Nitrates

Brian Mountain · Jul 26, 2016

Ammonia was 0 and Nitrites 0.2 and Nitrates 30

Did a 20% water change and added clean up crew
Came home and snail had completely polished off a meal on a dead peppermint shrimp. Pulled out remains (nothing left really). Still have some hair algea on a few rocks too.
Should I clean those rocks?

Don't think I'm feeding too much either...

Now Nitrates are 50. Any ideas/help?

Mark75 · Jul 26, 2016

Water changes are the quickest way to get the nitrates down and you need to get them down.

If I remember correctly this is a new tank? You have unusually high nitrates and need to find the source,..rock, sand, something large die??? What are your nutrient export methods?

Brian Mountain · Jul 26, 2016

Mark75 said:
Water changes are the quickest way to get the nitrates down and you need to get them down.

If I remember correctly this is a new tank? You have unusually high nitrates and need to find the source,..rock, sand, something large die??? What are your nutrient export methods?

Yes, new tank. 80/20 mix of dry vs live rock, has cycled. Sand 1 1/2" or so deep. Nothing die but a shrimp thus far. Will do water change when get home today. What do you mean by nutrient export method?

rvlcf · Jul 26, 2016

Are you sure your shrimp didn't molt, and it's hiding somewhere?

Brian Mountain · Jul 26, 2016

rvlcf said:
Are you sure your shrimp didn't molt, and it's hiding somewhere?

Nope. Didn't think of that.

jsker · Jul 26, 2016

Brian Mountain said:
Yes, new tank. 80/20 mix of dry vs live rock, has cycled. Sand 1 1/2" or so deep. Nothing die but a shrimp thus far. Will do water change when get home today. What do you mean by nutrient export method?

beside water changes, are you running some kind of carbon dosing/reactor? or liquid carbon like red sea nopox, vinegar, vodka? being a new tank. I would run some Nopox or a product like that and make small adjustment. My issue is a feed heavy and run carbon(bio pellets) in a reactor to control my nitrates

jsker · Jul 26, 2016

rvlcf said:
Are you sure your shrimp didn't molt, and it's hiding somewhere?

Good point, did the same with my sally light food. Thought is was gone, flushed what I thought was the light foot and two days later she was buzzing around the tank

Brian Mountain · Jul 26, 2016

jsker said:
beside water changes, are you running some kind of carbon dosing/reactor? or liquid carbon like red sea nopox, vinegar, vodka? being a new tank. I would run some Nopox or a product like that and make small adjustment. My issue is a feed heavy and run carbon(bio pellets) in a reactor to control my nitrates

No reactor.... Yet. About to add my protein skimmer

jsker · Jul 26, 2016

Brian Mountain said:
No reactor.... Yet. About to add my protein skimmer

The skimmer will help out a lot. I am also starting to change my filter sock every three days and clean the skimmer more often so see if that helps get rid of trapped waste that my causing my No3 number to be higher.

Brian Mountain · Jul 26, 2016

jsker said:
The skimmer will help out a lot. I am also starting to change my filter sock every three days and clean the skimmer more often so see if that helps get rid of trapped waste that my causing my No3 number to be higher.

Ok great. Today, I'll put on clean socks, do water change and try to dose with Nopox.

CastAway · Jul 26, 2016

Brian Mountain said:
Ok great. Today, I'll put on clean socks, do water change and try to dose with Nopox.

Just a thought, but you might want to hold off on the NoPoX until you have the skimmer run in and a balanced bio load. The NoPoX is literally vinegar and vodka with a little water. It provides energy to bacteria that then consume your nitrates. Although it may sound reasonable as this point, it seems very early for something like that. In my ignorance, I thought carbon dosing was to supplement bacterial numbers in established tanks.

Well see what the experts say.

Also, do you have herbervorous snails, as well as the others?

Brian Mountain · Jul 27, 2016

CastAway said:
Just a thought, but you might want to hold off on the NoPoX until you have the skimmer run in and a balanced bio load. The NoPoX is literally vinegar and vodka with a little water. It provides energy to bacteria that then consume your nitrates. Although it may sound reasonable as this point, it seems very early for something like that. In my ignorance, I thought carbon dosing was to supplement bacterial numbers in established tanks.

Well see what the experts say.

Also, do you have herbervorous snails, as well as the others?

Thanks. Should have skimmer any day now. I have a combo of snails. What are your favorite herbivores/omnivores?

Brian Mountain · Aug 2, 2016

Protein skimmer in and working well. Tank starting to really clear also. Do water change changed socks. Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrate 15. I am getting refugium up and going this weekend.