Elevated Nitrates.

CyanoMagnet · 06/14/2008, 09:49 PM

Well.. 20-30 ppm using salifert..

Now I have plenty of nitrate fighters in my tank. Macro algae growing in the refug. DSB in the refuge and a DSB in the main tank..100 pounds of live rock .

Ok.. here are the clues..

Skimmer stopped working for 2 months (lol, yes is'nt it sad I did'nt even notice?).

I also put bioballs in a little plastic container to weigh it down in the water (it has holes and waterflow) so I could elevate my skimmer by placing it on top..

I have 4 medium sized fish (72 gallon tank ), whom I feed 1 sheet of nori a day, a cube of frozen misis a day(or every other day), and some formula 2 flake food a day.

No water changes for 6 months (again, I have been seriously slacking off, and I know it.

Those are my prime suspects..

I do not have many corals (a few lps and some mushrooms).
I use ro/di water which I tested and it is not the source of nitrates.

Well... There you go. Any reef geniuses want to guess at whats causing my elevated nitrates?

o.c.d. · 06/14/2008, 10:12 PM

Neglect ??? I'd get back to a regiment of water changes maintaining equipment Clean skimmer it will work better Even if you clean skimmer cup every second day most skimmers perform better. Take care of your tank you are God to the animals in it.

Reef'in Colorado · 06/14/2008, 10:52 PM

I would say overfeeding is a likely culprit. Not sure what kind of fish you have, but that is a lot of food to feed on a daily basis.

CyanoMagnet · 06/14/2008, 11:05 PM

My fish are Powderblue tang, bllue regal(hippo) tang, maroon clown and a coral beauty. All about the same size (not big, pretty much medium).

You maybe right. However, I removed all the bioballs and replaced them with a clear water glass (ghetto time) for weight. Also removed all the sponges and crap I had under pumps for noise reduction... Also got my skimmer working again. Did a pretty decent wet skim water change.

I dont know how much feeding is over feeding. I want my fish to be healthy, not skinny little diesase prone twigs.

Anyone else vote that I am over feeding my tank here?

What would you feed my tank if you were in my shoes?

CyanoMagnet · 06/14/2008, 11:36 PM

CRAP...

Well I think I found the source of the nitrates, or at least partialy.

My RO/DI device is not working properly. I tested the water coming directly out ot the 3 stage ro/di unit and found there are 5ppm nitrates..

Isnt this supposed to be zero?

CyanoMagnet · 06/14/2008, 11:54 PM

Ok .. Maybe going nuts here. Tested water(the ro/di water) 2 more times and no nitrates now. First test must have been contaminated with something or the other.

One less thing to worry about.

Been_There8 · 06/14/2008, 11:56 PM

Honestly, im proud of you. 6 months no WC, 2 months no skimmer, and only under 30. Yeah thats amazing. Id say you should start by taking those bioballs out slowly if i read it correctly, i think you got some. Try putting liverock to replace them, never hurts to have more live rock, make sure its fully cured! You dont want a cycle.

Start with getting that skimmer working, and for 2-3 months do your water changes, but have them a little larger than you normally would. Maybe one week 30-40% one, then next week a small 10-15% one. Just depends on where you are at.

CyanoMagnet · 06/15/2008, 12:02 AM

LoL well.. THanks, I think haha.. And my phophates are at zero right now too. I have gone skimmerless many times in the past just because I didnt bother looking to see if it was working.
I dont get any cyano anymore and havent for a long time. Infact I dont get any kind of algae growth.. I guess the tangs take care of it.

I took all the bio balls out already. I doubt I get any sort of nitrite/amonia to register. Tank is over 4 years established. I have a hundred pounds of liverock.

I am PRETTY sure the bioballs and the sponges in the sump were the cause of the nitrates. With all the denitrifactors it should go down to zero within a week. At least Im hoping...

I actualy heard sugar, vinegar and vodka work well to get rid of nitrates.. I donno if it was a joke thread or not. I may try it

.

LockeOak · 06/15/2008, 12:03 AM

I don't know how big the nori sheets are, but that sounds like a lot of food... try cutting it in half at first. I used to feed my two clownfish three times a day, now I feed them once every two days and the size of the meal isn't much bigger. They look the same as they did before and continue to grow.

Edit: Sugar/vodka/vinegar are used to lower nitrates by promoting a bacterial bloom. The bacteria gobble up all the free, easy to access energy sources, rapidly reproduce and absorb all of it. I hear it works but you have to be really careful not to overdo it (believe me) and your skimmer needs to be able to handle it.

