The quest for lowering nitrates.

Alexreefer · Dec 8, 2018

Just ordered the siporax and started building its housing. As a nitrate reactor is it just bio balls in a reactor?

Dan_P · Dec 8, 2018

Alexreefer said:
Hey all, So I've been having problems with getting my nitrates down and have been doing 30 gal water changes every week. The tank is a 95 gal. I've tested with 3 different test kits(salfert, API, nyos) nyos shows the lowest of 25 and API shows 160 and salifert shows 50! I'm so confused about which is accurate. ANy ideas and do you guys know how I can lower my nitrates?
Thanks, Alex

The API test covers a very wide range. The very intense colors at the upper end of the test range will be tough to differentiate by eye. Such a test will be useful to obtain ballpark estimates. So my take is that API indicates your system has plenty of nitrate. The Salifert and Nyos tests also indicate a high nitrate level. Even for these test kits, the color intensity is getting up there, making a differentiation between colors on the chart difficult.

How long have the nitrates been high?

Alexreefer · Dec 9, 2018

2-4 weeks done wc everryweek

Alexreefer · Dec 9, 2018

don't nitrates convert into nitrites shouldn't this mean that I should have nitrites too. Does this mean I have no beneficial bacteria? Nitrites come out as 0

Gareth elliott · Dec 9, 2018

Alexreefer said:
don't nitrates convert into nitrites shouldn't this mean that I should have nitrites too. Does this mean I have no beneficial bacteria? Nitrites come out as 0

Nitrates are near the end of the nitrogen cycle. There are also bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrogen gas. These take the longest to get in numbers that have an effect on your tank.

Microbacter 7 has been my way of speeding up this process but still not an overnight solution more like weeks or months of adding before you start getting an appreciable result ime.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 9, 2018

Alexreefer said:
I am planning to get the Siporax and a couple egg crates. I know its a stupid question but how do I correctly set up a nitrate reactor?

What exactly do you mean?

Just a low flow area, or one where you intentionally dose an organic compound like vodka or ethanol into it??

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 9, 2018

Alexreefer said:
don't nitrates convert into nitrites shouldn't this mean that I should have nitrites too. Does this mean I have no beneficial bacteria? Nitrites come out as 0

The opposite:

ammonia ---> nitrite ---> nitrate

Dan_P · Dec 9, 2018

Alexreefer said:
don't nitrates convert into nitrites shouldn't this mean that I should have nitrites too. Does this mean I have no beneficial bacteria? Nitrites come out as 0

Nitrite is oxidized to nitrate.

If the tank has a mature nitrification bio filter, aka, it is cycled, ammonia and nitrites will not be detected. Nitrate tends to accumulate unless the denitrification bio filter is reducing it to nitrogen gas. Measuring nitrate means nitrate is being produced faster than it is being reduced to nitrogen gas AND being consumed by bacteria and algae.

How old is your system?

Alexreefer · Dec 9, 2018

my system is 6 months old. 4 small fish and a couple of corals. They can't be making that much waste. What could be my problem

Alexreefer · Dec 9, 2018

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
What exactly do you mean?

Just a low flow area, or one where you intentionally dose an organic compound like vodka or ethanol into it??

I have an aquamaxx reactor. Can I throw some bio balls and dose vodka?

Gareth elliott · Dec 9, 2018

Alexreefer said:
I have an aquamaxx reactor. Can I throw some bio balls and dose vodka?

I would not use bio balls personally, they rather quickly become a home for detritus. Limiting their ability to house bacteria. While not all that easy to clean. For bio balls to be effective you need a layered filtration system of foam, floss, then bio balls. This will require regular maintenance. This is similar to how my freshwater systems run except with additional layers of matrix and polishing filter at the end.

Alexreefer · Dec 9, 2018

Gareth elliott said:
I would not use bio balls personally, they rather quickly become a home for detritus. Limiting their ability to house bacteria. While not all that easy to clean. For bio balls to be effective you need a layered filtration system of foam, floss, then bio balls. This will require regular maintenance. This is similar to how my freshwater systems run except with additional layers of matrix and polishing filter at the end.

What would you recommend?

Alexreefer · Dec 9, 2018

Placement for the siporax? high flow? low flow. Does it matter?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 9, 2018

Alexreefer said:
I have an aquamaxx reactor. Can I throw some bio balls and dose vodka?

Which reactor? They make ones designed for biopellets and ones for GFO and such.

In any case, unless you are making it a very low flow rector and dosing the organic directly into it (making a denitrator), then I don't think you need any sort of reactor to just dose vodka to the tank.

Alexreefer · Dec 9, 2018

For dosing vodka in the tank do I need my skimmer on. Can I have some help for vodka dosing?

Willy315 · Dec 9, 2018

Alexreefer said:
Placement for the siporax? high flow? low flow. Does it matter?

I have mine in a low flow area about 10ogph. Putting them in a "basket" definitely helps to clean them later. I give mine a good shaking about every 6 months to help get rid of detritus.

Flippers4pups · Dec 9, 2018

Alexreefer said:
For dosing vodka in the tank do I need my skimmer on. Can I have some help for vodka dosing?

Skimmer stays on. May someone can chime in on carbon dosing vodka. I have a article on it, but it saved on my pc. Using my phone right now.

Dan_P · Dec 9, 2018

Flippers4pups said:
Skimmer stays on. May someone can chime in on carbon dosing vodka. I have a article on it, but it saved on my pc. Using my phone right now.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium

Dan_P · Dec 9, 2018

Alexreefer said:
my system is 6 months old. 4 small fish and a couple of corals. They can't be making that much waste. What could be my problem

Some possibilities

1) Error in measurement (discussed already)
2) Nitrate being added via new salt water, possibly from fresh water
3) Overfeeding
4) Nitrate was always high and you just noticed it
5) Presence of nitrite can give high nitrate reading

James Tucker · Dec 9, 2018

For someone that went the other route with my nitrate issues last week, I can attest that the Salifert kit is probably the most accurate. I’m using it on 4 tanks now and I feel good about it. I threw away my API kit yesterday.

Listen to these chaps, they know thier stuff.

IMO, I’d get your Nitrates down before attempting vodka (carbon) dosing or start super low at first and be cautious. There is a bacteria bloom risk from having super high Nitrates and adding too much carbon. I was able to replicate the issue last week. From my reading it’s a great technique but requires a lot of finesse and works best when starting slow and being patient over several months to get awesome results. Though, I think all scenarios are like that?