Water quality: New member with lots to learn!

[Ferry2943]

Hello everyone! My husband and I have a 125 gallon reef tank. Our tank has been up and running for about 10 months. It's been quite the learning process, as this is our first reef tank, but its been great experience thus far. We do water changes and test the water, but this is the first time we have noticed the Nitrate level get this high (100ppm). I have read that a 30-40% water change 3x would need to be done. Will this be enough to lower? We were told that another good way to control the water quality was to greatly decrease the amount of sand in the tank, and that ideally the sand should just barely cover the bottom and be placed around the rocks instead of under them. Should we decrease the amount of sand at the bottom in addition to the water change?

 

[725196]

Don’t remove the sand. That will release all sorts of nitrates and phosphates from it into the water. There are better ways to “ control” nitrates and phosphates. What kind of filtration do you have? Do you have a sump? How much room is in the sump?

welcome to the hobby and R2R.

Free advice: the most expensive part of this hobby is impatience!

 

[Billdogg]

I agree with the above. I would also suggest that when you do your water changes you use something like a Python Siphon to clean about 1/3 of the sand each time. That prevents large amounts of detritus from accumulating and causing the Nitrate to spike like that. I, for one, cannot imagine doing a water change without one. (32 years, so like eleventy million water changes and counting. Tomorrow will make eleventy million and 1!)

FWIW - I'd siphon out down to the point the anemone is about to hit low tide for your water changes. Do that every other day until things are back in shape. Once you get things under control you can go back to 10% weekly or 20% biweekly, but I'd still use the python siphon every time.

HTH!

 

[Ferry2943]

Don’t remove the sand. That will release all sorts of nitrates and phosphates from it into the water. There are better ways to “ control” nitrates and phosphates. What kind of filtration do you have? Do you have a sump? How much room is in the sump?

welcome to the hobby and R2R.

Free advice: the most expensive part of this hobby is impatience!

I agree with the above. I would also suggest that when you do your water changes you use something like a Python Siphon to clean about 1/3 of the sand each time. That prevents large amounts of detritus from accumulating and causing the Nitrate to spike like that. I, for one, cannot imagine doing a water change without one. (32 years, so like eleventy million water changes and counting. Tomorrow will make eleventy million and 1!)

FWIW - I'd siphon out down to the point the anemone is about to hit low tide for your water changes. Do that every other day until things are back in shape. Once you get things under control you can go back to 10% weekly or 20% biweekly, but I'd still use the python siphon every time.

HTH!

Refugium box filtration

 

[vetteguy53081]

When doing water changes- Avoid stirring sandbed.
You can also add Chemipure elite to the sump which will keep phosphates and nitrates in check.
Also check your water you are uing for water changes to assure it does not have high nitrates