Nitrates - last mile

[msbreton]

I've been working on getting my Nitrate level < 1 for some time now, (was 10-20 in Sep). The tank has fish and soft corals, which are all doing very well, and while 10-20 is "ok" I'm looking to add a few SPS so I want to get my Nitrate level lower.

I added a Bio Reactor in Sep and over the following 8+ weeks Nitrates went down from ~20 to ~5 and then stopped - I couldn't get it any lower than that.

A few weeks ago, I started doing weekly water changes, instead of biweekly, and I've now got it down to 2.5 but that seems to be it - I'd really rather go back to biweekly at some point.

I'm also running a *small* ball of chaeto and red macro allege in the sump.

Here's the current parameters (which are stable and have been for over 8 months - tank is just over a 13 months old)
SG - 1.025
Temp - 78.4
PH - 8.3
Alk - 9
Ca - 400
Mg - 1350
Nitrate - 2.5
PO3 - 0.06

Oh, I feed once a day, either frozen Mysis or Brine (1 cube) which is consumed in about 30 seconds. I also give my Tangs 2 small (1"x2.5") pieces of Nori daily, which they consume in about a minute).

Any suggestions on continuing to get the Nitrates down?

Thanks!

-Mike

[Bigcefa]

I think your doing what you should be doing, just two things. How much pellets are you currently running and can you up it and if your still running the psk 100 I'd upgrade it to run a lower nutrient tank especially running pellets you could use a bigger skimmer

[msbreton]

I started with 3/4 cup and then added 3/4 cup 3 weeks later. I ran with 1.5 cup for 16 weeks and then added another 1/2 cup so I'm running 2 cups total now. I didn't see any noticeable difference when I moved from 1.5 to 2 cups.

Do you really think a larger better skimmer would make a noticeable difference? Any brand/model recommendations?

Thanks!

-Mike

[Bigcefa]

Lots of good options for skimmers, if you have a budget you can throw At us it would help. The octopus Sro 2000-int would be a good upgrade. And yes and bigger more efficient skimmer can make a difference

[msbreton]

Budget is a good question as I don't know what price range a good skimmer would run but I'm willing to invest if it will help the tank, lower Nitrates, and especially let me go back to biweekly water changes while still keeping the Nitrates down. The Octopus SRO2000i seems a bit much for a 75g tank given BRS rates it for a 140g. Is that overkill or is that what I really should be looking at to meet my above mentioned goals? I'm more interested in the right long term solution than budget (it just might mean I push out other planned upgrades).

-Mike

[Bigcefa]

Actually a skimmer rated for double the water volume is what most sps reefers will use and it wouldn't be overkill on that system at all

[msbreton]

Any thoughts on the XP2000SSS vs. the XP2000I? The space saver is nice (although $80 more). Has anyone heard of any effectiveness differences?

-Mike

[d0ughb0y]

If your setup's filtration capacity is > than the bioload, then once you lower nitrates to <5 via water change, the filtration should take care of bringing it down to 0 in a week or two. If that is not happening, either the bioload is too high, or there is probably some source of nitrates in your tank. Imho, its better to lower bioload than to increase filtration capacity. As to keeping sps, some sps will turn brown if nitrate > 0, so best to keep the tank at 0 nitrate.

[msbreton]

I agree one shouldn't normally increase filtration to compensate for a problem, like an overstocked tank (and I suspect I'm well stocked) but what if filtration is subpar? In that case, lowering bioload is just as "bad" as increasing filtration. IMHO, reaching an equal state is optimal. If I had the optimal skimmer for my tank, I'd agree the right choice would be to load bioload but it sounds like, so far, that my skimmer might be undersized / lower end and *maybe* it makes sense to start there. Just thinking out loud...

-Mike

[Bigcefa]

Yes don't listen to that post a better skimmer will do nothing but help

[msbreton]

I'm looking at the SRO units BRS says the optimal depth is 5.75 inches. There's no way I can pull that off in my setup, even if I raise the skimmer due to my overall cabinet hight. Lowest I could do would be to sit the SRO in about 8" of water. Is that too much?

-Mike

[Bigcefa]

Honestly I'm not sure, I do know they require low depths they can be finicky when it comes to that , take a look at the vertex omega it's fairly new but looks good

[msbreton]

I had someone suggest a Bubble Magus Curve 5. Any thoughts?

-Mike

[TimeConsumer]

The curve 5 would be an improvement over your current skimmer. Also, take a lot at this:
SRO 1000 INT

This uses the same pump as the SRO XP1000 but it's a lot cheaper because instead of a full cone it is a hybrid cone design. It would be a nice fit for your system, it has a good price point. The manual says it works up to a 10" depth.

You're going to have a hard time reducing nitrates if you don't have a powerful skimmer, as that is what pulls out the bacteria feeding on the pellets. Otherwise you'll just be leaving the bacteria in the tank while continually feeding them. Continuing that process will lead to an inevitable tank crash. You're also running more pellets than recommended. Don't rush the biopellets, there's not much room for error.

Just look at the Dec TOTM, a 200 gallon system that uses only 12 biopellets. http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....k-of-the-month

[biggles]

I have to agree with the previous suggestions Mike, upgrade your skimmer and i think you'll see a nice improvement in your reef's overall health. I have a Deltec SC 1455 internal running in 8" water depth on my 65 gallon and it's performance is top notch straight out of the box, just giving you another option on equipment choices.

[Dmoody]

I have a reef octopus SX 160 Diablo running in 8 inches and it does great on my 90g

[msbreton]

Thanks for the info.

TimeConsumer, thanks for the feedback. Really appreciated. Would you suggest the SRO 1000 INT over the Curve 5? Would it be materially better? It's about $100 more so I have to ask .

Lastly, today I have the return of my Bio Reactor directly attached, via a tee, to the input of my skimmer. Is it worth continuing this practice with my new skimmer?

Thanks!

-Mike