Need Advice: Nitrates

[Drewb628]

Okay. I'm just frustrated and looking for advice on how to proceed. I have a 55 gallon tank, that is almost a year old. I have been fighting nitrates from the start. I can't seem to get below 50. I do 10% water changes weekly, and just did a 50% water change, and that is only a short term fix.

I have fish (blue hippo tang, 2 clowns, diamond goby, 4 cardinal fish, and flamehawk) and 3 frags in the tank. I thought maybe I was over feeding, but when I cut back on the food and spread it throughout the day the fish decimated the few corals I do have. Not even sure which fish it is because it seems to happen at night. All of my fish are supposed to be "reef safe." I have 2 nori clips that I refresh daily which they always eat, and am feeding a pinch of pellets and a mixture of frozen food.

I also picked up a HOB refugium for the nitrates but my chaeto won't grow. It just withers away over the course of a month or 2. I even turned off the timer to let the light go all day, and that didn't change anything. I have a Tunze 8821 which isn't the refugium light, but from what I read it should work just fine.

Everything else is within a good range. Alkilinity and Calcium are on the low side, but still fine.

I'm just looking on any advice of what to try next.

 

[AJsReef]

Okay. I'm just frustrated and looking for advice on how to proceed. I have a 55 gallon tank, that is almost a year old. I have been fighting nitrates from the start. I can't seem to get below 50. I do 10% water changes weekly, and just did a 50% water change, and that is only a short term fix.

I have fish (blue hippo tang, 2 clowns, diamond goby, 4 cardinal fish, and flamehawk) and 3 frags in the tank. I thought maybe I was over feeding, but when I cut back on the food and spread it throughout the day the fish decimated the few corals I do have. Not even sure which fish it is because it seems to happen at night. All of my fish are supposed to be "reef safe." I have 2 nori clips that I refresh daily which they always eat, and am feeding a pinch of pellets and a mixture of frozen food.

I also picked up a HOB refugium for the nitrates but my chaeto won't grow. It just withers away over the course of a month or 2. I even turned off the timer to let the light go all day, and that didn't change anything. I have a Tunze 8821 which isn't the refugium light, but from what I read it should work just fine.

Everything else is within a good range. Alkilinity and Calcium are on the low side, but still fine.

I'm just looking on any advice of what to try next.

What is your phosphate level?

What size are your fish, especially the Tang?

What is your filtration set-up? Skimmer, socks, etc

 

[JAC-]

What are your phosphates? About everything that consumes nitrate will need some phosphate to eat along with it.

Do you have a skimmer?

 

[Drewb628]

What are your phosphates? About everything that consumes nitrate will need some phosphate to eat along with it.

Do you have a skimmer?

Phosphates are right around .25. Yeah I have a protein skimmer, refugium, and filter.

 

[Reef.]

You have a lot of fish and two nori clips will be adding a lot of nutrients to your tank, just because the fish eat the food doesn’t mean the nutrients don’t end up in the water, they will still poo out the nutrients.

If your nitrates are that high, I would be doing more than a 10% water changes, that would only bring your nitrates down to 45, and you will then be adding more nitrates than you would be removing.

 

[Drewb628]

What is your phosphate level?

What size are your fish, especially the Tang?

What is your filtration set-up? Skimmer, socks, etc

Phosphates are around .25.

Added size of fish is around 21 inches. Tang is about 3.5 inches long, and the rest outside of the goby are under 2 inches.

i have a protein skimmer, filter, and the refugium. All HOB. No socks or anything additional.

 

[Drewb628]

You have a lot of fish and two nori clips will be adding a lot of nutrients to your tank, just because the fish eat the food doesn’t mean the nutrients don’t end up in the water, they will still poo out the nutrients.

If your nitrates are that high, I would be doing more than a 10% water changes, that would only bring your nitrates down to 45, and you will then be adding more nitrates than you would be removing.

I only recently started doing the 2 nori clips because they were eating at the corals.

Yeah I'm going to start doing larger water changes, but wanted to route out the problem for long term.

 

[FishTruck]

Are you having any problems with the tank? Did you double check your test kit?

 

[ReefdudeAdam]

What are you testing with..?
Do you have filter socks? If so, how often are you changing them?

 

[AJsReef]

Second the increased quantity and frequency of water changes. A series of larger water changes would be best bet to get the nitrate down. Then adjust feeding accordingly. If you have ability to add socks I would add them and clean them out at least every 48 hours for awhile to help reduce additional waste build up.

As far as water changes if you have ability to mix up and temperature match I would personally do a series of 50% water changes to get the nutrients where you want them. Then work from that state.

