Nitrate problem

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24344&cmpid=sc

This product is very easy to use, they have a chart that tells you how much to add depending on what the levels of nitrate are. It is also for Po4 but i found that it takes awhile for it to help with that. I also use there test kits and there entire reef care program. Hope this helps you as much as it has for me!
 
Its fine to vac the sand bed it you do it regularly... but if u have an established sand bed that hasnt been touched in 6 months leave it.
I have seen very nice sps tanks that get the sand vac'd every week with there water changes...


So heres my 2 cents.
Try vodka dosing (carbon dosing) for the first week do a water change every other day or every 2 days.
 
The Nopox does the same thing as carbon dosing ( growing beneficial bacteria) without all of the guess work and really who wants to do water changes every day or every 3 days. Not this guy. Times are changing in how to control your water parameters. It may be only me but I have a 220 gallon reef tank and like to make it as simple and enjoyable as possible and to not turn it into a chore or drive my self crazy worrying about my water perimeters. There are many ways to skin a cat when it comes to how people take care of there tanks. Find what works for you and stick with it! The cost of doing water changes (filters for RODI, salt) vers a $20 bottle of Nopox is a no brainer for me cause of the size of my tank. Plus less stress on fish, coral ect. We are more of water keepers than reef keepers when you really break it down, lol
 
Special big thx mate for all ur help , I read all ur links which do u send already , I have better idea now .
@fl reefer ur suggestion of that Red Sea product nopox Xalso nice idea , I read reviews about the product and it has excellent review and good result in 2 or 3 weeks for high nitrate .
And for all this method they recommend excellent skimmer , so what do u think about my reef octopus skimmer with 3000 l/h pump it will be good for 400 liters ?
 
The Nopox does the same thing as carbon dosing ( growing beneficial bacteria) without all of the guess work and really who wants to do water changes every day or every 3 days. Not this guy. Times are changing in how to control your water parameters. It may be only me but I have a 220 gallon reef tank and like to make it as simple and enjoyable as possible and to not turn it into a chore or drive my self crazy worrying about my water perimeters. There are many ways to skin a cat when it comes to how people take care of there tanks. Find what works for you and stick with it! The cost of doing water changes (filters for RODI, salt) vers a $20 bottle of Nopox is a no brainer for me cause of the size of my tank. Plus less stress on fish, coral ect. We are more of water keepers than reef keepers when you really break it down, lol

Lol , I will keep ur suggestion in my mind . Let me wait bio bellets to see results then I will try what best for this nitrate problem .
 
FL reefer : I couldn't agree more. It's a lot and it gets old for me very quickly. It's one of those things that each person has to decide I guess.



From Note 2 on Tap 4
 
But I need to know what source of nitrate in my tank , my sump so clean no dirt , no over feed , not that much of fish waste , not too much coral ,
My big doubt about rock leaching or Sand ,because the tank was old and I bought it as second hand , it was only marine tank with no coral , and when I get it I clean the sand and little bit the rock , and start cycle for 2 month ,
What do u think ???
 
That skimmer should be more than enough for your tank. I have friends who have the reef octopus skimmers and they all love them. I think the problem is not your water source since ur useing RO water but your missing the important factors of dealing with the nitrates them self. If there is nothing ''eating'' them than they are just building up over time and will keep doing so. Good luck my friend and keep us posted on your success!
 
It's hard to say to be honest dude. If "honestly" a person isn't there to observe it from the beginning, all anyone call do is take a stab in the dark. We can say confidently, but that doesn't mean it's fitting for your situation. These things are tricky.

For my history, I never figured out the exact causes, but I did steps to eliminate it. Some things like raw water, salt, food, etc are fairly easy to test. But other things like rock aren't(at least I haven't found an easy way). All play into things that add up to annoyances. That's the thing, and as said above, we really are just water keepers.

I just, at this point as FL stated am trying to make it as easy, effective and cost effective as possible. I experiment, but basically I like to just look at the system. But then I like for it to grow, so catch 22..

Nitrates have always been easy for me, it's the phosphate that irks me to death.. But then as a side, I have done a ton more experiments with nitrate. I threw my hands up about 2 years ago and just started messing with sulfur reactors. I built my own, but what I gained was massive!

Bacteria runs everything and anything in these tanks. Understanding that makes things a lot easier. Nitrate reduction and all others.

From Note 2 on Tap 4
 
The Nopox does the same thing as carbon dosing ( growing beneficial bacteria) without all of the guess work and really who wants to do water changes every day or every 3 days. Not this guy. Times are changing in how to control your water parameters. It may be only me but I have a 220 gallon reef tank and like to make it as simple and enjoyable as possible and to not turn it into a chore or drive my self crazy worrying about my water perimeters. There are many ways to skin a cat when it comes to how people take care of there tanks. Find what works for you and stick with it! The cost of doing water changes (filters for RODI, salt) vers a $20 bottle of Nopox is a no brainer for me cause of the size of my tank. Plus less stress on fish, coral ect. We are more of water keepers than reef keepers when you really break it down, lol


Thats just for the first week of so to drop the nits and onces its stable then u can go to weekly or bi weekly wc.
 
To be honestly mate , I love this hobby since I saw the first reef tank , some time I feel disappointed with the result and want to give up , but something inside me pushing to go ahead and try to do my best to make my tank perfect .
I join many pages and I see amazing tank specially in US and they are so sample for keeping coral .
There is amazing kind of coral unfortunately we can't find them here in UAE , I'm in love specially with zoas and trying now my best to keep going with my tank .
Thx for ur support and advice and wishing u happy reefing I will keep updating u with result .
 
If you are getting anything that even resembles dirt when you vacuum the sand bed I would consider siphoning out the whole sand bed to clean it or throw it out and start over with no sand (my tank is like this - love it) or new sand.

It's not worth fighting water quality issues if the sand bed is already that dirty.

If you choose to do this, do it in 4 or 5 phases over at least a few days' time so the tank isn't too unsettled all at once.

Also, do you find much detritus in the rocks during cleaning? What happens if you aim a powerhead directly into the rocks?

-Matt
 
Vodka dosing and bio pellets are good to get your nitrates down but you must find the cause. I vodka dose as I know I feed a lot. It keeps things in check. Open up your rock work and increase the flow. Use a filter sock and change it every couple of days. Put a small power head in each chamber of your sump to keep things moving.

But find the issue or you are headed for a real crash


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
If you are getting anything that even resembles dirt when you vacuum the sand bed I would consider siphoning out the whole sand bed to clean it or throw it out and start over with no sand (my tank is like this - love it) or new sand.

It's not worth fighting water quality issues if the sand bed is already that dirty.

If you choose to do this, do it in 4 or 5 phases over at least a few days' time so the tank isn't too unsettled all at once.

Also, do you find much detritus in the rocks during cleaning? What happens if you aim a powerhead directly into the rocks?

-Matt
Hi mate , it's looking so risky to take out sand bed and change it with new one ,
For e rock yes there is detritus in the rock if I move the power head for it ,
But it's not that dirty sand bed .
 
But what do u mean by detritus exactly ? That waste thing and look like dust or or something else ??
 
Are you using any aerosols or air fresher or pesticides around the tank all can cause no3 problems among others if it will make you sick if you eat it it will also make you tank sick.
 

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