CyanoMagnet · 06/15/2008, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LockeOak
I don't know how big the nori sheets are, but that sounds like a lot of food... try cutting it in half at first. I used to feed my two clownfish three times a day, now I feed them once every two days and the size of the meal isn't much bigger. They look the same as they did before and continue to grow.

Nori sheets are about 4 inches by 4 inches. I roll them up like a joint and stick it on a clip.

Im not worried about my clown. But the tangs need to eat often. I dont want to starve them.

CyanoMagnet · 06/15/2008, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Been_There8
6 months no WC, 2 months no skimmer, and only under 30. Yeah thats amazing.

Im pretty sure there are people out there who have never changed their water. There was a reef keeping system that never had a water change I think.

And many people go skimmerless for periods of time.

Now the main reason I was probably able to do this is I did trim my macro algae which grew like you wouldnt believe. So thats where the export of nutrients happened.

Thats why phospahtes are zero.

CyanoMagnet · 06/15/2008, 12:19 AM

Btw , My skimmer keeps on crashing because of these little clam shells that get in the bullet 1 airflow area and clogging it up.
I have the skimmer cup emptying out into a empty gallon jug (more ghetto) so when the skimmer actualy works, I can go longer periods of time before cleaning and emptying.

I put a net (yet even more ghetto) under the sump inflow to catch anything coming from the main tank so hopefully I wont have that clam problem anymore.

SantaMonica · 07/27/2008, 11:14 PM

If high-feeding is the goal or the current situation, you might be interested in something new called a Turf Algae Filter. It's extremely powerful, small, and basically free (build it easily). I first read of people using them that could feed as much as they wanted, with no ill effect. That was incredible, I thought, since I had to cut out all phyto, and feed only a tiny bit every other day. Even with this, and all the filtering I had going on, one slip up and bam... algae breakout.

Now that I have one (a Turf Algae Filter), I understand. I have (at least) quadrupled my feeding, at the same time that my nitrates and phosphates headed to zero. My previous feeding was a half-cube of mysis or similar (drained and washed), every OTHER day, and I managed to keep nitrates at 3, and phosphate at 0. Now, I'm feeding a cube of mysis, 2 cubes cyclops, a cube of daphnia, and a full pump of the frozen phyto, every day.

I'll be posting a build thread soon, but it's easy to do, so here is some info for now... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...6#post12931276

steelhead97 · 07/28/2008, 11:31 AM

I had the same problem with nitrates around 20-30 but through weekly changes have now been able to drop it down to 10ppm. I also found that part of the reason for my nitrates being abovve 20 was due to overfeeding. A good protein skimmer will also help. I did water changes of 35% each week for 3 weeks straight with the 4th week upping it to 40%. The nitrates eventually dropped to 10ppm and that is where I can rest a little easier. Many people say you should have some nitrates in the water because it's actually preferred by some soft corals. Even levels of 20-30 are not fatal but it depends on what corals you are keeping. If it's Fish only with live rock then 20-30 is no problem.

06/14/2008, 09:49 PM	#1
CyanoMagnet Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Brooklyn ,NY Posts: 1,272	Elevated Nitrates. Well.. 20-30 ppm using salifert.. Now I have plenty of nitrate fighters in my tank. Macro algae growing in the refug. DSB in the refuge and a DSB in the main tank..100 pounds of live rock . Ok.. here are the clues.. Skimmer stopped working for 2 months (lol, yes is'nt it sad I did'nt even notice?). I also put bioballs in a little plastic container to weigh it down in the water (it has holes and waterflow) so I could elevate my skimmer by placing it on top.. I have 4 medium sized fish (72 gallon tank ), whom I feed 1 sheet of nori a day, a cube of frozen misis a day(or every other day), and some formula 2 flake food a day. No water changes for 6 months (again, I have been seriously slacking off, and I know it. Those are my prime suspects.. I do not have many corals (a few lps and some mushrooms). I use ro/di water which I tested and it is not the source of nitrates. Well... There you go. Any reef geniuses want to guess at whats causing my elevated nitrates? __________________ Salifert - - - - - - Phosphates ud, ud Nitrates .0xxxppm, Alk 9dkh Calcium 445ppm mag 1380 PH 7.7-8.0 Salinity, 1.026 11/27/2008 Current Tank Info: 72 g bf,15g sump->16g qt,10g refugium w/ DSB and cheato (lots), T5 lighting 6x54watt (2x10k,2xab,blue act,super act),korallin 1501 ca reactor,sulfur denitrator(korallin),bullet 1 skimmer,phosban reactor(running carbon atm),2xtunze1500gph,3xkoralin

