Need advice, nitrates out of control.

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

I need some advice on how to get my nitrates down quickly.

For context, I had gotten some coral back in April and it all seemed to be doing well. Slowly, that has changed. First, my trumpet coral started looking bad and is pretty much a lost cause now. Now, my Zoas are only halfway opening, the toadstool is not extending it's polyps as of today, I can see the skeleton of my torch, and our Duncan seems tucked in and irritated. The only things that seem to be looking/acting normal is our mushroom, BTA, and fish.

Initially, when everything started looking off, I thought that my nitrates were low. I had a nitrate test kit that continuously read 0 nitrates. All other parameters are within normal/recommended range. So, I started doing nitrates. Fast forward to this week, I've got green hair algae making an appearance and my coral seems to be getting worse by the day. I was stumped because my nitrates weren't budging and still reading 0 even though I've been dosing for at least 1.5 weeks. I ordered a different test kit because I was suspicious of the accuracy, and discovered yesterday that my nitrates are not low, but well over 50. They are not quite 100, but close. So now I'm trying to save my corals. For context, my tank is 20 gallon.

I did a 5g water change yesterday, 5g today, and will do another 5g again tomorrow. I plan to keep doing water changes at least every other day until they've lowered. I've also decided to run some carbon in a filter media bag, but I just wanted reassurance that I'm making the right steps to correct this. Is there anything else I could/should be using?

 

[Naekuh]

Purigen is suposidely able to remove organics before bactertia converts it to ammonia and then to nitrite and nitrate.

But this is Seachem thats claiming this... and well, i don't have much faith in how truthful they really are.

 

[Miami Reef]

Nitrates around 50-100 shouldn’t cause LPS coral death. I think it’s a coincidence.

By tomorrow, you would have changed about 75% of your water. If your tank was 100ppm NO3, it will be around 25ppm, which is definitely not going to kill anything.

Test your tank for phosphate, and make sure it’s at least 0.03ppm. Activated carbon is good idea.

If you are running a lot of red/white light, try reducing them and run mainly blue spectrum.

Make sure your lights aren’t too strong.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

By tomorrow, you would have changed about 75% of your water. If your tank was 100ppm NO3, it will be around 25ppm,

After the first 5g WC, NO3 would be at 75ppm. After another 5g WC, they would be 56ppm. After another 5g WC, they would be 42ppm. That's assuming that they don't rise because of feeding and the like.

Mentioning this since there's some concern about test kit accuracy (which brand kit is being used, anyway?), and having incorrect expectations of what the numbers should be won't help that.

 

[Miami Reef]

After the first 5g WC, NO3 would be at 75ppm. After another 5g WC, they would be 56ppm. After another 5g WC, they would be 42ppm. That's assuming that they don't rise because of feeding and the like.

Mentioning this since there's some concern about test kit accuracy (which brand kit is being used, anyway?), and having incorrect expectations of what the numbers should be won't help that.

I read this from @Randy Holmes-Farley

While lots of smaller changes (say, 30 changes of 1% each) are slightly less efficient than one larger one (30% in a single batch), the difference is small (30 changes of 1% each exactly matches one 26% batch water change), and consequently other factors of convenience or stress on organisms may be more important.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/index.php#11

Hopefully he can clarify the exact math.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

The math, as far as I can tell, is:

100 x 0.75 = 75
75 x 0.75 = 56
65 x 0.75 = 42

I wasn't implying that the OP should change larger volumes of water at each WC, so I don't understand the point of the quote from Randy.

 

[Miami Reef]

The math, as far as I can tell, is:

100 x 0.75 = 75
75 x 0.75 = 56
65 x 0.75 = 42

I wasn't implying that the OP should change larger volumes of water at each WC, so I don't understand the point of the quote from Randy.

Your math makes sense to me.

 

[KrisReef]

100/4 *3 =75

After a three 25% water changes it is around 42% of the original 100ppm.

 

[Lavey29]

Elevated nitrates won't hurt anything in the tank. Water changes easiest way to lower them. You can also try PNS probio which is a natural heterotrophic bacteria that eliminates organic waste before it becomes nitrates. Simple dose once a week.

