes once a day seems like too much at once I would cut back to one cube twice a day. Or do one cube and one pellet feeding maybe?

 

[Jeff Carman]

I have a scopas and a mimic tang

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I wouldn't get a bigger skimmer as a first step, unless it was previously too small and there were other concern, such as low O2.

I'd begin organic carbon dosing with wither vodka or vinegar. I preferred vinegar since vodka was more prone to causing cyano in my tank.

Here are a couple of articles, although I do not think you need to ramp up dosing slow like these do:

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

 

[nosmok]

I've done everything I have read about to lower my nitrates. I don't excessively feed, did large water changes ( zero nitrates in RODI) , carbon dosed. Currently have a biopellet reactor (seeded with Dr Tims Waste Away), Triton style refugium with 5 types of macroalgae with lighting of the proper spectrum and Marineblock spheres in my return pump chamber. My phosphates run 25 ppm and I have no algae growth in my DT. My fish are healthy, but I cant seem to grow anything other than euphyllia, zoas, shrooms and blastomussa in my tank. Several tests kits indicate a nitrate level of at least 50ppm. I'm attributing my coral growth frustration to the nitrate levels, since all other parameters and normal and my alk is stable at 8-8.2 (per Triton dosing).
Is my only solution is to remove and replace my rockwork? I would have thought that with all the above measures, I would have leeched out significant nitrates to see an improvement

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

WHat did you try with organic carbon dosing?

I cannot see how it can fail to lower nitrate if you use enough (assuming phosphate is not too low), although you might see cyano or some other undesirable bacteria arise.

 

[Zack K]

l understand where you are coming from. “In need of serious assistance!”

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php...hreads/In-need-of-serious-assistance!.288229/

Mine was actually the DSB in a neglected tank. l have not read back through your thread yet but the diamond goby that l currently have had kept the sandbed churning consistently, resulting in a happier tank. My Nitrates and phosphates are still off the charts but the tank has found its equilibrium and everything is happy. l had multiple SPS pieces that I was seeing growth out of before my ALK spike and killed it.

 

[nosmok]

I was dosing vodka. Went thru about 2 liters. Tank is 150 gallons and was dosing a capful three days a week

WHat did you try with organic carbon dosing?

I cannot see how it can fail to lower nitrate if you use enough (assuming phosphate is not too low), although you might see cyano or some other undesirable bacteria arise.

 

[jsker]

Look into filer media such and siprox, matrex, Zeovit, or life bio fil.

I finally have my nitrates under control running the life bio fil plus a small amount of zeomit in my sumps filter tray

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I was dosing vodka. Went thru about 2 liters. Tank is 150 gallons and was dosing a capful three days a week

That's a lowish dose and may not be enough. For my 120 display (total system volume about 250 gallons) I started dosing at 15 mL per day, but switched to vengar where I doses between 75 and 400 mL per day ((or more, since most people claims the BRS 1.1 mL/min dosers dose more than stated).

 

[nosmok]

That's a lowish dose and may not be enough. For my 120 display (total system volume about 250 gallons) I started dosing at 15 mL per day, but switched to vengar where I doses between 75 and 400 mL per day ((or more, since most people claims the BRS 1.1 mL/min dosers dose more than stated).

Now that I'm running a biopellet reactor, refugium and Marineblock spheres would it make sense to ALSO use carbon dosing?