High nitrates

[JCLZEKE]

Hey guys, excuse me I’m new to the site. But have a tank 14 years, 72 gal bow front. Just restarted after a crash, no fish , Aqua clear RedFlex sump, skimmer, 35 lbs of dry OLD rock, 25 lbs of cured live rock, original sand bed I’ve vacuumed out. Ammonia. O025, nitrites O, but HIGH NITRATES? It’s been 3 weeks..... any thoughts?

 

[andrewey]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

If the tank is that old, the nitrates can be coming from the sand or the rock. If I were in your shoes, before getting too far in the weeds, it might be worth your time to completely remove all the sand and rinse it out (in tap water) to remove all the built up detritus. Yes, the live sand will die, but it will repopulate and the lions share of the biological filter is within the rocks compared with the sand. This step might take a bit of time, but you ideally want the sand to run "clear", so be prepared to do this outside with a hose if that's available to you. You can also take the live rocks and shake them out in a bucket of saltwater vigorously to try and remove as much of the detritus that has built up in all the crevices (a powerhead or turkey baster is also a great tool in this situation). You might be surprised how much "stuff" comes out of each. That would likely set you up for a really nice tank with very mature rocks and lower nutrients.