 

[areefer01]

100/4 *3 =75

After a three 25% water changes it is around 42% of the original 100ppm.

There is actually a couple calculators on the web that will take care of the math for hobbyist. Water change calculator, etc.

Edit: example:

Effective Water Change Calculator

Aquarium calculator; Estimate the effective water change amount of several combined smaller water changes.

www.hamzasreef.com

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

Thank you all for your responses. We've (@Gumbies R Us and I) been checking parameters periodically over the last few weeks, but I'm going to sit down today and check everything again. If the nitrates shouldn't be a culprit for why the coral is irritated, I'm not sure what's next other than rechecking everything else.

 

[ZoWhat]

Ask yourself, how are Nitrates getting into the tank?

Overfeeding? Fish do just fine eating once a day with any amount of food that's completely consumed under 5mins

Also do a deep dive research read on 80-proof vodka dosing. I dose vodka and my NO3 stays put at 10ppm

Lastly, GHA is usually associated with Phosphate problems. Buy yourself a Hanna Phosphate reader and track your PO4. If PO4 is high then read and research potential causes of PO4. Most times PO4 problems is directly related to the type of food you are eating.... or a dosing supplement loaded with PO4

.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

When things go wrong that I can’t figure out, I do at least a 50% water change. It usually fixes the problem, but recovery isn’t instant and takes time. Outside of that, I’d look for things that are bothering the coral like fish or inverts. Light intensity is a good thing to know also.

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

Ask yourself, how are Nitrates getting into the tank?

Overfeeding? Fish do just fine eating once a day with any amount of food that's completely consumed under 5mins

Also do a deep dive research read on 80-proof vodka dosing. I dose vodka and my NO3 stays put at 10ppm



.

I am concerned about overfeeding. You can let me know what you think. We've always fed 1/6th of a <1inch cube of frozen mysis shrimp. From what I can tell, it usually gets eaten up by the fish. I also feed my BTA several times a week, but I don't add extra food when I feed it. I just reserve a small amount to target feed the anemone.

 

[ZoWhat]

Lastly, GHA is usually associated with Phosphate problems. Buy yourself a Hanna Phosphate reader and track your PO4. If PO4 is high then read and research potential causes of PO4. Most times PO4 problems is directly related to the type of food you are feeding.... or a dosing supplement loaded with PO4

 

[Pod_01]

All other parameters are within normal/recommended range.

Maybe let us know what the parameters are?

There are so many recommended ranges that I would not know what your value are based on the statement.

Maybe list the main ones:
Salinity, Alk, Phosphate.

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

Maybe let us know what the parameters are?

There are so many recommended ranges that I would not know what your value are based on the statement.

Maybe list the main ones:
Salinity, Alk, Phosphate.

That is so true. I was reading just a little bit ago some very different opinions on what "normal" parameters are. I'll be posting all my parameters here in a bit. Thanks!

 

[ZoWhat]

I am concerned about overfeeding. You can let me know what you think. We've always fed 1/6th of a <1inch cube of frozen mysis shrimp. From what I can tell, it usually gets eaten up by the fish. I also feed my BTA several times a week, but I don't add extra food when I feed it. I just reserve a small amount to target feed the anemone.

Depends on what type of mysis. Some can be loaded with PO4 as a preservative.

Some people buy a small fish net, the tiniest one, and put their mysis in the net and rinse the mysis under a kitchen faucet

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

When things go wrong that I can’t figure out, I do at least a 50% water change. It usually fixes the problem, but recovery isn’t instant and takes time. Outside of that, I’d look for things that are bothering the coral like fish or inverts. Light intensity is a good thing to know also.

We have a watchman goby, firefish, and a clown pair. The only CUC we have is 2 Trochus snails. I've never observed anything messing with the corals, but that's not so say they aren't when I'm not paying attention.

Light intensity is another thing I'm looking into. I just wish the coral could talk and tell me what the problem is.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Depends on what type of mysis. Some can be loaded with PO4 as a preservative.

Some people buy a small fish net, the tiniest one, and put their mysis in the net and rinse the mysis under a kitchen faucet

We use San Francisco Bay Frozen Mysis.