20 ppm nitrate bad?

Envy07 · 12/22/2007, 06:54 PM

Is 20 ppm of nitrate bad for percula clownfish?

After my cycle I tested the water and got a 20ppm reading. I did a 20% water change and added chaeto with a 60W standard light bulb to the refugium(that's basically all that is in the compartment). I tested the water and still got 20 ppm. I'm using the API test kit.

fatdaddy · 12/22/2007, 07:01 PM

It's probably not terribly harmful to your percula, but it's much too high for long term maintenance of your system. I usually run at undetectable levels of nitrate and phosphate and still get some grunge algae growing behind the powerheads, etc.

Blown 346 · 12/22/2007, 07:02 PM

It should be brought down. Water changes will help. Do you have alot of detritus build up?

Envy07 · 12/22/2007, 07:08 PM

I do have detritus but dont know how much. Also my cheato doesn't seem to explode or even grow in the alst 24 hours. Is my 60W bulb standard alright to use?

Blown 346 · 12/22/2007, 07:13 PM

I would try and get the detritus out, that wont help the nitrate. You wont see a difference in growth form Chaeto in 24 hours, a couple of weeks yes. The light you have will be fine.

Sk8r · 12/22/2007, 07:14 PM

YOu need 15 more pounds of rock---should be 1 lb rock, 1 lb sand for each gallon of display tank. In some ways, it's just like computers: more processing power, more speed, better system. That will help your nitrates. Also, if you have any sponges or filters in your system, they can bold nitrate.

Envy07 · 12/22/2007, 07:18 PM

I knew this live rock thing will haunt me. I thought that 15lbs would be enough if I keep the bioload light. There aren't any sponges or such that would produce a nitrate factory. Right now all I'm counting to reduce nitrates is the live rock, sand, water changes and of course chaeto.

george81 · 12/22/2007, 07:22 PM

sk8r is right you need 1.5-2 lbs of rock per gallon 1 pound is minimum...bare minimum. you cheato needs time to grow its not going to grow instantly.
what skimmer are you running?
if you read 20 ppm you re cycle was not finished.
are you using rodi water? if you are not start using it tap water also contains nitrates.
in my opinion either get the clowns out and add the required amount of live rock or set up a temp tank and let live rock cycle in there and add to display or sump.
you are going to have nitrate issues if you dont have proper amount of live rock for denitrifcation

Envy07 · 12/22/2007, 07:31 PM

ammonia, nitrite read 0 so I presume the cycle is finished. I'm not running skimmer. I havent yet bought the fish. I only have snails in there working away with the algae.

bertoni · 12/22/2007, 07:43 PM

The fish don't care about 20 ppm of nitrate. If you don't want to keep stony corals, you probably could ignore the nitrate. It might fuel algal blooms, though.

george81 · 12/22/2007, 07:51 PM

envy07 before you get any live stock get a skimmer....a tank "could" be run without one but would be polluted...you would have to religiously do water changes probably weekly....a skimmer in my opinion is the one piece of equipment that shouldnt be cheaped out on and is the backbone of filtration....in my opinion. nitrates wont really harm fish but like bertoni said a no no for sps.

george81 · 12/22/2007, 07:52 PM

oh yeah...you should check out euro reef...deltec...geo..ati some really good skimmers...do some reading i personally have a deltec and a euro reef and prefer the euro reef...cheaper and works just as good if not better

Envy07 · 12/22/2007, 08:27 PM

I guess I'll save up for a skimmer. I for sure wouldn't put any corals if my nitrate was above 5ppm, however i do not plan on doing this setup as a reef anytime soon. Right now it's strictly FOWLR w/ the clean up crew.

I'm glad that nitrates won't affect the fish as much, but I'll do my best to keep it as low as possible. Thanks for the advice

12/22/2007, 06:54 PM	#1
Envy07 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 276	20 ppm nitrate bad? Is 20 ppm of nitrate bad for percula clownfish? After my cycle I tested the water and got a 20ppm reading. I did a 20% water change and added chaeto with a 60W standard light bulb to the refugium(that's basically all that is in the compartment). I tested the water and still got 20 ppm. I'm using the API test kit.

