nitrate issues

[brettdis]

So my tank has been up and running for over a year. I did as they told me at the store when I bought my tank rock etc. 3 months later my nitrates were still high around 40ppm. They sold me some nopox to add. everyday. My nitrates kept going up. off the charts 160ppm. they told me to shock it and double the amount of no pox for a week. nitrates did drop but never below 40ppm. it now been roughly a year and still my nitrates are 160ppm. I do water changes twice a week. On Wednesdays i do a 10 gallon water change and on Sundays 10 gallons again. Is it still cycling?
I have a 65 gallon tank. sand on the bottom. roughly 70 pounds of live rock ( its not live anymore very little purple left) 1 blue damsel (sold to me to help cycle it) and roughly 15 snails (they recently multiplied) i have 3 snails that dig down in the sand. I use a eshoppe psk hang on skimmer.
ph-8.0
ammonia-0 (1 or twice it hit 0.25 but a water change and back to 0)
nitrite-0
bluey the fish gets fed every 2 days 1 pellet.
The only way I seem to be able to get it to drop is by doubling up the amount of no pox. If i miss a day boom back up to 160 ppm.
any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

 

[OREGONIC]

What are your phosphate levels?

 

[absowry]

Two things come to mind, one is to try a different manufacturers test or have your lfs test your water.
If that one gives you the same high no3, then your rock might be leaching it back into the water.

 

[W1ngz]

Let me get this straight, you have one fish and 15 snails, that's it?
And in a day or two you can go from 40 to 160 nitrate?
All of the purple coraline algae on the rocks has died?
And you occasionally test positive for ammonia?

 

[brettdis]

I don't test for phosphate. Never knew I had to.

 

[brettdis]

I will get my fish store to test my water. Might be i'm doing it wrong and am killing my own tank by using no pox when i don't need to.

 

[brettdis]

Let me get this straight, you have one fish and 15 snails, that's it?
And in a day or two you can go from 40 to 160 nitrate?
All of the purple coraline algae on the rocks has died?
And you occasionally test positive for ammonia?

yes. if I don't use no pox it will skyrocket. not all the purple coraline but 70 -80% has died.
2 maybe 3 times over the year i had a positive testing for ammonia.

 

[W1ngz]

Your test kits sound like they’re funny. Either that or the tank keeps cycling. You’re not washing anything in tap water are you? Or using untreated unfiltered tap water to make water?

 

[OREGONIC]

I don't test for phosphate. Never knew I had to.

I had high nitrates over a year. I would do a water change and see no reduction 1-2 days later. Tried nopox, just white slime everywhere and very little reduction in nitrates. Then biopellets, same as nopox without the slime. A algae scrubber would never grow hair algae just a little slime algae. Did tons of reading and talking to some people and came to the conclusion I was going to up phosphates to hopefully bring the red field ratio, nitrate to phosphate, into balance because bacteria that consume nitrates need small amount of phosphates to work. Started dosing phosphates to my auto top off water to ensure phosphates were present in the water at all times. Nitrates started dropping fairly quickly and my algae scrubber started to really produce thick algae. I now have to feed heavier and dose a small amount of both nitrates and phosphates to my auto top off water to keep both levels where My tank is happiest, nitrates 2-5 ppm and phosphates .03-.10

 

[brettdis]

Your test kits sound like they’re funny. Either that or the tank keeps cycling. You’re not washing anything in tap water are you? Or using untreated unfiltered tap water to make water?

yes and no. When i clean my skimmer i just use tap water. I us bottled water to make water. Based on the questions and answers I have gotten here I am going to get my water tested for phosphates. I tested it when I started using it for nitrate etc but not phosphates. I will grab a test kit for phosphates

 

[W1ngz]

I love this place. Try and help someone, and accidentally learn something instead. I'd never heard of the redfield ratio until now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redfield_ratio

 

[OREGONIC]

I love this place. Try and help someone, and accidentally learn something instead. I'd never heard of the redfield ratio until now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redfield_ratio

It helped me big time. I dont think the ratio needs to be perfect but needs to be somewhat close. BRS did a video on it about a year or two ago if I remember correctly.

 

[clm65]

yes and no. When i clean my skimmer i just use tap water. I us bottled water to make water. Based on the questions and answers I have gotten here I am going to get my water tested for phosphates. I tested it when I started using it for nitrate etc but not phosphates. I will grab a test kit for phosphates

You may want to test your bottled water too, to make sure it is not contributing to the problem.

 

[OREGONIC]

The best thing you could do would to be to pick up a rodi unit. It will save you money in the long run.

 

[Dale_M]

Test your source water (before adding salt).
Test it for nitrates and phosphates.
Try a different brand of test kit also. Salifert and Red Sea make good kits.

 

[BeejReef]

yup yup.. Don't chase the percentages or you'll go crazy, but if you run a fuge or an ATS and you are phosphate limited, dosing phosphate lowers nitrate. It's wierd

I lowered my nitrates by turning off my skimmer.. go figure

 

[brettdis]

i'm intrigued. never thought of this. definitely would save me some money