06/14/2008, 11:05 PM	#4
CyanoMagnet Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Brooklyn ,NY Posts: 1,272	My fish are Powderblue tang, bllue regal(hippo) tang, maroon clown and a coral beauty. All about the same size (not big, pretty much medium). You maybe right. However, I removed all the bioballs and replaced them with a clear water glass (ghetto time) for weight. Also removed all the sponges and crap I had under pumps for noise reduction... Also got my skimmer working again. Did a pretty decent wet skim water change. I dont know how much feeding is over feeding. I want my fish to be healthy, not skinny little diesase prone twigs. Anyone else vote that I am over feeding my tank here? What would you feed my tank if you were in my shoes? __________________ Salifert - - - - - - Phosphates ud, ud Nitrates .0xxxppm, Alk 9dkh Calcium 445ppm mag 1380 PH 7.7-8.0 Salinity, 1.026 11/27/2008 Current Tank Info: 72 g bf,15g sump->16g qt,10g refugium w/ DSB and cheato (lots), T5 lighting 6x54watt (2x10k,2xab,blue act,super act),korallin 1501 ca reactor,sulfur denitrator(korallin),bullet 1 skimmer,phosban reactor(running carbon atm),2xtunze1500gph,3xkoralin

06/14/2008, 11:36 PM	#5
CyanoMagnet Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Brooklyn ,NY Posts: 1,272	CRAP... Well I think I found the source of the nitrates, or at least partialy. My RO/DI device is not working properly. I tested the water coming directly out ot the 3 stage ro/di unit and found there are 5ppm nitrates.. Isnt this supposed to be zero? __________________ Salifert - - - - - - Phosphates ud, ud Nitrates .0xxxppm, Alk 9dkh Calcium 445ppm mag 1380 PH 7.7-8.0 Salinity, 1.026 11/27/2008 Current Tank Info: 72 g bf,15g sump->16g qt,10g refugium w/ DSB and cheato (lots), T5 lighting 6x54watt (2x10k,2xab,blue act,super act),korallin 1501 ca reactor,sulfur denitrator(korallin),bullet 1 skimmer,phosban reactor(running carbon atm),2xtunze1500gph,3xkoralin

06/14/2008, 11:54 PM	#6
CyanoMagnet Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Brooklyn ,NY Posts: 1,272	Ok .. Maybe going nuts here. Tested water(the ro/di water) 2 more times and no nitrates now. First test must have been contaminated with something or the other. One less thing to worry about. __________________ Salifert - - - - - - Phosphates ud, ud Nitrates .0xxxppm, Alk 9dkh Calcium 445ppm mag 1380 PH 7.7-8.0 Salinity, 1.026 11/27/2008 Current Tank Info: 72 g bf,15g sump->16g qt,10g refugium w/ DSB and cheato (lots), T5 lighting 6x54watt (2x10k,2xab,blue act,super act),korallin 1501 ca reactor,sulfur denitrator(korallin),bullet 1 skimmer,phosban reactor(running carbon atm),2xtunze1500gph,3xkoralin

06/14/2008, 11:56 PM	#7
Been_There8 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 406	Honestly, im proud of you. 6 months no WC, 2 months no skimmer, and only under 30. Yeah thats amazing. Id say you should start by taking those bioballs out slowly if i read it correctly, i think you got some. Try putting liverock to replace them, never hurts to have more live rock, make sure its fully cured! You dont want a cycle. Start with getting that skimmer working, and for 2-3 months do your water changes, but have them a little larger than you normally would. Maybe one week 30-40% one, then next week a small 10-15% one. Just depends on where you are at. __________________ I'm a poor guy stuck in a rich mans hobby.

06/14/2008, 10:12 PM	#2
o.c.d. Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Sacramento CA Posts: 739	Neglect ??? I'd get back to a regiment of water changes maintaining equipment Clean skimmer it will work better Even if you clean skimmer cup every second day most skimmers perform better. Take care of your tank you are God to the animals in it.

06/14/2008, 10:52 PM	#3
Reef'in Colorado Reefer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Frederick, Co. Posts: 934	I would say overfeeding is a likely culprit. Not sure what kind of fish you have, but that is a lot of food to feed on a daily basis.