12/22/2007, 07:01 PM	#2
fatdaddy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Northeast Florida Posts: 1,191	It's probably not terribly harmful to your percula, but it's much too high for long term maintenance of your system. I usually run at undetectable levels of nitrate and phosphate and still get some grunge algae growing behind the powerheads, etc. __________________ "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." -- Aristotle

12/22/2007, 07:14 PM	#6
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	YOu need 15 more pounds of rock---should be 1 lb rock, 1 lb sand for each gallon of display tank. In some ways, it's just like computers: more processing power, more speed, better system. That will help your nitrates. Also, if you have any sponges or filters in your system, they can bold nitrate. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

12/22/2007, 07:43 PM	#10
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The fish don't care about 20 ppm of nitrate. If you don't want to keep stony corals, you probably could ignore the nitrate. It might fuel algal blooms, though. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

12/22/2007, 07:02 PM	#3
Blown 346 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rockford, Illinois Posts: 6,596	It should be brought down. Water changes will help. Do you have alot of detritus build up?

12/22/2007, 07:08 PM	#4
Envy07 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 276	I do have detritus but dont know how much. Also my cheato doesn't seem to explode or even grow in the alst 24 hours. Is my 60W bulb standard alright to use?

12/22/2007, 07:13 PM	#5
Blown 346 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rockford, Illinois Posts: 6,596	I would try and get the detritus out, that wont help the nitrate. You wont see a difference in growth form Chaeto in 24 hours, a couple of weeks yes. The light you have will be fine.

12/22/2007, 07:18 PM	#7
Envy07 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 276	I knew this live rock thing will haunt me. I thought that 15lbs would be enough if I keep the bioload light. There aren't any sponges or such that would produce a nitrate factory. Right now all I'm counting to reduce nitrates is the live rock, sand, water changes and of course chaeto.

12/22/2007, 07:22 PM	#8
george81 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: canada Posts: 254	sk8r is right you need 1.5-2 lbs of rock per gallon 1 pound is minimum...bare minimum. you cheato needs time to grow its not going to grow instantly. what skimmer are you running? if you read 20 ppm you re cycle was not finished. are you using rodi water? if you are not start using it tap water also contains nitrates. in my opinion either get the clowns out and add the required amount of live rock or set up a temp tank and let live rock cycle in there and add to display or sump. you are going to have nitrate issues if you dont have proper amount of live rock for denitrifcation

12/22/2007, 07:31 PM	#9
Envy07 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 276	ammonia, nitrite read 0 so I presume the cycle is finished. I'm not running skimmer. I havent yet bought the fish. I only have snails in there working away with the algae.

12/22/2007, 07:51 PM	#11
george81 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: canada Posts: 254	envy07 before you get any live stock get a skimmer....a tank "could" be run without one but would be polluted...you would have to religiously do water changes probably weekly....a skimmer in my opinion is the one piece of equipment that shouldnt be cheaped out on and is the backbone of filtration....in my opinion. nitrates wont really harm fish but like bertoni said a no no for sps.

12/22/2007, 07:52 PM	#12
george81 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: canada Posts: 254	oh yeah...you should check out euro reef...deltec...geo..ati some really good skimmers...do some reading i personally have a deltec and a euro reef and prefer the euro reef...cheaper and works just as good if not better

12/22/2007, 08:27 PM	#13
Envy07 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 276	I guess I'll save up for a skimmer. I for sure wouldn't put any corals if my nitrate was above 5ppm, however i do not plan on doing this setup as a reef anytime soon. Right now it's strictly FOWLR w/ the clean up crew. I'm glad that nitrates won't affect the fish as much, but I'll do my best to keep it as low as possible. Thanks for the advice