Nitrate magic number achieved

[G Santana]

I have battled high nitrates for months in spite of a low bio load and only feeding once a day, oddly enough my P04 has been steadily low.

I don't do water changes and until I started dosing Vodka I almost gave in and started doing water changes.

I dosed for 14 complete weeks and started on the 15th week when today my nitrates read 9.5 off a Hanna checker.

For those struggling with high nitrates inspite of water changes, light feeding and good husbandry maintenance, give dosing Vodka a shot. It's slow and steady but It worked for me.
Started at 48 and today 9.5. Pretty stoked.

 

[rmorris_14]

Congrats! I bet it feels good to achieve a goal you set out with a long process involved.

 

[blaxsun]

I also don't perform water changes (unless necessary), and I've been able to keep my nitrates in the 3-5ppm range. I run a Zeo reactor and a lot of MarinePure bio media which seems to do the trick.

 

[G Santana]

I also don't perform water changes (unless necessary), and I've been able to keep my nitrates in the 3-5ppm range. I run a Zeo reactor and a lot of MarinePure bio media which seems to do the trick.

That's impressive. Now to see if cutting the dose in half will hold the nitrates at bay!

 

[blaxsun]

That's impressive. Now to see if cutting the dose in half will hold the nitrates at bay!

I feed 6-8x daily as well (31 fish in 160 gallons).

 

[G Santana]

I feed 6-8x daily as well (31 fish in 160 gallons).

I have 5 fish and all these headaches in a 130.
You are obviously doing reefing RIGHT!!!

 

[blaxsun]

I have 5 fish and all these headaches in a 130.
You are obviously doing reefing RIGHT!!!

Or I just really lucked out in putting the right combination together in my reef.

I do have a fairly large cleaning crew that consists of over 100 turbo/trochus/spiny astrea snails, 40 nassarius snails, 30 or so hermit crabs, 2 large emerald and hawaiian strawberry crabs, a handful of zebra porcelain crabs, a pair of urchins, a pair of abalone, 5 sea cucumbers and a half dozen conches.

I also have 8 anemones (6 bubbletip, 2 condy), 8 rockflower anemones and 2 tube anemones.

The Zeo reactor in combination with the MarinePure media (two large 8x4x4" blocks and two packages of the 1.5" spheres) seems to make all the difference. I run a Nyos 160 protein skimmer that I probably empty every 3-4 days and 4 100-micron filter socks that are changed every 2-2.5 days.