nitrates issues

noxided · 02/01/2013, 11:32 AM

200 gallon, 10 small fish; clowns and damsels, no skimmer, weekly 15% water changes

nitrates are around 90 ppm

its been this way for months now and the aquarium has been setup for close to a year.

i installed a nitrate reactor with sulfur a month ago but still no change.

ImNotLion · 02/01/2013, 12:26 PM

What is your feeding like? Flakes? Raw? Are you scooping out what they don't eat?

noxided · 02/01/2013, 12:30 PM

i use ocean nutrition formula two pellets.

i only feed them a few pinches and its all eaten, no left overs

RickReef28 · 02/01/2013, 01:09 PM

90ppm is pretty high. is it a FOWLR tank? You should really have a skimmer on a tank that large. Too much nutirents going in and not enough being exported out. Seems like the 15% water changes are not making a difference. I would try larger changes each week and get the Nitrates down to below 20ppm in a FOWLR and near 0 in a reef. Getting a powerful skimmer will also improve nutirent export greatly.

Guygettnby · 02/01/2013, 01:26 PM

need more info about your tank. what kind of tank is it? what kind of lights? what kind of filtration? do you have a RODI unit? what test kits are you using?

cant help you with your problem until we really know more about your setup.

noxided · 02/01/2013, 02:07 PM

FOWLR
LED
large cansiter filter converted to nitrate reactor
grape caulerpa algae and chaeto algae in a refugium
API testing kit

Guygettnby · 02/01/2013, 02:17 PM

first thing you need to do is ditch the API test kit. get yourself some good test kits, like salifert. compare your API test kit to somebody elses test kit. you might be surprised at what you find. API has been known to give false readings.

no skimmer? any mechanical filtration? if so how often do you change it out or clean it?

noxided · 02/01/2013, 02:33 PM

i will try another tester

i had a skimmer on for about a week and it did not pull much out, not enough to make a difference

only mech. filter is the canister converted into a nitrate reactor with sulfur and seachem matrix. it has not been in there long enough to change the media.

jjwilbanks · 02/01/2013, 08:42 PM

Do some research on algae scrubbers. As aquarists, it is easy to get caught in the trap of buying the next, great thing for nitrate control. Nature has mechanisms to deal with nitrates, and algae are the hogs of the nutrient uptake world. Adding a skimmer will help remove the organics released by the algae (which are harmless, but may discolor your water) and remove other organics released by your livestock as waste. I have been in the hobby for a long time and have seen one trend after another come and go for nitrate control. Let nature do the task. You can build a scrubber with parts from Home Depot/Lowes for less than $50. Once it is established, you will see your nitrates plummet, as well as phosphates and any other nutrients that the algae can metabolize. Good luck.

noxided · 02/01/2013, 10:03 PM

i like the idea of an algae scrubber but i do not have the space for it.

My aquarium is the centerpiece of my living room with half of the stand holding entertainment equipment

jjwilbanks · 02/01/2013, 10:19 PM

Sounds like you need a fish room. Time to remodel, lol. Do you have a sump/fuge? That's where I have my scrubber. If your lights on your display are high enough, you might could hide the scrubber in your canopy and let the water trickle into your display. A small powerhead would provide plenty of flow to get it going and you would not need separate lights. With a scrubber, surface area is everything. You could make a very wide, short scrubber that would be out of view. Do you have a sand bed? A properly set-up DSB can be very effective at nitrate control. The trick is getting the right critters in the bed and building the bed with properly sized sand particles. If space is limited, a DSB or plenum might be the way to go since they are incorporated into the display instead of needing to be external. You will hear people give both of these systems bad comments, but if they are set-up properly they are both very effective at nitrate removal.

jjwilbanks · 02/01/2013, 10:24 PM

Also, it takes several weeks (even up to a month) for protein skimmers to start functioning properly. The skimmer must build a coating on the column. I have an Aqua C Remora Pro on my system. When I first hooked it up, it did nothing for two weeks but make bubbles. I came home from work one day to find the cup about to overflow. Once they start they really start, be patient. Skimmers are important for a healthy system.

MikeTR · 02/01/2013, 10:29 PM

Have you tested the effluent coming out of your nitrate reactor?

02/01/2013, 11:32 AM	#1
noxided Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Montgomery, Tx Posts: 27	nitrates issues 200 gallon, 10 small fish; clowns and damsels, no skimmer, weekly 15% water changes nitrates are around 90 ppm its been this way for months now and the aquarium has been setup for close to a year. i installed a nitrate reactor with sulfur a month ago but still no change.

