How can I reduce nitrates?

[Bthomas]

I have a 150 gallon tank with nitrates that stay around 100. I can only do about a 20% water change once a week or so and that just isn't touching the nitrate levels.
I have a sump with chaeto and I'm also using foam filter pads as mechanical filtration (which I may just do away with, not sure if that could be adding to my problem)

I've looked into biopellets but would prefer something that doesn't need to be in a reactor.

Are there any other options that would help me get nitrates under control so I can then maintain with water changes

 

[Hemmdog]

Do you have a skimmer?

 

[Mykawl]

Need more info, how big of a bio load do you have how much are you feeding what kind of light are you using for your Chaeto?

The foam filter pads are nothing but beneficial just make sure to pull them out every couple days as this is effectively removing waste.

 

[cCRAWLINS]

How long has the tank been set up? Do you have biomedia?

 

[Bthomas]

Ok more info..
Yes I have a skimmer that skims very wet.
Bioload consists of 2 tangs, foxface, 2 clowns, 5 anthias, 2 damsels, Midas blenny and royal gramma.
Feed one cube frozen per day plus algae sheet for the tangs.
Chaeto is lit with a flood light bulb from home depot, I don't remember the specs exactly but the chaeto is growing pretty good under it.
No biomedia currently.
Tank has been set up for about a year and a half.

There was a stretch of time when I was only doing water changes once a month at the most. I think that's how nitrates got to be so high and now I just can't get them back down with water changes alone

 

[Bthomas]

Need more info, how big of a bio load do you have how much are you feeding what kind of light are you using for your Chaeto?

The foam filter pads are nothing but beneficial just make sure to pull them out every couple days as this is effectively removing waste.

I was concerned about the foam pads because I know i don't pull them every couple days.. They go weeks without being changed usually

 

[tqpolo]

I was concerned about the foam pads because I know i don't pull them every couple days.. They go weeks without being changed usually

Without removing it constantly, it is essential useless as weeks are plenty of time for whatever trapped there to decompose to nitrate/phosphate.

Nopox works wonder on nitrate. Try it for 2 weeks and you'll see your nitrate disappear. I suggest start slow at half dose.

 

[Bthomas]

Without removing it constantly, it is essential useless as weeks are plenty of time for whatever trapped there to decompose to nitrate/phosphate.

Nopox works wonder on nitrate. Try it for 2 weeks and you'll see your nitrate disappear. I suggest start slow at half dose.

Would it be best to just remove the filter pads then if I'm not going to change them out regularly? I wanted them for keeping the sump cleaner but I know my habits and I will likely leave them too long.
I will give nopox a try

 

[muzikalmatt]

I was concerned about the foam pads because I know i don't pull them every couple days.. They go weeks without being changed usually

That may be a contributor to your nutrient load. By leaving the filter pads in that long it gives the excess food and fish waste a chance to fully decompose and convert to nitrates. I believe BRStv did a video testing the effectiveness of filter pads and found that you need to remove and replace them about every three days.

My nitrates got pretty high after slacking on the water changes for a month as well. To bring them back down I cut back on the feeding (every other day) and did larger water changes (~30%) every day or every other day for a couple weeks to slowly bring them down. Is there a reason you can only do 20% water changes once a week? Are you limited by your RODI system, funds, your LFS? I really think bumping up the amount and frequency of water changes can help.

You can use this effect of water change calculator to see how each water change will effect your levels to determine a plan that works best for you. I did a quick test run based on your tank size and if you do 40 gallon water changes you can have your nitrates down below 15 ppm in 7 water changes. (See screenshot below.) One thing I didn't account for though is any nitrate accumulation between water changes. However, if you know your accumulation rate the calculator can account for that too.

Another thing you might try is bumping up the lighting period for your refugium. I'm not sure what you're running it at now, but if it's not on 24/7 you can try increasing the duration to see if that helps.

Best of luck to you!

 

[tqpolo]

Would it be best to just remove the filter pads then if I'm not going to change them out regularly? I wanted them for keeping the sump cleaner but I know my habits and I will likely leave them too long.
I will give nopox a try

If you goal is a cleaner sump then it will do that. If your goal is to reduce nitrate then it will cause more harm. Removing the pads will give a chance for any particle to go back into your display and hopefully get eaten thus reducing the amount that will decompose.

 

[Bthomas]

That may be a contributor to your nutrient load. By leaving the filter pads in that long it gives the excess food and fish waste a chance to fully decompose and convert to nitrates. I believe BRStv did a video testing the effectiveness of filter pads and found that you need to remove and replace them about every three days.

My nitrates got pretty high after slacking on the water changes for a month as well. To bring them back down I cut back on the feeding (every other day) and did larger water changes (~30%) every day or every other day for a couple weeks to slowly bring them down. Is there a reason you can only do 20% water changes once a week? Are you limited by your RODI system, funds, your LFS? I really think bumping up the amount and frequency of water changes can help.

You can use this effect of water change calculator to see how each water change will effect your levels to determine a plan that works best for you. I did a quick test run based on your tank size and if you do 40 gallon water changes you can have your nitrates down below 15 ppm in 7 water changes. (See screenshot below.) One thing I didn't account for though is any nitrate accumulation between water changes. However, if you know your accumulation rate the calculator can account for that too.

Another thing you might try is bumping up the lighting period for your refugium. I'm not sure what you're running it at now, but if it's not on 24/7 you can try increasing the duration to see if that helps.

Best of luck to you!

The reason for the 20% water change is just due to the fact that I only have one brute trash can for mixing saltwater. It probably holds about 35 gallons as a guess (I think it's a 40 gallon brute).
I can only manage to do once a week just based on life and my forgetting to do them any more often..
Im gonna play around with that calculator tho and see if I can manage to do more frequent changes along with remove the filter pads and will likely try nopox to see if I can get a handle on this

 

[t5Nitro]

Bumping. Has anybody been using this DIY nopox recipe? I made up a solution of it and have been only dosing 2mL a day. You're supposed to follow nopox dosing instructions since it is supposedly about the same ingredients. My goal then would be to get up to 6mL a day on my tank.

Im looking to drop nitrates to 5-10 when they stay in the 15-25ppm area. Having sps losing color and hair algae problems.