high nitrates

Question
QUESTION: I have a 30 gal that was given to me 2 days ago so we had to move it.  We kept about 50 percent of the water and added new water.  The nitrate level has gotten pretty high close to 80.  I did a partial water change about 5 gallons and that has not helped.  Local pet store says to let tank sit for awhile since we just moved it.  Is it ok for me to continue to do partial water changes to bring the nitrate down, or should I let the tank sit a few days?  Everything I've read online says to do water changes but I have not found anything that talks specifically about when you have moved a fish tank.  Everyone in person says I need to let the fish tank sit.  Thanks for you help!!

ANSWER: Hey Kyle,
Letting the tank sit will eventually help(um, no, it wont). But the best thing to do is to do a larger water change. I would do a 40 to 50% change. Dilute the nitrates. 5 gallons just isnt enough exchange to dilute the concentration in the system. Moving a system disrupts the biological filter and it takes a while to catch up. The larger water change will reduce the stress on your new tanks inhabitants. Nitrate is not as big a worry as a toxin as nitrite or ammonia are though, unless you have corals. So hit the water change. Test your water quality within an hour or 2. If still high, you can do another one in 2 or 3 days(the next day if you have corals nitrates are very bad for our corals). Water changes are the best way to reduce any toxins in your system. Just not too often. After the first change, and if necessary the second, I would give the tank 4 or 5 days before another. Also clean the filter media, and rinse your filter device in the old water from your change and reduce feedings(amount of food, not the frequency of feedings) til you get the water quality dialed back in line. Do you have a protein skimmer? If so make sure you clean it and that it is working properly(bubbles in the water column, flow is even, the unit is pulling protein to the cup etc). Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes or if you have any more questions. Good luck.

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QUESTION: Thanks for getting back to me so fast!  While waiting for you to respond I didnt do any water changes and when i checked the nitrate this morning it had decreased significantly to 10.  Dont know how.... luckily this tank only has live rock and two clowns(I say luckily cause as you said the high nitrate would have hurt the corals)  I am going to check the nitrate again this afternoon(fingers crossed)and i will do a water change to try and get it closer to zero.  I have another question, wont doing these water changes once a week make the ammonia level rise?  once the tank gets back to normal how often should i do a water change?  This tank was neglected and i want to get it where i can get some corals and reefs.  I do not have a protein skimmer, is that something i need for corals and reefs?  I'm seeing mixed reviews about those as well. Thanks again!!

Answer
Hey Kyle,
Glad to here it. Frequent water changes dont create any problems unless they are too frequent(every 2 days or weekly once system is established) or are using a vac too deeply in the substrate and sucking out the bacteria from your bio filter. Withonly the 2 clowns you'll be fine with just a change to get it back closer to zero then another in 7 to 10 days.
Protein skimmers.... thats one that my answer will have most aquarists scoffing. Protein skimmers are necessary in systems without proper flow, aeration and a strong bio filter. I run several large and small systems without a skimmer. I have good flow from the sumps and the power heads insuring no dead spots, I make sure that the surface has disruption for aeration(not too much, just enough that you see some moderate bubbling where the water breaks), and monstrous biological filters, and I feed 3 times a day in small amounts to reduce detritus. Example, in one of my 180 gallon systems, I have 190lbs of substrate and 200 pounds of live rock. Thats it. The rule of thumb for marine systems is 1 pound of substrate and 1 pound of live rock per gallon of volume. I run more than that in my systems and substantially more  in my really large systems. The bacterial colonies are large and strong enough to clean the system. I wont tell everyone that this is the way to go, but it has worked for me for over 30 years. So it can be an expensive item that doesnt get you where you want to be. Thats a choice for the individual. You can add some really nice pieces of live rock and a power head or 2 to a 30 gallon display and never need a skimmer. What sort of filtration do you have? Canister, wet/dry, on the back? Filtration maintenance is essential in any system, skimmer or not. You want the tanks volume to be turned/filtered around 24 times a day. Well I hope this helps, let me know whats happening!