Nitrates high.. more filtration??

Question
Hi! Its me again. Well the barbs and the cichlids are getting along okay but I think adding more fish to the tank has caused me to have a nitrate spike. I did a water test and nitrates were at 50! They have never been so high. I have been feeding less food and changing out more water to try and keep levels down but I was wondering. Is there anything I can do to make the filtration better in my tank? I have two Aqua Clear filters, they are 110's.. I am pretty happy with them. But should I add another filter? Or is there anything I can add to these filters. I have them full of carbon, biomax and foam but I was wondering.. is there something else that I could add? Thank you for any help =)

Answer
Hi again, Alessa!

While it may be true that adding more fish helped spike your nitrate level, I would also investigate inside of your filters. Break them down and clean them inside, because when you moved around all of that decor - if you took my advice and did so! :) - you probably stirred up lots of debris form the bottom and your filter may be clogging. A clogged filter puts strain on the impeller, reducing flow rate, and the gunk also adds to your nitrate level as it decomposes. High nitrates are often due to the presence of decaying material.

After researching the answer to your question, I found two possibilities for you regarding enhancing your ACs. First, if you'd like to try different media, look into the product Cell-Pore. Their website is: http://www.cellpore.com/

I believe replacing your Biomax with this product may see an improvement in your tank. They have a size that fits your filters, and saltwater aquarists give rave reviews...

Second of all, if you are inclined to DIY projects, you can modify your two AC 110s (aka AC 500s) to fit a couple of Marineland bio wheels. The modification seems simple enough, but it requires a drill. There is lots written about it, I couldn't pick out just one site for you, so just try "ac500 bio-wheel" or "ac110 bio-wheel" on Google's search engine. The 500 search returns many more hits, perhaps because many of these are older posts. Chile's AC 110 modification (first hits) include pictures, if visual aids are a help to you...

Good luck! Let me know if you have any trouble finding the modification sites, if you're still interested and can't find them on your own. I believe you will have no trouble.

Nicole