02/01/2013, 12:26 PM	#2
ImNotLion Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 88	What is your feeding like? Flakes? Raw? Are you scooping out what they don't eat?

02/01/2013, 12:30 PM	#3
noxided Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Montgomery, Tx Posts: 27	i use ocean nutrition formula two pellets. i only feed them a few pinches and its all eaten, no left overs

02/01/2013, 01:09 PM	#4
RickReef28 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Palatine, IL Posts: 147	90ppm is pretty high. is it a FOWLR tank? You should really have a skimmer on a tank that large. Too much nutirents going in and not enough being exported out. Seems like the 15% water changes are not making a difference. I would try larger changes each week and get the Nitrates down to below 20ppm in a FOWLR and near 0 in a reef. Getting a powerful skimmer will also improve nutirent export greatly.

02/01/2013, 01:26 PM	#5
Guygettnby Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: FL Posts: 3,050	need more info about your tank. what kind of tank is it? what kind of lights? what kind of filtration? do you have a RODI unit? what test kits are you using? cant help you with your problem until we really know more about your setup.

02/01/2013, 02:07 PM	#6
noxided Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Montgomery, Tx Posts: 27	FOWLR LED large cansiter filter converted to nitrate reactor grape caulerpa algae and chaeto algae in a refugium API testing kit

02/01/2013, 02:17 PM	#7
Guygettnby Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: FL Posts: 3,050	first thing you need to do is ditch the API test kit. get yourself some good test kits, like salifert. compare your API test kit to somebody elses test kit. you might be surprised at what you find. API has been known to give false readings. no skimmer? any mechanical filtration? if so how often do you change it out or clean it?

02/01/2013, 02:33 PM	#8
noxided Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Montgomery, Tx Posts: 27	i will try another tester i had a skimmer on for about a week and it did not pull much out, not enough to make a difference only mech. filter is the canister converted into a nitrate reactor with sulfur and seachem matrix. it has not been in there long enough to change the media.

02/01/2013, 08:42 PM	#9
jjwilbanks Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pulaski, TN Posts: 49	Do some research on algae scrubbers. As aquarists, it is easy to get caught in the trap of buying the next, great thing for nitrate control. Nature has mechanisms to deal with nitrates, and algae are the hogs of the nutrient uptake world. Adding a skimmer will help remove the organics released by the algae (which are harmless, but may discolor your water) and remove other organics released by your livestock as waste. I have been in the hobby for a long time and have seen one trend after another come and go for nitrate control. Let nature do the task. You can build a scrubber with parts from Home Depot/Lowes for less than $50. Once it is established, you will see your nitrates plummet, as well as phosphates and any other nutrients that the algae can metabolize. Good luck.

02/01/2013, 10:03 PM	#10
noxided Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Montgomery, Tx Posts: 27	i like the idea of an algae scrubber but i do not have the space for it. My aquarium is the centerpiece of my living room with half of the stand holding entertainment equipment

02/01/2013, 10:19 PM	#11
jjwilbanks Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pulaski, TN Posts: 49	Sounds like you need a fish room. Time to remodel, lol. Do you have a sump/fuge? That's where I have my scrubber. If your lights on your display are high enough, you might could hide the scrubber in your canopy and let the water trickle into your display. A small powerhead would provide plenty of flow to get it going and you would not need separate lights. With a scrubber, surface area is everything. You could make a very wide, short scrubber that would be out of view. Do you have a sand bed? A properly set-up DSB can be very effective at nitrate control. The trick is getting the right critters in the bed and building the bed with properly sized sand particles. If space is limited, a DSB or plenum might be the way to go since they are incorporated into the display instead of needing to be external. You will hear people give both of these systems bad comments, but if they are set-up properly they are both very effective at nitrate removal.

02/01/2013, 10:24 PM	#12
jjwilbanks Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pulaski, TN Posts: 49	Also, it takes several weeks (even up to a month) for protein skimmers to start functioning properly. The skimmer must build a coating on the column. I have an Aqua C Remora Pro on my system. When I first hooked it up, it did nothing for two weeks but make bubbles. I came home from work one day to find the cup about to overflow. Once they start they really start, be patient. Skimmers are important for a healthy system.

02/01/2013, 10:29 PM	#13
MikeTR Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: SW FL Posts: 351	Have you tested the effluent coming out of your nitrate reactor?