What factors lower nitrates when not performing water changes?

[roggy23]

What are the possible reasons why nitrates decrease when you're not performing water changes?
Can it be phyto? Pods? Certain corals?
Not feeding enough rayio wise as the corals consume nitrates? Skimmer working too well too often?
What could it be

 

[Dan_P]

What are the possible reasons why nitrates decrease when you're not performing water changes?
Can it be phyto? Pods? Certain corals?
Not feeding enough rayio wise as the corals consume nitrates? Skimmer working too well too often?
What could it be

It seems you have a good list. Relatively new aquarium?

 

[roggy23]

It seems you have a good list. Relatively new aquarium?

No it's established now, but lately nitrates are dropping..haven't done a water change in 6 months..tank looks great tho

 

[HB AL]

Bacteria, like if you were carbon dosing and I'm assuming you don't have a large bioload.

 

[bushdoc]

What are the possible reasons why nitrates decrease when you're not performing water changes?
Can it be phyto? Pods? Certain corals?
Not feeding enough rayio wise as the corals consume nitrates? Skimmer working too well too often?
What could it be

When you find out, send me a list as my Nitrates has been undetectable for some time, so I started dosing them, only to overshoot and to cause small heterotrophic bacteria bloom.
I removed large BioBrick and bio balls from the sump, decreased skimming time, took out filter socks, increased feeding and nitrates didn't increased.
I have large Deresa Clam ( her name is Theresa) and I suspect that she is the rascal responsible for assimilating some ammonia and urea, before it brakes down to Nitrates. Should I get rid of her? But I had her for 7years!

 

[Dan_P]

No it's established now, but lately nitrates are dropping..haven't done a water change in 6 months..tank looks great tho

Established means 1-2 years old?

 

[roggy23]

Established means 1-2 years old?

2 years corraline everywhere typically stable. I did battle dinos months ago which caused me to dose bacteria like mb7 and prodibio biodigest but I haven't dosed bacteria in a couple months now.

 

[roggy23]

Bacteria, like if you were carbon dosing and I'm assuming you don't have a large bioload.

I did dose bacteria while battling dinos. In my 180 I have a naso tang, yellow tang, bristletooth tang, foxface, blue hippo tang, coral beauty, 2 chromis, Mel wrasse , yellow choris wrasse, mandarin goby, lawnmower blenny, and a tigerstripe goby with 4 urchins and herm crabs..how's that for bio load?

 

[Dan_P]

2 years corraline everywhere typically stable. I did battle dinos months ago which caused me to dose bacteria like mb7 and prodibio biodigest but I haven't dosed bacteria in a couple months now.

Thanks. I forgot to ask. When you said nitrate was decreasing, would you put that in perspective? How much over what period from what high point? Some changes are normal. Thanks.

 

[roggy23]

Thanks. I forgot to ask. When you said nitrate was decreasing, would you put that in perspective? How much over what period from what high point? Some changes are normal. Thanks.

Sure check it out

 

[Dan_P]

Sure check it out

Nice data collection! Thanks for sharing.

The nitrate level began to bounce in July-ish and then started to trend downwards starting August-ish. Seem that way to you? Was there a visible increase in growth of something back then?

 

[Idech]

I have the same situation in my tank (14 months old). Nitrates go down steadily so I dose Neonitro. I like to keep them around 10 ppm so dinos will not reappear.

It seems common in reef tanks and I do not know why either.

 

[roggy23]

Nice data collection! Thanks for sharing.

The nitrate level began to bounce in July-ish and then started to trend downwards starting August-ish. Seem that way to you? Was there a visible increase in growth of something back then?

Ya I do see growth recently.

 

[HB AL]

I did dose bacteria while battling dinos. In my 180 I have a naso tang, yellow tang, bristletooth tang, foxface, blue hippo tang, coral beauty, 2 chromis, Mel wrasse , yellow choris wrasse, mandarin goby, lawnmower blenny, and a tigerstripe goby with 4 urchins and herm crabs..how's that for bio load?

Pretty good bioload there.

 

[Gatorpa]

I have the same situation in my tank (14 months old). Nitrates go down steadily so I dose Neonitro. I like to keep them around 10 ppm so dinos will not reappear.

It seems common in reef tanks and I do not know why either.

SPSLPS use nitrate and PO4 as food. That’s why they go down in some tanks. Xenia and mushrooms love NO3 and PO4.

Also skimming will help lower it as does the bio filter that develops in mature tanks.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Everything that grows will use whatever nitrogen it can get. That's probably the main thing happening. Algae, corals, plants, bacteria, etc.

 

[Idech]

SPSLPS use nitrate and PO4 as food. That’s why they go down in some tanks. Xenia and mushrooms love NO3 and PO4.

Also skimming will help lower it as does the bio filter that develops in mature tanks.

Thanks for that. It might be my big xenia and mushrooms causing it then.

I don’t have that many corals yet so I was wondering.

 

[nereefpat]

To summarize, things that decrease nitrate concentration besides water changes:

Use by algae.
Use by corals and/or photosynthetic clams.
Conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas by anaerobic bacteria in rock and sand.
Carbon dosing, which causes growth of bacteria in the water column that are removed by a skimmer or consumed by filter feeders.

That should be it, I think.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

In general, I think all photosynthetic organisms can take up N, including but not limited to nitrate. For example, if organisms begin to take up more and more ammonia directly before it becomes nitrate, nitrate can decline even if the actual usage of nitrate has not changed.

 

[rckfsh44]

What are the possible reasons why nitrates decrease when you're not performing water changes?
Can it be phyto? Pods? Certain corals?
Not feeding enough rayio wise as the corals consume nitrates? Skimmer working too well too often?
What could it be

I put my skimmer on a timer it goes off during the night time cycle , turns on when my lights start ramping up , it’s helped keep the nitrates up