06/15/2008, 12:02 AM	#8
CyanoMagnet Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Brooklyn ,NY Posts: 1,272	LoL well.. THanks, I think haha.. And my phophates are at zero right now too. I have gone skimmerless many times in the past just because I didnt bother looking to see if it was working. I dont get any cyano anymore and havent for a long time. Infact I dont get any kind of algae growth.. I guess the tangs take care of it. I took all the bio balls out already. I doubt I get any sort of nitrite/amonia to register. Tank is over 4 years established. I have a hundred pounds of liverock. I am PRETTY sure the bioballs and the sponges in the sump were the cause of the nitrates. With all the denitrifactors it should go down to zero within a week. At least Im hoping... I actualy heard sugar, vinegar and vodka work well to get rid of nitrates.. I donno if it was a joke thread or not. I may try it . __________________ Salifert - - - - - - Phosphates ud, ud Nitrates .0xxxppm, Alk 9dkh Calcium 445ppm mag 1380 PH 7.7-8.0 Salinity, 1.026 11/27/2008 Current Tank Info: 72 g bf,15g sump->16g qt,10g refugium w/ DSB and cheato (lots), T5 lighting 6x54watt (2x10k,2xab,blue act,super act),korallin 1501 ca reactor,sulfur denitrator(korallin),bullet 1 skimmer,phosban reactor(running carbon atm),2xtunze1500gph,3xkoralin

06/15/2008, 12:03 AM	#9
LockeOak Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 839	I don't know how big the nori sheets are, but that sounds like a lot of food... try cutting it in half at first. I used to feed my two clownfish three times a day, now I feed them once every two days and the size of the meal isn't much bigger. They look the same as they did before and continue to grow. Edit: Sugar/vodka/vinegar are used to lower nitrates by promoting a bacterial bloom. The bacteria gobble up all the free, easy to access energy sources, rapidly reproduce and absorb all of it. I hear it works but you have to be really careful not to overdo it (believe me) and your skimmer needs to be able to handle it. Last edited by LockeOak; 06/15/2008 at 12:09 AM.

06/15/2008, 12:19 AM	#12
CyanoMagnet Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Brooklyn ,NY Posts: 1,272	Btw , My skimmer keeps on crashing because of these little clam shells that get in the bullet 1 airflow area and clogging it up. I have the skimmer cup emptying out into a empty gallon jug (more ghetto) so when the skimmer actualy works, I can go longer periods of time before cleaning and emptying. I put a net (yet even more ghetto) under the sump inflow to catch anything coming from the main tank so hopefully I wont have that clam problem anymore. __________________ Salifert - - - - - - Phosphates ud, ud Nitrates .0xxxppm, Alk 9dkh Calcium 445ppm mag 1380 PH 7.7-8.0 Salinity, 1.026 11/27/2008 Current Tank Info: 72 g bf,15g sump->16g qt,10g refugium w/ DSB and cheato (lots), T5 lighting 6x54watt (2x10k,2xab,blue act,super act),korallin 1501 ca reactor,sulfur denitrator(korallin),bullet 1 skimmer,phosban reactor(running carbon atm),2xtunze1500gph,3xkoralin

07/27/2008, 11:14 PM	#13
SantaMonica Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Santa Monica, California, USA Posts: 2,511	If high-feeding is the goal or the current situation, you might be interested in something new called a Turf Algae Filter. It's extremely powerful, small, and basically free (build it easily). I first read of people using them that could feed as much as they wanted, with no ill effect. That was incredible, I thought, since I had to cut out all phyto, and feed only a tiny bit every other day. Even with this, and all the filtering I had going on, one slip up and bam... algae breakout. Now that I have one (a Turf Algae Filter), I understand. I have (at least) quadrupled my feeding, at the same time that my nitrates and phosphates headed to zero. My previous feeding was a half-cube of mysis or similar (drained and washed), every OTHER day, and I managed to keep nitrates at 3, and phosphate at 0. Now, I'm feeding a cube of mysis, 2 cubes cyclops, a cube of daphnia, and a full pump of the frozen phyto, every day. I'll be posting a build thread soon, but it's easy to do, so here is some info for now... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...6#post12931276

07/28/2008, 11:31 AM	#14
steelhead97 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 52	Nitrates I had the same problem with nitrates around 20-30 but through weekly changes have now been able to drop it down to 10ppm. I also found that part of the reason for my nitrates being abovve 20 was due to overfeeding. A good protein skimmer will also help. I did water changes of 35% each week for 3 weeks straight with the 4th week upping it to 40%. The nitrates eventually dropped to 10ppm and that is where I can rest a little easier. Many people say you should have some nitrates in the water because it's actually preferred by some soft corals. Even levels of 20-30 are not fatal but it depends on what corals you are keeping. If it's Fish only with live rock then 20-30 is no problem.