Nitrate problem driving me up a wall...

[Bdog4u2]

I've had nitrates as high as 180 so I started vodka dosing and in 6 weeks they were below 5. I did get a bacteria bloom so I added some filter floss in my socks and some clarity and it was gone in a few hrs.

 

[Pagerone]

My parameters are in check besides for my nitrate and phosphate.
Temp 79
Salt 1.025
Mag 1350
Cal 440
Alk 8.1
Ph 8.2
P04 .08-.16
Nitrate is 20
I have a 100 gal total volume.
Tunze ato with kalwasser.
I make my own Rodi
I made a ats it's on week 3 getting some green algea.
I blow out rocks with turkey baster every few weeks. I just ordered a new gravel vac to do a 15 gal waterchange on wend cleaning sand bed really good.
I use reef crystals salt I try to do 1-2 5 gal waterchanges a week
I have a auto feeder feeding once at noon,I feed every other day mysis, lrs fish frenzy.
My tank has sps in it and aren't colored up super good anything I should be doing different?
Fish are fox face, blue hippo, yellow tang, royal gamma, lawn mower blenny, 2 engineer gobbies, couple starfish and plenty of snails

God yea me too all my levels are good but my nitrate is up and the Red Sea nopox is not working that good this hobby sucks sometimes

 

[brownsalt92]

I have both nopox and vodka vinegar what's ratio for vodka and vinegar?.

 

[Bdog4u2]

God yea me too all my levels are good but my nitrate is up and the Red Sea nopox is not working that good this hobby sucks sometimes

Nopox works it just takes 4-8 weeks and a strong skimmer. Mine was pulling so much funk out I had to temporarily add a hob one I had laying around. Try adding stability with it to speed it along that's what I did

 

[brownsalt92]

When I get home I will add 12 ml of nopox

 

[Pagerone]

How much nopox should I add for a 20 gallon tank

 

[brownsalt92]

Well I made a rookie mistake...my refractometer I calabrated... I goofed on it and guess what my salts at a 1.0235. So do the 25 gallon waterchange at a 1.025 or a 1.026. God I'm so angry at myself.

 

[morpheas]

The 1.0235 is not all that bad if that's what it is... I would do the water change with a 1.025 and top off with salt water for a couple of days and it will slowly come back up. BTW, how did you get 1.0235? I can't see that good of a definition in my refractometer haha (unless you got ppt?)

 

[brownsalt92]

The 1.0235 is not all that bad if that's what it is... I would do the water change with a 1.025 and top off with salt water for a couple of days and it will slowly come back up. BTW, how did you get 1.0235? I can't see that good of a definition in my refractometer haha (unless you got ppt?)

It's not directly on the 1.023 nor directly on the 1.024

 

[morpheas]

Oh OK I see... My refractometer/eyes are not very confident in those little differences...

Regardless, I would raise the salinity slowly like I suggested above.

 

[brownsalt92]

@twilliard I finally found the peice to replace the brass barbed fitting. It was tarnished green. On further Google searching. When Brass"rust" the green tarnish it is leeching copper into my reef tank..... ahhh so replaced and hopefully a full recovery. My 2 birds nest were showing some tissue loss for the last 2 weeks hopefully I am good now. I have active carbon to help take toxins out.

 

[twilliard]

@twilliard I finally found the peice to replace the brass barbed fitting. It was tarnished green. On further Google searching. When Brass"rust" the green tarnish it is leeching copper into my reef tank..... ahhh so replaced and hopefully a full recovery. My 2 birds nest were showing some tissue loss for the last 2 weeks hopefully I am good now. I have active carbon to help take toxins out.

Nice!
Yes it turns green. How long was it running? You may want to think about running a heavy metal remover such as cuprisorb

 

[brownsalt92]

It ran for 3 weeks with that brass fitting so order this cuprisorb?

 

[twilliard]

It ran for 3 weeks with that brass fitting so order this cuprisorb?

I would look into it as a precaution
There was another product I was thinking of I just can't remember what it was called if you don't have a reactor. It's square and changes color based on absorbed metals

 

[brownsalt92]

I would look into it as a precaution
There was another product I was thinking of I just can't remember what it was called if you don't have a reactor. It's square and changes color based on absorbed metals

Alright the media will be here tommaro. So just change out my active carbon with this?

 

[twilliard]

Alright the media will be here tommaro. So just change out my active carbon with this?

Yes that is a fine plan.
GAC removes toxins and organics

 

[wes_slavens]

I had good luck with N03 P04X

 

[rock_lobster]

I feed my tank like crazy and high sky high nitrates. Decided to put some chaeto in there and never again did I see a nitrate. I feed like 3 or 4 whole shrimp a week into my 20 gallon tank + daily feeding of a few teaspoons of pellets.

 

[rock_lobster]

I feed my tank like crazy and high sky high nitrates. Decided to put some chaeto in there and never again did I see a nitrate. I feed like 3 or 4 whole shrimp a week into my 20 gallon tank + daily feeding of a few teaspoons of pellets.

 

[brownsalt92]

@ twilliard how long would you recommend running in a reactor for?