Nitrate Issue, cant keep level down

bsting · 07/03/2014, 06:29 PM

Hi guys, I posted on here a little while ago asking about cloudy water and I got a lot of good advice and all of it turned out to be correct so I thank you guys for that. Anyway Im back with another question and seeking all of your expert advice. I have a 55 gal reef tank thats been up and running for 5 months now and everything is doing great. The only thing that I cant seem to control is my nitrate. I just cant seem to get it below 5-10 ppm and i also have a few small patches of green hair algae that are popping up here and there. I have 6 relatively small fish which I only feed once a day and only what they can eat within a few minutes time so I dont overfeed. I have a few corals which are doing fine as well. I also keep up on my water changes and do 10 gal every 2 weeks which for a 55 gal with a 10 gal sump should be plenty. Im running a HOB overflow box, a innovative marine reactor with Kent reef carbon, A two little fishes phosban 150 reactor running rowa phos, A reef ocotopus nwb 110 protein skimmer, A tunze osmolator ATO, 2 Ecotech Radion G3 pro lights which I run at 40% intensity for about 9 1/2 - 10 hrs a day, and my sump is a E Shopps rs-75. I originally bought a bigger sump with a fuge but since it was too wide and didnt fit in my cabinet I had to return it and get the one I currently have which I was disappointed about but oh well. So do you guys have any ideas of how I can reduce my nitrate levels from what Ive told you? If theres any other info that Ive left out that may be critical to diagnosing my problem please ask me and Id bve happy to tell you what you want to know. Thanks in advance guys cause im stumped on this one.

pepetj · 07/03/2014, 06:41 PM

Hi

If you are into DIY, consider building an algae scrubber, also called algae turf. It may not look pretty but is easy to hide and requires once a week maintenance that takes some 10 minutes to perform (sometimes I go with every other week without issues).

I get negligible readings in nitrates and phosphates with my algae scrubber. I don't need a protein skimmer once it becomes operational.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

bsting · 07/03/2014, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepetj

Hi

If you are into DIY, consider building an algae scrubber, also called algae turf. It may not look pretty but is easy to hide and requires once a week maintenance that takes some 10 minutes to perform (sometimes I go with every other week without issues).

I get negligible readings in nitrates and phosphates with my algae scrubber. I don't need a protein skimmer once it becomes operational.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

How would i go about building an algae scrubber? Do you have a pic so i could see what you did so I have an idea what your talking about? Thanks for your input. Ill check into it and see if that would be a viable option for me as I am not really the DIY type although i could be if i really wanted to be lol

m0nkie · 07/03/2014, 08:13 PM

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1977420

bsting · 07/04/2014, 02:15 PM

are there any other methods or chemicals that you guys would recommend to reduce nitrates? ive looked into the algae scrubbers and there seems to be mixed thoughts as to whether they work or not.

jc_ellis · 07/04/2014, 02:27 PM

How often are you changing out the media in your 2 reactors? Once the media is depleted they start to become nitrate factories.

Did you use live rock or base rock when you set up the tank? If live rock, there still may be die off or leaching going on.

What type of substrate do you have? If you have a shallow sand bed, it may not be enough to bind nutrients and may need to be siphoned when you do water changes.

Basically, it could be any number of things and more info is needed.

Rognin · 07/05/2014, 10:37 AM

Carbon dosing can help somewhat if you have a skimmer.

07/03/2014, 06:29 PM	#1
bsting Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 12	Nitrate Issue, cant keep level down Hi guys, I posted on here a little while ago asking about cloudy water and I got a lot of good advice and all of it turned out to be correct so I thank you guys for that. Anyway Im back with another question and seeking all of your expert advice. I have a 55 gal reef tank thats been up and running for 5 months now and everything is doing great. The only thing that I cant seem to control is my nitrate. I just cant seem to get it below 5-10 ppm and i also have a few small patches of green hair algae that are popping up here and there. I have 6 relatively small fish which I only feed once a day and only what they can eat within a few minutes time so I dont overfeed. I have a few corals which are doing fine as well. I also keep up on my water changes and do 10 gal every 2 weeks which for a 55 gal with a 10 gal sump should be plenty. Im running a HOB overflow box, a innovative marine reactor with Kent reef carbon, A two little fishes phosban 150 reactor running rowa phos, A reef ocotopus nwb 110 protein skimmer, A tunze osmolator ATO, 2 Ecotech Radion G3 pro lights which I run at 40% intensity for about 9 1/2 - 10 hrs a day, and my sump is a E Shopps rs-75. I originally bought a bigger sump with a fuge but since it was too wide and didnt fit in my cabinet I had to return it and get the one I currently have which I was disappointed about but oh well. So do you guys have any ideas of how I can reduce my nitrate levels from what Ive told you? If theres any other info that Ive left out that may be critical to diagnosing my problem please ask me and Id bve happy to tell you what you want to know. Thanks in advance guys cause im stumped on this one.

07/03/2014, 08:13 PM	#4
m0nkie Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: LA Posts: 6,264	http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1977420 __________________ 560gal in the making

07/05/2014, 10:37 AM	#7
Rognin Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Quebec, Canada Posts: 387	Carbon dosing can help somewhat if you have a skimmer. __________________ Fish Stock: N/A, starting over Corals: Want SPS, LPS with zoas Current Tank Info: Custom 145 gallon.

07/03/2014, 06:41 PM	#2
pepetj Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Santo Domingo Posts: 55	Hi If you are into DIY, consider building an algae scrubber, also called algae turf. It may not look pretty but is easy to hide and requires once a week maintenance that takes some 10 minutes to perform (sometimes I go with every other week without issues). I get negligible readings in nitrates and phosphates with my algae scrubber. I don't need a protein skimmer once it becomes operational. Pepetj Santo Domingo

07/04/2014, 02:15 PM	#5
bsting Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 12	are there any other methods or chemicals that you guys would recommend to reduce nitrates? ive looked into the algae scrubbers and there seems to be mixed thoughts as to whether they work or not.

07/04/2014, 02:27 PM	#6
jc_ellis Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: San Antonio Posts: 7	How often are you changing out the media in your 2 reactors? Once the media is depleted they start to become nitrate factories. Did you use live rock or base rock when you set up the tank? If live rock, there still may be die off or leaching going on. What type of substrate do you have? If you have a shallow sand bed, it may not be enough to bind nutrients and may need to be siphoned when you do water changes. Basically, it could be any number of things and more info is needed.