Nitrate mystery

[Will1610]

Hi all- please help!
My reef tank has been running about 8 months now I have a Aquareef 180 with four power heads in the display tank, just a filter sock in the sump.
I have struggled with parameters ( I had a dud KH test kit) but have finally managed to keep them stable.
Salt .023
Kh 11
Temp 26
Calcium 240
Amonia/ nitrite 0
I have two clowns, a grama and a yellow tang and a number of coral... about 10 in total ranging from mushrooms to hammers, Duncan’s and a few hard corals (which aren’t growing). I have about 8 snails of different varieties, an emerald crab, cleaner shrimp, hermits, and a conch
I cannot get my nitrates down from 75 ish!!!!

My sand bed is very thin and immaculate, my sump is also extremely clean, there dosnt seem to be any detritus anywhere as I clean it very regularly... my skimmer is on 24/7 and I just can’t understand why they’re still high?!
I do a 15% waterchange weekly and if anything I’m under feeding!
I have cheato and calurpa in the sump under a ‘plant growth enhancing’ light and a small power head to give it some flow .. but it didn’t seem to grow... what could be the issue here?

I’ve been to three LFS and they all havnt got a clue either

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Have you tested the water that you are using for WC's?

 

[pdiehm]

have you taken a turkey baster to your rocks? I know with my old pukani rock, the amount of crud inside those rocks was mind boggling. even with barebottom, I struggled to keep NO3 down below 15, and had algae growth to the point of cleaning my tank walls 2 or 3x a week.

You may have to bite the bullet and do 50% water changes every other day for a week or so, and then 25% weekly. In theory that may help you get your nitrates down under 10.

 

[Will1610]

Thanks for the replies!
I’ve blasted my rocks like mad!!
I don’t get it at all: I’ve used two different test kits at home and taken sample to my lfs which had nitrate at 70.
I took a sample to a different shop today which said it was 15!! Either his test kit was old or the ones I’ve been using are rubbish. Who knows!

 

[Will1610]

How can this be right!? An I missing somthing?!

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Hi all- please help!
My reef tank has been running about 8 months now I have a Aquareef 180 with four power heads in the display tank, just a filter sock in the sump.
I have struggled with parameters ( I had a dud KH test kit) but have finally managed to keep them stable.
Salt .023
Kh 11
Temp 26
Calcium 240
Amonia/ nitrite 0
I have two clowns, a grama and a yellow tang and a number of coral... about 10 in total ranging from mushrooms to hammers, Duncan’s and a few hard corals (which aren’t growing). I have about 8 snails of different varieties, an emerald crab, cleaner shrimp, hermits, and a conch
I cannot get my nitrates down from 75 ish!!!!

My sand bed is very thin and immaculate, my sump is also extremely clean, there dosnt seem to be any detritus anywhere as I clean it very regularly... my skimmer is on 24/7 and I just can’t understand why they’re still high?!
I do a 15% waterchange weekly and if anything I’m under feeding!
I have cheato and calurpa in the sump under a ‘plant growth enhancing’ light and a small power head to give it some flow .. but it didn’t seem to grow... what could be the issue here?

I’ve been to three LFS and they all havnt got a clue either

What's your PH

 

[Will1610]

What's your PH

8.3!!

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

You say ammonia, but nothing on free ammonia NH3, what ammonia test kits you have

 

[Will1610]

You say ammonia, but nothing on free ammonia NH3, what ammonia test kits you have

My amonia reading is 0, same as nitrite!
How can the nitrate readings differ so much?

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Free ammonia is what I would test some times, why? Eventually it feeds nitrates. Check your kits, does it say only NH3 on kit? If no, good to get one. How often feed fish a day, live rock or dry rock in DT?

 

[Will1610]

Am I being thick and got the wrong test kit?!
I feed fish once a day- they eat it all in aboit 20 seconds!
I have live rock but blown it as much as I can to get any gunk out.

My tank and sump seem very clean and so I don’t get where they’re coming from!

Cheato/ calurpa isn’t growing but isn’t dying!

 

[Will1610]

Forgot to attach these!

 

[cracker]

The tank looks great ! I 'think"it's your test kit . So the lfs said No3 was 15 right?. Your kit says 70?
Seems to me if the nitrates were that high, the Macro would be growing very well.

 

[davocean]

Just a side note question, are you sure you want to keep caulerpa?
It can be invasive, and usually one macro will outcompete the other, chaeto is a safer choice IMO

 

[Reefbuds]

Well tank looks great. Either means the tests are wrong or your tank loves extreme nitrate levels.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Well tank looks great. Either means the tests are wrong or your tank loves extreme nitrate levels.

Also, quality of LR, will effect nitrates, what light brand you using to grow macro?

I would lean toward your LR too.

 

[Rcpilot]

Where does your water come from? Have you tested the TDS coming out of the RO unit?

You're not using straight tap water, are you?

 

[Reefinmike]

Start with some quality test kits for reliable results. Nyos, Red sea, salifert, etc. NOT API, tetra etc. throw those kits away. if you are using a swing arm hydrometer pitch that too and get a refractometer.

 

[Aaron iReef2]

Try one if the new kessil H series horticulture lights for your fuge. It will quickly grow your macro and fill your fuge nice and thick. Nitrates will reduce in a month or so. Plus the horticulture leds will tend not to grow the cyano algae if the spectrum is set to a deep pink or red spectrum. I own an lfs in Colorado and have seen amazing results by switching my fuge lights to the H80 or H160 depending on size of macro chamber. Nitrates will usually come down within a month or two.
20% weekly water changes using a high quality reef salt will usually maintain an extremely happy system. Happy Reefing !
A.Blake
iReef2.com

 

[Reefinmike]

Try one if the new kessil H series horticulture lights

I wish i could try one of those out, the videos BRS does on them makes it difficult to use anything else. Kessils may not be the cheapest option and you could probably find something that’ll grow algae just as well but the simplicity and quality design makes it worth the higher price. After dunking my display kessils while on I learned that they are waterproofed with a layer of silicon on the circuits. Had I bought cheap “black box” lights they would’ve probably been fried. Unfortunately my nitrates don’t even hit 0.25 so I cant yet justify a kessil on my fuge.