Reasons for nitrate levels going up?

[lilgrounchuck]

Doing a 50% water change is fine and will have the largest impact of getting no3 and po4 down. Ease up on feeding and let the tank go. You might also consider adding some decorative macro algae to the tank. There are some very pretty ones that add a nice splash of color to the tank, plus they’ll uptake nutrients from the water column for you.

 

[Fsh]

Thank you for your extensive reply Mike, I very much appreciate it.

With regards to ZEOlites, Korallen-Zucht recommend have the system running in the tank before you add the corals (if possible) for best results. I don’t know if this includes the use of the rocks but I believe so.

My RODI is 0 TDS but my mixed water appears to have a very marginal amount of NO3 from the test. I don’t know if this is avoidable more I need another chance for my RODI unit, or what?

I’m happy to do the large water changes or a few a week. Cost is an issue for me though as I don’t have a lot of money.

Thanks @ScottB I’ve watched a lot of their videos and am unsure which one it is. If I see it I’ll be sure to post it here.

Thanks @lilgrounchuck. Okay I’ll try to go that avenue if changes. What macros are you referring too? My understanding with ones like coraline algae is that while it looks nice, it blocks the pores on the rock and stops flow through it, having a negative affect in nitrifying bacteria. Is that the case?

Thanks all.

 

[lilgrounchuck]

Thank you for your extensive reply Mike, I very much appreciate it.

With regards to ZEOlites, Korallen-Zucht recommend have the system running in the tank before you add the corals (if possible) for best results. I don’t know if this includes the use of the rocks but I believe so.

My RODI is 0 TDS but my mixed water appears to have a very marginal amount of NO3 from the test. I don’t know if this is avoidable more I need another chance for my RODI unit, or what?

I’m happy to do the large water changes or a few a week. Cost is an issue for me though as I don’t have a lot of money.

Thanks @ScottB I’ve watched a lot of their videos and am unsure which one it is. If I see it I’ll be sure to post it here.

Thanks @lilgrounchuck. Okay I’ll try to go that avenue if changes. What macros are you referring too? My understanding with ones like coraline algae is that while it looks nice, it blocks the pores on the rock and stops flow through it, having a negative affect in nitrifying bacteria. Is that the case?

Thanks all.

Macroalgae Archives

Our Clean Macroalgae is always quarantined, treated, and inspected to remove any unwanted pests & parasites so you can add it to your tank without worry.

www.algaebarn.com

Plants/Macroalgae

Whether you want to setup a refugium, or add diversity to your display tank, plants and macroalgae are an excellent addition if you want to mimic nature at home. They are also a cost effective way to dress your tank with living organisms.

www.reefcleaners.org

 

[Fsh]

Thanks!

When you say to ease up on feeding, how do I know how much to feed them? I feel like I’m being stingy feeding, but also worry they won’t have enough to eat.

 

[lilgrounchuck]

Just give them enough that they finish all of it in about two to five min. Do that every other day, once a day. Remove anything they don't eat.

 

[Fsh]

Okay. Some times they miss most of it and it goes straight m down to the sand. I’ll try and fish it out. So I should feed once every other day?

 

[JoshO]

Okay. Some times they miss most of it and it goes straight m down to the sand. I’ll try and fish it out. So I should feed once every other day?

If you have clowns you can hand feed them to try to minimise waste.
Ultimately your nitrate issue is down to excess food and waste. The easiest way to address this is by making sure the food that goes in is actually eaten, and any waste is removed, I find a long pipette for feeding corals is good at this.
I'll attach a video of how I feed my clowns hikari pellets, it means all but about 1 pellet is eaten. I feed twice a day, 5 pellets in the morning and 8-10 at night. I do it at virtually the same times to try to get a good feeding pattern so the fish will know when to be ready for food.

 

[Fsh]

If you have clowns you can hand feed them to try to minimise waste.
Ultimately your nitrate issue is down to excess food and waste. The easiest way to address this is by making sure the food that goes in is actually eaten, and any waste is removed, I find a long pipette for feeding corals is good at this.
I'll attach a video of how I feed my clowns hikari pellets, it means all but about 1 pellet is eaten. I feed twice a day, 5 pellets in the morning and 8-10 at night. I do it at virtually the same times to try to get a good feeding pattern so the fish will know when to be ready for food.

Thanks Josh, I’ll give it a try.

 

[charlesk]

Hi all,

My tank has been running for two months and has had fish in it for three weeks.

Amonia has been down and fine. Phosphate goes up slowly over time as I have a man made dry rock that leaches it’s, though I e been able to keep this under control to a degree.

Nitrate has been been going up faster, however. See attached photos (one and two) 10 days apart. I did one, 10 litre eater change (75L tank) two days ago. Yet it’s up? I mix my own salt, and have a new RODI unit. I tested the new water and it’s very very marginally pink (photo three). Should it be remotely pink? It’s a new 5 stage system. Do I need to add another stage?

What could be the cause of it rising? I try to feed lightly, though struggle to know if they’ve eaten enough. I have just two juvenile clowns. I feed once a day, and change between frozen mysis, lice bryne shrimp and pellets (very small pellets).

Any help appreciated. Thanks.

Rinse the frozen food before feeding. Allow the rinse water to drain into a clear glass. It will be cloudy. This is nasty nutrients.

 

[Fsh]

Hi all,

finally sorted all I need to do a large water change. One thing I was wondering tough is how close does the salinity need to be? My salinity in tank is within recommended parameters but is higher than the ideal. Can I put in lower salinity water or will that affect the fish?