Drastically cut back on feeding and work back up as well. Generally, fish can consume much less than you think. I routinely let my tank go days without feeding with no ill effects. I’d suggest something like feeding pre rinsed frozen once daily and maybe half of a Nori sheet a day.


The fish size question was more to gauge waste generated. Tangs produce a lot of waste especially as they grow larger, something you’ll definitely need to consider with a Blue Tang in a 55 gallon. IMO, at current size it’s very close to having outgrown a 55g.

 

[JAC-]

Are you experiencing any algae, or fish health problems? For that level of nitrate your phosphate is pretty low, but if it's staying consistently at .25 then you should have been able to grow macro algae.

 

[Saltyreef]

Try Ulva in your refugium instead of chaeto. I picked up 4oz from a seller on ebay jrbkirk and it dropped my nitrates from 50 to around 2 in less than a week after fighting with high nitrates for close to a year.

 

[Drewb628]

Are you having any problems with the tank? Did you double check your test kit?

Not really. I am constantly fighting algae in the tank, but it's not overrun. Fish are healthy.

I picked a different brand on test kit from my LFS to verify.

 

[Drewb628]

What are you testing with..?
Do you have filter socks? If so, how often are you changing them?

I was using API test kit, and couple weeks ago grabbed the Red Sea test kit to be make sure it wasn't the kit. I don't have any filter socks on.

 

[ReefdudeAdam]

Not really. I am constantly fighting algae in the tank, but it's not overrun. Fish are healthy.

I picked a different brand on test kit from my LFS to verify.

I’d take a sample to your LFS just to be doubly sure. Some nitrate kits are a nightmare to read I find.

 

[Reef.]

Phosphates are around .25.

Added size of fish is around 21 inches. Tang is about 3.5 inches long, and the rest outside of the goby are under 2 inches.

i have a protein skimmer, filter, and the refugium. All HOB. No socks or anything additional.

I only recently started doing the 2 nori clips because they were eating at the corals.

Yeah I'm going to start doing larger water changes, but wanted to route out the problem for long term.

Once all your systems are up and running you should be able to feed more but atm they are not but you have still filled the tank with fish and are feeding a lot.

I agree with heavy feeding but you need to match that with nutrient export, I would be using water changes to do that until your skimmer is working fully if it isn’t and your refugium, do you use filter floss or socks? If not I would add filter floss.

You need to concentrate on getting your skimmer and refugium working at 100%.

As the fish grow your issues will only get worse if you don’t fix them now, to be fair you do seem to have filled the tank before it was ready, my advice would be to put the breaks on and fix one thing at a time, take it slow, just see water changes as your friend for the meantime.

 

[ReefdudeAdam]

I was using API test kit, and couple weeks ago grabbed the Red Sea test kit to be make sure it wasn't the kit. I don't have any filter socks on.

Then I’d agree with the above.. stick a sock in and pull it every day if you have to. Buy a bunch, they’re so cheap.
Slow down on what’s going in the tank. Nori every other day and feed once a day.

 

[AJsReef]

Additionally, in regards to corals they are likely melting vs being eaten. If your observing the Tang picking near the corals it’s just cleaning the rock. None of the fish listed would eat corals, IME.

With 50+ Nitrate/.25 Phosphate you’re well beyond suggest limits for adding corals. I’d hold off adding more until you can solve for nutrients.

 

[Drewb628]

Second the increased quantity and frequency of water changes. A series of larger water changes would be best bet to get the nitrate down. Then adjust feeding accordingly. If you have ability to add socks I would add them and clean them out at least every 48 hours for awhile to help reduce additional waste build up.

As far as water changes if you have ability to mix up and temperature match I would personally do a series of 50% water changes to get the nutrients where you want them. Then work from that state.

Drastically cut back on feeding and work back up as well. Generally, fish can consume much less than you think. I routinely let my tank go days without feeding with no ill effects. I’d suggest something like feeding pre rinsed frozen once daily and maybe half of a Nori sheet a day.


The fish size question was more to gauge waste generated. Tangs produce a lot of waste especially as they grow larger, something you’ll definitely need to consider with a Blue Tang in a 55 gallon. IMO, at current size it’s very close to having outgrown a 55g

Easy enough to start.

Yeah, I got the tang originally with the expectation to upgrade to a larger tank. I've been considering trading him in for that reason, so he can get a home with a more suitable tank.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Jekyl]

Trade the blue tang for a better chaeto light. Should be in a tank 3x that size. That alone will cut down on your waste.