Nitrate high

[JRdgz]

90 gallon tank, did two water changes this week, last one last night, haven’t been feeding the fish just yesterday and was a little bit before water change, skimmer been running wet and its a reefoctopus, added bag of chemi pure elite, change all filter floss. I don’t know what else to do.

 

[homer1475]

Looks to be somewhere between 10 and 20. Whats the problem? I keep my nitrates around 10.

 

[Qasimja]

my nitrates got up to 160ppm and my phosphates were 1.0+ so i started dosing nopox a month ago its worked wonders

 

[vetteguy53081]

my nitrates got up to 160ppm and my phosphates were 1.0+ so i started dosing nopox a month ago its worked wonders

Add some chemipure blue or Elite which keeps phos and nitrates in check. Elite will lower it to safe levels

 

[Speaker]

Looks fine.

 

[brmreefer]

Looks to be 20 ppm. No issue in my opinion, but if a lower level is desired I would go about it slow.

 

[JRdgz]

butt spme chemipure blue or Elite which keeps phos and nitrates in check. Elite will lower it to safe levels

I just added a bag yesterday

 

[Speaker]

If you want to get it down setup a fuge or algae reactor.

 

[JediCruz]

Is this a reef tank? If so, they say you want stay as close to 0 as possible (though nitrate is necessary for a reef tank so not pure 0). Long term solution would be to set up a refugium with a good grow light and Cheatomorpha Micro Algae. As it grows you’ll pull some of it out and that will be your Nitrate and Phosphate export. Short term, there are medias that will absorb Nitrates. I’ve never used any of them so I can’t speak to them. If this is not a reef tank then you’re OK short term with what you have. You just don’t want to expose the organisms in your aquarium to long term exposure to high nitrates (at least that’s what most everyone says).

 

[JRdgz]

Looks to be 20 ppm. No issue in my opinion, but if a lower level is desired I would go about it slow.

It’s about 40 its the number under the color

 

[brmreefer]

It’s about 40 its the number under the color

Agreed. I would still go about changing the parameter slow.

 

[Pistondog]

It’s about 40 its the number under the color

Dose some vodka or vinegar or nopox, aka carbon dosing.

 

[Reef.]

40 is not serious, what size were your water changes?

they would have to have been big to make a dent in that, 50% change would see your nitrates at 20.

no need for extreme measures here.

 

[JRdgz]

Dose some vodka or vinegar or nopox, aka carbon dosing.

What’s the dose for vinegar and what kind?

 

[JRdgz]

40 is not serious, what size were your water changes?

they would have to have been big to make a dent in that, 50% change would see your nitrates at 20.

no need for extreme measures here.

30gal each

 

[DinoMagnet]

Not bad, also I would get the salifert test. I wouldn’t go solely on api

 

[Reef.]

30gal each

so your nitrate was much higher previously then, I would do some more water changes, big ones and work out why your nitrates got so high, you don’t want to be adding vinegar etc until you understand what’s going on and tried the simple options.

 

[Pistondog]

What’s the dose for vinegar and what kind?

Read this

Reefkeeping Magazine - Vinegar Dosing Methodology for the Marine Aquarium

Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for the marine aquarist.

reefkeeping.com

 

[AdamNC]

I run an SPS dominant mixed tank and regularly run about 30ppm. No brownies. You should be fine.

 

[JediCruz]

I run an SPS dominant mixed tank and regularly run about 30ppm. No brownies. You should be fine.

Nice! Was there a BRS investigation on nitrates with corals? Perhaps effects on the different types of coral (SPS, LPS, and Softies) would be good if there wasn’t. It would be good to get real results that shed light on what was previously thought to be true, like “high” nitrates. @Bulk Reef Supply