Nitrates keep going up...Overfeeding mabey?

[Gunsnroses]

After my tank finished cycling, I was able to get my Nitrates down to 20 ppm by water changes. Since then I have added a pair of clowns, pair of firefish, six line wrasse, Cleaner Shrimp, Peppermint shrimp, Lyretail Anthia and a Diamond Goby.
I have been feeding twice a day.
Between the two feedings, these fish get a total of:
1 cube of mysis
1 cube of brine
About 15 small pellets
Two pinches of flake
Half a cube of freeze dried brine

Between everything in the tank, only a few remnants seem to float away. And what gets in the rock, the hermits and emerald crab get.
Should I cut back to one feeding a day and cut my food in half?
Cause my Nitrates are at about 40ppm to 60ppm now.

[Cbaby1177]

I have four tangs, two clowns, wrasse, school of chromis, damsel, cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp, two stars, three urchins, misc cuc. I feed about 15-20 pellets in the morning and two cubes of alternating brine (mysis or brine) in the afternoon. My fish are fat and happy and my nitrates are low. Seems like you are feeding a lot to me. I have double the size of what you do and I don't feed that much.

[Gunsnroses]

O.k. I got up this morning and checked my Nitrates.
40ppm.
Did a 50 gallon water change from my 230 total gallon system and re checked.
Still 40ppm.
Just doesn't make sense that they are not going down.
I have a baseball size piece of cheato in my fuge, but it isn't growing. Now, whatever the lighter green algae is that's inside the cheato is growing like crazy.

[acabgd]

I would mix a fresh batch of salt water and test it for nitrates. Either your water could be contaminated, or your test is wonky.

[Gunsnroses]

I tested both of my 55 gallon barrels. RODI and mixing barrel.
Both show 0ppm. Last week, I tested some water from my LFS with my new Anthia and it showed 10ppm.
So it seems the test is o.k. since it has a variable outcome.
And I tested my water in 4 different test tubes. All results were the same.

[acabgd]

Originally Posted by Gunsnroses

I tested both of my 55 gallon barrels. RODI and mixing barrel.
Both show 0ppm. Last week, I tested some water from my LFS with my new Anthia and it showed 10ppm.
So it seems the test is o.k. since it has a variable outcome.
And I tested my water in 4 different test tubes. All results were the same.

Then you can only reduce feeding. Start with feeding half of what you feed now and give it some time. You also need to make large water changes, nitrates at 40ppm are detrimental to livestock, especially inverts.

[Stolireef]

How old is the tank?

[tmz]

I feed heavy but I think you may be overfeeding. I'd cut it back and clean up any detritus accumulations for starters.

[Gunsnroses]

Originally Posted by Stolireef

How old is the tank?

It is 3 and a half months old.

[Gunsnroses]

Originally Posted by tmz

I feed heavy but I think you may be overfeeding. I'd cut it back and clean up any detritus accumulations for starters.

I did vacuum the sand last week. Also vacuumed the sump and overflows. Changed out the filter sock. Hopefully cutting back the amount of food won't hurt the fish.

[Gunsnroses]

Originally Posted by acabgd

Then you can only reduce feeding. Start with feeding half of what you feed now and give it some time. You also need to make large water changes, nitrates at 40ppm are detrimental to livestock, especially inverts.

Before I did the water change yesterday, my skunk shrimp and Emerald Green were just hiding out in the rocks. Now they are climbing all over the place again. So even though the test kit doesn't show any improvement, there actions suggest it's a little better.

[Stolireef]

Originally Posted by Gunsnroses

It is 3 and a half months old.

If you don't have much algae growing in the display, I wouldn't worry about the nitrates. They will come down naturally with water changes and as the bacterial population in the tank improves. Your tank is very young and this is pretty normal. Nitrates aren't all that problematic, especially for fish. For corals your on the high side of OK but not too far. Just feed small amounts regularly and keep up with normal husbandry.