Nitrates won't go down! Over 150

[mattzang]

What about the poor lionfish though? Everyone's gotta eat. Damsels are eating very finely too. I'm in the hobby to take something out of recreating nature in tiny episodes, rather than running a rescue mission. It's not the lion anyways. He seems to prefer the marine plankton fed saltwater guppies. I brought a helper from my office tank lol and he ate all the wrong fish so far :/

wait what else did you put in there? panther grouper?

alright that was mean, for real though dude, high nitrates is the least of your problems. i mean your lionfish and mysterious other fish eating fish is probably going to mow down your stocklist in that 4 months before you get your next tank

 

[Hemmdog]

Hahahah ;Dead

wait what else did you put in there? panther grouper?

 

[Brad Miller]

You have your own fish store there brother
I like the idea of a "natural" reef environment though

 

[Doctor Faust]

wait what else did you put in there? panther grouper?

alright that was mean, for real though dude, high nitrates is the least of your problems. i mean your lionfish and mysterious other fish eating fish is probably going to mow down your stocklist in that 4 months before you get your next tank

lool nah the panther is in the office tank. I think damsels are two wide for its mouth. I brought in a black angler. Seemed easier than catching runaway damsels, but he ate some dragonets that I had mysis trained. He's eating damsels slowly, so he'll soon be out of the tank (this one within a few days at most lol).

 

[Doctor Faust]

You have your own fish store there brother
I like the idea of a "natural" reef environment though

Thank you! I've taken the most pleasure out of making seemingly incompatible fish coexist, and quite successfully in most cases, Id think. I guess I kind of am looking for more experienced hobbyists to teach of another way, perhaps more demanding or rigorous, to keep all of these guys happy in the long term....And perhaps get an understanding as to the importance of these nitrates. Feather stars is what I'm mainly concerned for, otherwise never had issues with any fish other than angels and butterflies.

A relatively close-by aquarium store owner was bragging how he hasn't had a water change in 4 years and how his nitrates are below 10, while pointing to a fully equipped 175gal with only 3 small fish LOL. If I gotta put up with a wife, water changes, and all the expense, just for 3 fish that don't cuddle with me, then I'm missing out LOL

 

[Doctor Faust]

Set up a species tank for the lion fish, and a species tank for the sea horses. Then put your reef safe and friendly fish in this 500L your getting if you really don’t want to get rid of some of them. Truely though, try to find them homes, sea horses aren’t super cheap and a lot of people would LOVE to have them in a species tank.

And the hunger games style survival games is not helping your nitrates lol.

I honestly doubt the horses would be happier elsewhere. How they live, and their behavior as well, they don't account for any predators or anyone harassing them; their main concern is food, which in the wild is rather small and needs to be eaten non-stop. I have their food problem solved, and they have a nitrate problem for me lol

You are right about the hunger games lol. I just hope someone else has a similar problem, and has an outside-of-the-box solution or a suggestion.

 

[mattzang]

lool nah the panther is in the office tank. I think damsels are two wide for its mouth. I brought in a black angler. Seemed easier than catching runaway damsels, but he ate some dragonets that I had mysis trained. He's eating damsels slowly, so he'll soon be out of the tank (this one within a few days at most lol).

did you really think only damsels were on the menu? idk much about predator tanks, but I've seen plenty of videos of anglers/lions/groupers eating fish a lot bigger than most of your stocklist..

 

[Smarkow]

This is a troll thread... Dr. Faust(us) (@Doctor Faust) can feel free to post a full tank shot and prove me wrong. Very aptly named account, funny reference.
My suspicion would be that he has taken more pleasure in respondent's horror at his stocking list than, as he puts it, "taken the most pleasure out of making seemingly incompatible fish coexist, and quite successfully."

 

[Doctor Faust]

This is a troll thread... Dr. Faust(us) (@Doctor Faust) can feel free to post a full tank shot and prove me wrong. Very aptly named account, funny reference.
My suspicion would be that he has taken more pleasure in respondent's horror at his stocking list than, as he puts it, "taken the most pleasure out of making seemingly incompatible fish coexist, and quite successfully."

I am not a troll, tip of the hat to you for recognizing a reference, thought it isn't. I did have some infection, or most likely a combination of it, along with my absence for a few days, and I have a slightly different stock list lol. I can't upload a video. Any help as to that, anyone? Anyways, hello!

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Hello everyone!

I've read a lot on this site previously, but I have just registered.

I have a Red Sea 250, running for about 7 months, fully cycled. I am having a lot of issues with Nitrates and phosphates. I had a huge algae bloom, and then it was gone overnight. What worried me most, is even with literally a few KGs of algae growing in the tank, my nitrates were still over the max of the API test, as in over 160.

