Nitrate control :O

[Alenya]

My 55g is 2 months old and not mature enough to be cycling enough nitrate to keep the levels down. I have a few fish fed frozen 2-3 times daily and a few LPS corals. I run a skimmer and caribsea 3000 filter roller.

Nitrates are at 50.

I would like to export some more nitrates and wondering what the best option for a young tank would be? Feed less, refugium, carbon dosing, additive? Or add an algae eater?

 

[Pkunk35]

I’ve been contemplating the same thing and some sort of macro algae export looked to be a really great option (I watched the brs vid on it which is pretty convincing) if you have the space and a bit of money to upgrade. What’s nice also is there are a few options now for macro algae reactors which seem a nice and tidy way to export nutrient and help the ph swing.
Plus it just seems more fun to me! Is that just me? Hah!

 

[SPR1968]

The easiest way to control nitrates in a tank that size Is simple regular water changes.

You could look into carbon dosing as well, like Nopox, and also increase your biological filtration, I use Seachem Matrix for example, and other ways include a refugium etc

An algae eater won’t control nitrates, i will just eat algae

 

[KrisReef]

Feed less, maybe? What have your phosphate levels been?

 

[Alenya]

Feed less, maybe? What have your phosphate levels been?

I have to dose phosphate as it keeps going to 0, causing dino outbreaks.

I have 200litres of NSW coming tomorrow so I'll schedule a big water change, but I am keen to stabilise nitrates.

 

[Fakegolfnews]

If you want to keep it simple, do weekly water changes. The trend is not to and to add systems that will eventually fail and need maintenance, i dont understand it. Waterchanges are so simple and will never fail.

 

[Alenya]

If you want to keep it simple, do weekly water changes. The trend is not to and to add systems that will eventually fail and need maintenance, i dont understand it. Waterchanges are so simple and will never fail.

I ran my nano for years with a 40% change weekly. This is the first marine tank I have started myself and my preference is also to keep it simple - but it never hurts to ask for more opinions!

 

[Bfragale]

I’m looking into same thing: I’m finding Water changes alone may not be enough to control nitrates. Need something that uptakes like nitrifying bacteria (deep sand bed/ marine pure etc), refugium, algae scrubber, carbon dosing- balance between po4, No3? Also reduce feeding- what goes in must come out.

At lease that’s what I have found in my research as I’m trying to also reduce nitrates.

 

[Pkunk35]

I came across this and thought this might help lay out possibilities of concept for nitrate removal by Randy-Holmes Farley

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium - REEFEDITION

Nitrate is an ion that has long dogged aquarists. It is typically formed in aquaria through the digestion of foods, and in many aquaria it builds up and can be difficult to keep at natural levels. In the past, many aquarists performed water changes with nitrate reduction as one of the primary...

www.reefedition.com