nitrates

Question
QUESTION: I have a 120 gallon reef tank and I cant seem to get my nitrate levels down. I have done 3 water changes in the last 2 days. Each water change is about 30 gallons. Unfortunately, I use tap water with chlorine remover and my tap water has a low level of nitrate already. I have bought a RO unit but haven't had the time to set it up. Is there anything I can do to get my nitrate level down other than a major water change?  All other levels are great. Thank you for your input.. Eric

ANSWER: Hey Eric,

Can you let me know what the NITRATE level is BEFORE your water change, (and then 1 hour after the water change???

There should be some reduction...

Also, can you please let me know what equipment you have in your system?  Is it a cannister filter?  Is it a sump/refugium?   Is it a hang on tank filter???

What type of substrate/sand do you have?  and how many pounds of live rock??

What type of fish and crittes do you have???


Also, how old is your test kit?  Can you compare your test results with someone elses test kit?  i.e. bring some of your water to the lfs to have them test it and compare results...

NITRATES are a 'death' sentance to tanks... If you ahve minium corals, or if you ahve corals that arent sensitive to nitrates then it isnt a problem...

A RO/DI filter will help a LITTLE with nitrates, but not really a significant difference...

BUT, you should still get off the couch and hook up that filter, as it will help with keeping phosphates and other dissolved solids from contributing to any possible algae issues...

IT really isnt that hard to hook up.. you can get adapters to hook up to the kitchen faucet or to a garden hose.. and just hook it up when you need water...(I strongly urge a float valve for that type of application)  

Also, you can post more questions and pictures on my new forum at www.thelittleocean.com


I look forward to hearing more info from you so we can carry on with more possible answers...


good luck



bill

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Bill,
Thank you for the quick response..Ok- where do I start? I have a sump filter under the aquarium itself. I use a type of sand substrate with about 80-100 lbs of live rock.  I have tested the water again and it doesn't seem to be lowering but my test kit is pretty old- 4 years or so.I have a yellow tang-hippo tang- union tang- maroon clown and a few damsels. I have a coral banded shrimp and 3 serpent stars-3 sea cucumbers. As for the corals- toadstool leather-polyps-mushrooms-hammerhead-frogspawn-a cup coral- green star polyps. My corals look fine except the cup coral-wont open and the green star polyps dont open like they used to. My corals dont seem to be populating-reproducing! I use 2 175w- metal halides and 2 65 w VHO's.. the bulbs are 2 months old. The tank looks nice but I know it could do so much better.If that makes sense to you? I haven't purchased anything in about a year except- xenia corals- 2 times- both times they died. I'm pretty sure it is my nitrate levels doing this. Thanks again for your time. Eric

PS- I am getting off my ass and hooking up my RO filter on saturday!! LOL.... thanks again...

Answer
hehe, yea, get off the couch and work off some of that turkey dinner!!!!!

most of the corals you listed shouldnt have too much of an issue with nitrates...

typcially nitrate issues show as a slow in growth, and lack of coloring,  (usually browning out)

The cup coral would be / could be showing signs of nitrate issues...

Xenia and GSP and have a 'hit and miss' issue... sometimes they grow like weeds for some folks, and sometimes you cant get it to grow at all.

I can not keep xenia or GSP... PERIOD

Nothing i can do will allow them to grow, or even to survive more then a few months... they just slowly close up and melt away... And i really like GSP... I think it is a perfect addition to my view of what a reef should look like...

You definately should test your test kit... compare it to the lfs and see if it is close...

You can also dilute the test water... (water from your tank)  by mixing in fresh saltwater with the tank water... 50-50... so if you need 10cc of tank water, make it 5 of tank water and 5 of new fresh salt water..

this should cut your nitrates/test results in half


Again, this is just to verify your test kits/results


As for your sump.. do you use filter socks?  or filter sponges??? If so, how often to you change them...

I can use filter socks. but choose to not use them a lot... I might use a filter sock or filter sponge prior to having company over or prior to taking pictures...

They will remove the larger particulate matter from the water colum.. but, if you dont change them often, it keeps those particles submerged in the tank water, constantly rinsing hte food and poop back into the water, so in essence you arent removing anything and you are creating a better way to get the junk into the water...

If you can, maybe you can get some MACRO algae, (like chaetomorphae) or other good algae) and float that in the sump.  You will need sump lighing, which can be a cheapy light fixture.. from Home depot or somewhere else.. (mine cost $20) and is a power compact flood light) It is on 18 hours a day)

If you dont have a 'refugium' compartment in the sump, you can create one.. the easy way, is to use a 'strainer' type of rubbermaid container.. and glue some styrofoam to it so it floats.  Or you can secure it so it floats...

And place the macro in the 'colander' of alage.  It is good if the water can spill or flow thru the alage/container.. the more water the better...

The algae works like real plants, in that they take the nitrates and use them and they output clean water/oxygen

IT will also allow the growth of critters like amphipods and copepods and other cool critters to grow in that refugium...

There are lots of different ways to go about this issue of high nitrates, but again, Im not thinking you have a big problem... it is a basic problem with many different ways to 'attack' resolve it...

Water changes by themselves rarely work...

Feed the tank less, (much less), remove left over food, and dead critters...

There are 'nitrate' removers.. everything from liquid additives to meida you can put into a flow thru bag, to equipment called DE-NITRATORSm that range in cost from $20 (DIY) to several hundred dollars...


If you would like to talk about this more and get more information from other reefers, please log onto my new forum at www.thelittleocean.com  and I am sure you will get a rainbow of answers and information there.

WE also have a live chatroom, although it has a een a little quite lately, (Im thinking cause of hte holidays)

But typically, if you are online at the same time as me or other reefers, you wil be able to chat with them LIVE...  (chat via typing)

Anyways, i look forward to reading more answers from you when i get back in a couple days...

Until then, I will be off for the holiday, (although, i might get a chance to log in for a second)