Such high nitrates.

[Afreed1]

Hey everyone. I need some help diagnosing whats the cause of my high nitrates. Theyre like 100ppm as of now and like 4 weeks ago i cut back feeding. I use to feed one whole cube for a 40 gallon tank with 5 fish
Now im only feed 1/4 a cube. Am I still overfeeding?

 

[gbroadbridge]

How are you testing? Which test kit?

 

[Afreed1]

How are you testing? Which test kit?

Im using salifert. Its not expired either.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Im using salifert. Its not expired either.

There are a number of ways nitrates can increase apart from feeding.
Is your alkalinity stable?

The easiest way to drop them are water changes. A 50% water change will drop them by 50%.

 

[Afreed1]

There are a number of ways nitrates can increase apart from feeding.
Is your alkalinity stable?

The easiest way to drop them are water changes. A 50% water change will drop them by 50%.

My alkalinitys is sitting around 11.3-11.5. Also with the water changes if i dont know the source wont they just go back up?

 

[gbroadbridge]

My alkalinitys is sitting around 11.3-11.5. Also with the water changes if i dont know the source wont they just go back up?

You probably need to look at your filtration and other export mechanisms.

You may need to change filter socks more regularly (most suggest every 2 days), make sure you have appropriate protein skimming, and possibly incorporate some form of carbon dosing to feed bacteria that consume nitrates.

Together with 10% weekly water changes that should keep things under control.

 

[doubleshot00]

Man your way over feeding for a 40 gal tank.

Rinse the food before you use it. Get another test kit like a hanna.

Do a 20 gal WC then do another 10 gal a week later and see where your at.

 

[Afreed1]

You probably need to look at your filtration and other export mechanisms.

You may need to change filter socks more regularly (most suggest every 2 days), make sure you have appropriate protein skimming, and possibly incorporate some form of carbon dosing to feed bacteria that consume nitrates.

Together with 10% weekly water changes that should keep things under control.

How do you carbon dose. Also i am getting a protein skimmer soon.

 

[Garf]

Hey everyone. I need some help diagnosing whats the cause of my high nitrates. Theyre like 100ppm as of now and like 4 weeks ago i cut back feeding. I use to feed one whole cube for a 40 gallon tank with 5 fish
Now im only feed 1/4 a cube. Am I still overfeeding?

How old is the tank? Is it recently cycled?

 

[C_AWOL]

If you match salinity and temp, you can do a large water change to lower the nitrates quickly.
Assuming you have a sandbed I would suggest cleaning it to remove the potentially large amount of detritus in there and possibly consider carbon dosing (vinegar/vodka/both) if you have a skimmer and decent flow in the system to aid in nitrate (and to a lesser extent) phosphate reduction.

 

[MrGisonni]

Check testing results and perform water changes

 

[Afreed1]

How old is the tank? Is it recently cycled?

Had a 20 gallon at first that was set up at the end of September of last year and set up a 40 gallon and used my 20 gallon water and put it in the 40 gallon i was setting up. I set the 40 gallon up id say july of this year.

 

[Afreed1]

If you match salinity and temp, you can do a large water change to lower the nitrates quickly.
Assuming you have a sandbed I would suggest cleaning it to remove the potentially large amount of detritus in there and possibly consider carbon dosing (vinegar/vodka/both) if you have a skimmer and decent flow in the system to aid in nitrate (and to a lesser extent) phosphate reduction.

What brand or type of vinegar do you use?

 

[Afreed1]

Check testing results and perform water changes

I think i am going to do a large water change

 

[jda]

Do you have corals? If so, you could be harming them if you cut back on feeding the fish. Ammonia is the only sure way that corals get nitrogen. Some corals cannot use nitrate and those that can use nitrate have to convert it back so ammonia at a high energy cost.

You have high no3 because you have not completed the real nitrogen cycle. Cycles never end and they certainly are not over X days after adding bottled bacteria. Plants, physical export or anoxic bacteria turn no3 into N gas - this required undisturbed sand or effective rock (usually real live and not dry/dead at least not for a while). If you have a good skimmer organic carbon dosing can lower nitrate, but there are risk - Dr RFH has good artilces on this and you can use vinegar, vodka or sugar and not have to buy a bottled reef product at quite a high markup.

 

[JayM]

Whatever you decide to do, pick one thing and stick with it for a while. Too many changes too fast will likely complicate things even more.

I would personally start with a big water change and see how it goes.

 

[C_AWOL]

What brand or type of vinegar do you use?

Any food grade plain white vinegar will do

 

[tsharpe291]

How do you carbon dose. Also i am getting a protein skimmer soon.

proper biological filtration IMO is the best thing. you can keep doing water changes all day long but if your system isn't able of consuming the nitrates its an endless battle.

 

[gbroadbridge]

What brand or type of vinegar do you use?

You should look for distilled vinegar rather than a fermented vinegar sometimes sold as white vinegar.

Fermented vinegar can contain other types of organics.

 

[fish farmer]

It sounds like you are not filtering/exporting enough for the size of the tank.

You are getting a protein skimmer, good start.

Are you using RO/DI water....noticed you mentioned something about not knowing the source?

I don't think one cube of food for 5 fish in a 40 is too much. When my 29 with three fish was bottomed out I was one cube a day and barely got readings until I used reef roids. I filter heavy with lots of coral biomass, so my tank conditions are different.

What is your cleaning/WC practice? Do you siphon out detritus, algae, vacuum sand bed?