Struggling with nitrate

[WisconsinReefing]

I am constantly struggling with keeping my nitrates in line. I don’t believe that I’m overstocked, and I’m certain that I don’t over feed.

I use Hannah testers except for nitrate I use API


Ammonia: 0 ~
Calcium: 531 ppm.
Phosphate: .02 ppm.
Alkalinity: 8.6.
Magnesium: 1340.
Salinity: 1.025.
Temp: 77.6

The API tester is showing me over 20 and maybe higher than that. Which i know is real bad. It’s also strange that my Ammonia reads at or near zero at the same time.

I’m doing 5% water changes 2x per week. I’m currently running bio balls, carbon and pyrogen synthetic filter resin.

My tank is 40G. About 8 months old. I have a good amount of LPS and soft coral and the following ;
2 ocelaris clowns
1 Pygmy dwarf angel
1 royal gramma
1 peppermint hogfish

1 rainbow BTA

Blood shrimp
Cleaner shrimp
Fighting conch
2 ruby crabs
Several assorted snails

My primary question is should I try a nitrate sponge or something similar.

Thanks in advance

 

[Wolf89]

It's because of your bioballs. It is well known they are nitrate factories
Sidenote: 20 nitrates is fine. I have 100+ in my sps tank and no side effects

 

[Uncle99]

Carbon dose, takes a few months, brought mine from 40 to 5ppm and has kept it there for more than 2 years now. I use Nopox because in Canada, it’s cheaper than vodka.

 

[WisconsinReefing]

It's because of your bioballs. It is well known they are nitrate factories
Sidenote: 20 nitrates is fine. I have 100+ in my sps tank and no side effects

Are there fish in your SPS tank?? I keep reading how I should never be over 10ppm or doomsday is coming.

 

[Wolf89]

Are there fish in your SPS tank?? I keep reading how I should never be over 10ppm or doomsday is coming.

Yeah theres fish and a 40 gallon refugium. Nothing to worry about!

 

[hyprc]

API is like a finger in the wind...

 

[sawdonkey]

Are there fish in your SPS tank?? I keep reading how I should never be over 10ppm or doomsday is coming.

But if you go below five....domesday is coming.

I wouldn’t worry too much about it, but do look for ways to reduce them through less feeding, removing bio balls, and water changes.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I am constantly struggling with keeping my nitrates in line. I don’t believe that I’m overstocked, and I’m certain that I don’t over feed.

I use Hannah testers except for nitrate I use API


Ammonia: 0 ~
Calcium: 531 ppm.
Phosphate: .02 ppm.
Alkalinity: 8.6.
Magnesium: 1340.
Salinity: 1.025.
Temp: 77.6

The API tester is showing me over 20 and maybe higher than that. Which i know is real bad. It’s also strange that my Ammonia reads at or near zero at the same time.

I’m doing 5% water changes 2x per week. I’m currently running bio balls, carbon and pyrogen synthetic filter resin.
My tank is 40G. About 8 months old. I have a good amount of LPS and soft coral and the following ;
2 ocelaris clowns
1 Pygmy dwarf angel
1 royal gramma
1 peppermint hogfish

1 rainbow BTA

Blood shrimp
Cleaner shrimp
Fighting conch
2 ruby crabs
Several assorted snails

My primary question is should I try a nitrate sponge or something similar.

Thanks in advance

remember this , your creatures are like the canary in the mine, they will let you know when you have issues.

 

[jace]

API is like a finger in the wind...

I am not a fan of API but I will say this .. numbers help tell a story when you need to diagnose something. So that leads me to ask if anything looks like it’s wrong in your tank? There are many successful reefers who base their handling not on test results but from a visual standpoint—does everything look ok? Or why are you concerned?

 

[WisconsinReefing]

I am not a fan of API but I will say this .. numbers help tell a story when you need to diagnose something. So that leads me to ask if anything looks like it’s wrong in your tank? There are many successful reefers who base their handling not on test results but from a visual standpoint—does everything look ok? Or why are you concerned?

Primary concern is just that I’ve always heard to keep nitrates under 10. Which I’m learning might not be true here. The tank is a little foggy but it seems to cure itself and be fine for a few weeks. My clowns aren’t breathing hard but seem very lethargic and kind of lay on their sides. And I the BTA disappeared 2 weeks ago and I haven’t seen him. Also there is more green on my live rock than I’ve seen before That is my concern stress ball lol.

 

[vanpire]

I know that people say bio-balls are nitrate factories, but note that you cannot create nitrates from nothing. Bio balls don’t create nitrates on their own. They are just efficient at converting ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrates. 20 PPM nitrates are fine but if you want to reduce nitrates, lower food input, improve skimming and use various methods of nitrate exports ( Chaeto, carbon, etc.)

 

[hyprc]

My tank is running very happy at 25ppm nitrate, acros and all. I carbon dose and feed heavy FYI.

 

[WisconsinReefing]

I know that people say bio-balls are nitrate factories, but note that you cannot create nitrates from nothing. Bio balls don’t create nitrates on their own. They are just efficient at converting ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrates. 20 PPM nitrates are fine but if you want to reduce nitrates, lower food input, improve skimming and use various methods of nitrate exports ( Chaeto, carbon, etc.)

What about this?

 

[Greg P]

Nitrates @ 20 ppm is pretty standard for a healthy reef tank, even mixed Softies/LPS/SPS.
As long as you have some PO4, of which you have at least 'some'.
As per you NH3 thoughts ...
Ammonia will not be readable with test kits if it's being properly and rapidly converted to NO2 and then NO3.

You're doing fine.
If you're not suffering any major nuisance algae issues, carry on.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

My tank is running very happy at 25ppm nitrate, acros and all. I carbon dose and feed heavy FYI.

Mine's at 15 PPM, I've been as high as 40 PPM

Picture courtesy of @Slingshot357 , her name is Dendra

 

[Greg P]

The tank is a little foggy but it seems to cure itself and be fine for a few weeks. My clowns aren’t breathing hard but seem very lethargic and kind of lay on their sides. And I the BTA disappeared 2 weeks ago and I haven’t seen him. Also there is more green on my live rock than I’ve seen before That is my concern stress ball lol.

You didn't mention this to begin with ...
Cloudy water coming and going could be bacterial blooms. Especially in conjuntion with bio-balls.
This will consume lots of oxygen and could be the reason for your clowns being lethargic, although usually you'd see them at the surface looking for air.

Make sure your returns are breaking the surface /agitating the surface to help with CO2/O2 gas exchange.

 

[Greg P]

And I'd consider running some GAC (carbon). It will help remove a bacterial bloom, and also a lot of bad things in the water ... especially if your BTA died.

 

[WisconsinReefing]

You didn't mention this to begin with ...
Cloudy water coming and going could be bacterial blooms. Especially in conjuntion with bio-balls.
This will consume lots of oxygen and could be the reason for your clowns being lethargic, although usually you'd see them at the surface looking for air.

Make sure your returns are breaking the surface /agitating the surface to help with CO2/O2 gas exchange.

Sorry I was trying to give as much info as I could without boring everyone

Yes I angled that up a couple of weeks ago. Lots of surface churn

 

[hyprc]

Keep you skimmer clean and skimming wet.

 

[WisconsinReefing]

Keep you skimmer clean and skimming wet.

It doesn’t seem to be doing a lot. What is skimming wet mean?