nitrates at 64ppm?!?!?!?!? What to do?

[Pntbll687]

You can bring down the nitrates with water changes.

Rinse out all the media and siphon out the back chambers.

 

[mtraylor]

Perfect. Since phosphates are where you need them. Then the water changes and addressing the issue as stated and maintaining it is your best practice. As stated there is no need to panic. You can bring down over several days throughout the week with no ill effects

 

[damsels are not mean]

Nitrate does not really have anything to do with algae blooms. It is ammonia (in very small, even transitory and undetectably small amounts) that cause algae to spread. Is the tank new? Any deaths? I would not panic about that reading. I am not fully convinced nitrate matters but if it does it is probably best to lower it slowly. (I don't think that matters either and I have done 50% water changes to reduce it before but it makes people feel better).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Nitrate does not really have anything to do with algae blooms. It is ammonia (in very small, even transitory and undetectably small amounts) that cause algae to spread.

What’s the basis for that claim?

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Nitrate does not really have anything to do with algae blooms. It is ammonia (in very small, even transitory and undetectably small amounts) that cause algae to spread. Is the tank new? Any deaths? I would not panic about that reading. I am not fully convinced nitrate matters but if it does it is probably best to lower it slowly. (I don't think that matters either and I have done 50% water changes to reduce it before but it makes people feel better).

Fish are good, tank is 6 months old

 

[GoVols]

Fish are good, tank is 6 months old

Sense your phosphates were spot on, then I would not have recommend water changes, without dosing up phosphates.

Is your reef okay and where do your nitrates stand at this point?

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Sense your phosphates were spot on, then I would not have recommend water changes, without dosing up phosphates.

Is your reef okay and where your nitrates stand at this point?

Yeah I ended up getting my nitrates down