Nitrate Reduction - what would you do?

beaslbob · Nov 30, 2015

twilliard said:
Save the vodka for yourself and use macros lol

+1

kkgaskin90 · Dec 3, 2015

So... Is there something *wrong* with Carbon dosing? LFS just got all huffy with me telling me to buy some books and read up because I haven't come in for saltwater lately and told him I was carbon dosing

twilliard · Dec 3, 2015

kkgaskin90 said:
So... Is there something *wrong* with Carbon dosing? LFS just got all huffy with me telling me to buy some books and read up because I haven't come in for saltwater lately and told him I was carbon dosing

The only thing that can go wrong is overdosing with under skimming.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 3, 2015

kkgaskin90 said:
So... Is there something *wrong* with Carbon dosing? LFS just got all huffy with me telling me to buy some books and read up because I haven't come in for saltwater lately and told him I was carbon dosing

One rare outcome is the potential growth of pathogenic bacteria that may kill corals, but it is hard to identify because so many bad things can happen under all sorts of different circumstances for reasons we never understand.

Maybe the LFS guy thought you meant activated carbon. Many such folks only know what they sell (if that), and what organic carbon dosing they sell probably goes under a brand name that may not even identify it as organic carbon dosing.

kkgaskin90 · Dec 3, 2015

Oh no he knew I was talking about vodka. I may have said vodka. He asked me why and said "water changes are the fundamentals"...

beaslbob · Dec 3, 2015

kkgaskin90 said:
Oh no he knew I was talking about vodka. I may have said vodka. He asked me why and said "water changes are the fundamentals"...

I (with total respect) disagree with water changes being the fundamentals.

To me what is the very basic fundamental is to establish a balanced stable ecosystem. Water changes are used in an attempt to over conditions which violate the fundamental.

Sure lotsa people carbon dose so I guess it is effective. And who am I to challenge a widely used and successful method?

I just prefer to balance out and stabilize the system with such things as macro algae or other plant life. From what my limited understanding tell me, plant life not only consumes nitrate but prefers to consume ammonia plus carbon dioxide, phosphates and returns oxygen and fish food. Plus harvesting exports some real nasties like copper as well.

I'm not aware of any other method that does that and many degrade the system (like consuming oxygen) as well.

But that's just me and my .02

Ivan Moreno · Dec 5, 2015

I started doing vinegar dosing on my tank setup that sounds very similar to yours.. It's been a week and my API nitrate test is reading around 20.. It's certainly been working since I started at over 100. Did 12.5 mil the first few days and now up to 15 mil and keeping it there to see if it goes down anymore.

Flatlandsrefeer · Dec 5, 2015

kkgaskin90 said:
My tank chemistry was going quite well, until it suddenly wasn't. After going crazy trying to figure out why, I discovered the water I was buying from the LFS to do my water changes was testing 20 Nitrates on the saltwater and 15 TDS on the RODI straight from the holding tank. So voila. Fast forward 4 weeks. I've been doing 15g changes every week with new water that tests perfect and still can't get my Nitrates to budge from 20. 75g tank 20g sump. I replaced my sump last week and upgraded my skimmer.
SO, from here, what would be your next move? Big water change? How big? Media reactor?

Just curious what type of test kit you have? I was using API and constantly testing 20 or greater, even after water changes. Turns out my kit was expired and all was well.

reesed5 · Dec 5, 2015

Try a deep sand bed or a rdsb, they are great for nitrate removal

FlyinBryan · Dec 5, 2015

I use Marinepure ceramic spheres. I put a bunch in my 30. 0 nitrates! I put a 8"x8"x4" plate in my 150 and lowered my nitrates 50%! NOTHING else works as well with so little hassle and lowest cost!