I had been changing the water every 10 days most, usually every week, as I have a pretty heavy bioload. Lately, I decided to do a 25% water change every 2-3 days, to see if the nitrates go down. I changed 25% on Sunday, tested, nitrates over max. Changed the water today, wednesday, checked nitrates were over max. There is no algae in the tank currently, my microalgae in the sump (gracilaria) isn't doing too good either. Fish are fine and eating and happy, some corals that I have in there are happy seemingly, but some others I've lost.

My question is, what do I do? Let's say I changed ALL the water and tested and everything showed 0, how soon would my nitrates go over 160? Is it possible that this could be a matter of 2-3 days? If so, assuming I keep changing water every 2 weeks, would that mean my nitrates will be in the few hundreds? And how would that affect the fisH?

Please share some ideas.

May need a denitrator, sulfur or non-sulfur. I like sulfur, kicks in faster. 1 week minimum

 

[Doctor Faust]

Thank you. Any suggestions as to the actual reactor? I have those yellow balls as well as the denitrate from seachem, just need the reactor lol.

 

[mattzang]

Thank you. Any suggestions as to the actual reactor? I have those yellow balls as well as the denitrate from seachem, just need the reactor lol.

what's your current stocklist and can we get some pictures of the tank?

 

[Doctor Faust]

what's your current stocklist and can we get some pictures of the tank?

I will take some photos tomorrow, they're hiding. I've cut down considerably, i'd said. I have 7 seahorses, midas blenny, pink watchman goby, golden jack baby, porkfish baby, sixline, pink streaked wrasse, 2 leopard wrasses (of 3, 1 got eaten by the visiting Sea Goblin), maybe a yellow brotulid, green mandarin, a damsel, 2 fire shrimp, 2 coral banded, snails, crabs, conches, stars, worms, some corals, a fiji puffer and a mantis in the sump, and a mantis in the acclimation box with some damsels in the main DT, that's my 55g. I'm sure I"m forgetting a few here lol I have some other smaller tanks but they are doing fine. The octopus tank and the zebra mantis tank are 2 different ones, in the pictures here.

These pics are a few week old I believe, and don't show all the fish. I gave away to others, traded with stores, and ultimately lost quite a few prized ones to a myriad of viruses and parasites and what not from no quarantine and sketchy wild caught fish being introduced. I'm modifying my approach in some things and will soon have everyone in a bigger proper home with the right filtration. Till then hussle lol.

Most of what I have are videos and I havent figured out posting those yet so I did some screenshots. I'll take and post more later.

 

[Hemmdog]

I will take some photos tomorrow, they're hiding. I've cut down considerably, i'd said. I have 7 seahorses, midas blenny, pink watchman goby, golden jack baby, porkfish baby, sixline, pink streaked wrasse, 2 leopard wrasses (of 3, 1 got eaten by the visiting Sea Goblin), maybe a yellow brotulid, green mandarin, a damsel, 2 fire shrimp, 2 coral banded, snails, crabs, conches, stars, worms, some corals, a fiji puffer and a mantis in the sump, and a mantis in the acclimation box with some damsels in the main DT, that's my 55g. I'm sure I"m forgetting a few here lol I have some other smaller tanks but they are doing fine. The octopus tank and the zebra mantis tank are 2 different ones, in the pictures here.

These pics are a few week old I believe, and don't show all the fish. I gave away to others, traded with stores, and ultimately lost quite a few prized ones to a myriad of viruses and parasites and what not from no quarantine and sketchy wild caught fish being introduced. I'm modifying my approach in some things and will soon have everyone in a bigger proper home with the right filtration. Till then hussle lol.

Most of what I have are videos and I havent figured out posting those yet so I did some screenshots. I'll take and post more later.

What’s with the pilot fish? they get over a foot lol.

 

[mattzang]

lol, sea goblin just casually dropping by for a quick leopard wrasse eating

what happened to your lionfish and the lyretail anthias? my lyretail is my favorite fish

 

[Doctor Faust]

What’s with the pilot fish? they get over a foot lol.

Internet says 4 feet lol. I'm growing him out for now, then a friend will take him to his pool aquarium. I just love their hunger. Such fun fish to have.

 

[Hemmdog]

Internet says 4 feet lol. I'm growing him out for now, then a friend will take him to his pool aquarium. I just love their hunger. Such fun fish to have.

That’s crazy lol. Your an animal Dr! Lol

 

[Hemmdog]

lol, sea goblin just casually dropping by for a quick leopard wrasse eating

what happened to your lionfish and the lyretail anthias? my lyretail is my favorite fish

What even is a sea goblin!? lol

 

[mattzang]

so have you lowered your nitrates? seems you still have a metric ton of fish up in that tank

 

[mattzang]

What even is a sea goblin!? lol

i googled and got this

ol Faust sure loves him some predator fish tossed in with his nice peaceful fish. must keep everyone on their toes