Nitrate help

Fgtank · 02/11/2013, 06:07 PM

Hi all I have a120 gal with 75 gal sump/fug. Tank has been up and running a few months now. I have a pair of clowns and a clean up crew.all parameters are good, but nitrates are high between 10 & 25 ppm on salifert test kit. I have been doing a 35 gal water change weekly for 4 weeks. Should I be doing anything else or something different? Thanks

drew2007 · 02/11/2013, 06:29 PM

How often and much do you feed? What type of filtration are you running?

kfisc · 02/11/2013, 06:33 PM

I think you may still be in the end stage of cycling; perhaps you also have some nuisance diatoms and algae hanging around? A guess is too much nutrient in the water column from some source or the other, perhaps not enough flow and settling of detritus in dead spots around/under the rock. Hopefully your source water is RO/DI.

Fgtank · 02/11/2013, 06:54 PM

I have a filter sock on the drains, some rock and a little chaeto in the fug. I think I have plenty of water flow, I have 2mp 40's and a blue line 70(sump is in the basement). I use ro/di water.

Fgtank · 02/11/2013, 06:55 PM

Also I feed a little bit of frozen shrimp once a day

B.BASH · 02/11/2013, 07:03 PM

how often do you change your sock and how do you clean it

Fgtank · 02/11/2013, 07:11 PM

At least once a week I wash it in the washing machine with just a little bleach and turn it inside out and wash it again then let them air dry, I have four of them so the air dry a long time before I use them.

kfisc · 02/11/2013, 07:23 PM

How about the shrimp as the culprit?

matt9190 · 02/11/2013, 08:42 PM

Maybe alternate frozen shrimp with some flake food every other day? Also, run Chaeto in your fuge, and trim out about half of it every few weeks. Removing the macroalgae from your fuge essentially removes the nitrate. Good luck.

MHG · 02/11/2013, 08:47 PM

How much rock and sand do you have? Sounds to me like the cycle is not complete.

Fgtank · 02/11/2013, 10:30 PM

Will try doing shrimp, flake. I have about 120lbs of live sand, and about 200lbs of live rock. Will take care of chaeto too. Thanks will try all this. Also I started the tank November.

solitude · 02/11/2013, 11:39 PM

I think you are @ the end of your cycle. I feel once 3-4 days.

02/11/2013, 06:07 PM	#1
Fgtank Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Long island,ny Posts: 91	Nitrate help Hi all I have a120 gal with 75 gal sump/fug. Tank has been up and running a few months now. I have a pair of clowns and a clean up crew.all parameters are good, but nitrates are high between 10 & 25 ppm on salifert test kit. I have been doing a 35 gal water change weekly for 4 weeks. Should I be doing anything else or something different? Thanks

02/11/2013, 06:29 PM	#2
drew2007 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 976	How often and much do you feed? What type of filtration are you running? __________________ 110g rimless, Elite Aquatics sump, JNS ConeS Co2, ATI Sunpower, Vortech, Digital Aquatics RKE

02/11/2013, 08:42 PM	#9
matt9190 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 102	Maybe alternate frozen shrimp with some flake food every other day? Also, run Chaeto in your fuge, and trim out about half of it every few weeks. Removing the macroalgae from your fuge essentially removes the nitrate. Good luck. __________________ - Matt 30g DT w/ 20g sump/fuge - 5 years and counting... 90g DT with 30g sump/fuge currently under construction!

02/11/2013, 08:47 PM	#10
MHG Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 2,919	How much rock and sand do you have? Sounds to me like the cycle is not complete. __________________ MHG (LIRA Member) 60G Cube, Kessil 360's

02/11/2013, 06:33 PM	#3
kfisc Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 2,020	I think you may still be in the end stage of cycling; perhaps you also have some nuisance diatoms and algae hanging around? A guess is too much nutrient in the water column from some source or the other, perhaps not enough flow and settling of detritus in dead spots around/under the rock. Hopefully your source water is RO/DI.

02/11/2013, 06:54 PM	#4
Fgtank Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Long island,ny Posts: 91	I have a filter sock on the drains, some rock and a little chaeto in the fug. I think I have plenty of water flow, I have 2mp 40's and a blue line 70(sump is in the basement). I use ro/di water.

02/11/2013, 06:55 PM	#5
Fgtank Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Long island,ny Posts: 91	Also I feed a little bit of frozen shrimp once a day

02/11/2013, 07:03 PM	#6
B.BASH Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 268	how often do you change your sock and how do you clean it

02/11/2013, 07:11 PM	#7
Fgtank Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Long island,ny Posts: 91	At least once a week I wash it in the washing machine with just a little bleach and turn it inside out and wash it again then let them air dry, I have four of them so the air dry a long time before I use them.

02/11/2013, 07:23 PM	#8
kfisc Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 2,020	How about the shrimp as the culprit?

02/11/2013, 10:30 PM	#11
Fgtank Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Long island,ny Posts: 91	Will try doing shrimp, flake. I have about 120lbs of live sand, and about 200lbs of live rock. Will take care of chaeto too. Thanks will try all this. Also I started the tank November.

02/11/2013, 11:39 PM	#12
solitude Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: california Posts: 58	I think you are @ the end of your cycle. I feel once 3-4 days.