water parameter problems (most likely Nitrate)

[nikosbk11]

Hello everyone, I hope that you are enjoying your holiday. I have been noticing the skin on my acans and candy canes receting and thought that you guys would know best about what I can do to help my coral.

My parameters are:

kh:14.7 Mg:1200 calcium:360 ph:8.3 phosphate .25 and nitrate 80ppm

It is probably from the nitrate and if it is how do I bring it down. I have a 40 gallon cube aio tank and I do a 5 gallon water change once a week.

 

[TokenReefer]

You should be able to reduce nitrates with water changes. Maybe increase the % changed?

 

[TheStrangler]

What test kits are you using, and have you double checked in case of test kit issues? 80 ppm Nitrates are high, but the 14.7 KH is what sticks out at me more. Water changes, and decreasing nitrate input into the tank by decreasing feeding or increasing nitrate uptake through something like macro algae will help.

 

[Mschmidt]

If you have a filter sponge, clean that when you do water changes. that will help them from coming up in the future. also, if you can grow macro algae in it too, that would help maintain some.

 

[nikosbk11]

What test kits are you using, and have you double checked in case of test kit issues? 80 ppm Nitrates are high, but the 14.7 KH is what sticks out at me more. Water changes, and decreasing nitrate input into the tank by decreasing feeding or increasing nitrate uptake through something like macro algae will help.

i'm using a salifert test kit, I just did a water change yesterday I just assumed that was why the kh is high and I have some macro algae in my tank already.

 

[TheStrangler]

Assuming your salinity isn't very high, unless you're dosing, kh shouldn't be mixing that high. I think the red sea salt mixes and reef crystals mix high around 10-11, but many other salts mix in the 8-9 range. That's just why I was quick to point out potential testing error.

 

[TokenReefer]

Can I recommend taking a look at this and cross checking some of your values to see if they fall in the recommended ranges?

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

 

[nikosbk11]

thank you so much this is so helpful

 

[TokenReefer]

Hey before committing to those, I actually just came across this helpfully posted in another thread; looks like he updated those values

Optimal Parameters for a Coral Reef Aquarium: By Randy Holmes-Farley

[note: edited on 5/29/2022 to update the nitrate and phosphate sections with higher recommended levels.] One of the main roles of an aquarist with a coral reef aquarium is to ensure that the conditions are right for their tank inhabitants. There are many different attributes of the aquarium...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Jekyl]

30% water changes twice a week until nutrients are where you want. Then explore options to keep them stable instead of rising.

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

KH is high, Mag and Calcium are low. With Nitrate that high, you're either not cleaning your filtration or siphoning tank.

What salt are you using? If you're doing weekly 5 gallon water changes, your levels shouldn't be that low.

 

[nikosbk11]

KH is high, Mag and Calcium are low. With Nitrate that high, you're either not cleaning your filtration or siphoning tank.

What salt are you using? If you're doing weekly 5 gallon water changes, your levels shouldn't be that low.

I siphon every water change, my nitrates are high because I dosed for nitrates because they were really low. I have been using water from my lfs and I just bought tropic marin reef salt so I think my levels should go back to normal soon enough.

 

[August]

I apologize if I didn't already see it elsewhere in your post, but do you do water changes with RODI water or do you just treat your tap water? Tap water can have nitrate already present in it.

I am not certain your test kit will be able to help you identify when you are making progress until you hit substantial changes. Hanna High nitrate checkers are much more precise.

Again, can you tell us what salt mix you are using and my own curiosity, and how long you are mixing it and if it is with a pump, by hand and if you are heating the water.

Just saw your comment about dosing nitrate, which explains the high nitrates What are you trying to feed with the nitrates? I thought I read somewhere that higher nitrates causes acros to receed and melt.

 

[nikosbk11]

I apologize if I didn't already see it elsewhere in your post, but do you do water changes with RODI water or do you just treat your tap water? Tap water can have nitrate already present in it.

I am not certain your test kit will be able to help you identify when you are making progress until you hit substantial changes. Hanna High nitrate checkers are much more precise.

Again, can you tell us what salt mix you are using and my own curiosity, and how long you are mixing it and if it is with a pump, by hand and if you are heating the water.

Just saw your comment about dosing nitrate, which explains the high nitrates What are you trying to feed with the nitrates? I thought I read somewhere that higher nitrates causes acros to receed and melt.

I use rodi from an rodi machine.
the test kits that I use are api for everything exept kh and magnesium which I test with salifert test kits
I have been using red sea reef pro salt, I just started using tropic marin reef pro salt.
I feed every other day starting this week with frozen misis shrimp.
On a youtube video by tidal gardens that Acans skin can recede from high nitrates so I just assumed that would be the problem.

 

[nikosbk11]

I use rodi from an rodi machine.
the test kits that I use are api for everything exept kh and magnesium which I test with salifert test kits
I have been using red sea reef pro salt, I just started using tropic marin reef pro salt.
I feed every other day starting this week with frozen misis shrimp.
On a youtube video by tidal gardens that Acans skin can recede from high nitrates so I just assumed that would be the problem.

I just retested my kh and it is at 11 now.