nitrate levels bad..:(

[x1crt]

my nitrate levels are 80.
how can i get them down???
but evrything else tested good

[IslandCrow]

OK, we're going to need some more information. 80 is extremely high. What sort of filtration are you using? What type of skimmer do you have, how many pounds of live rock, any other filtration? How many and what types of fish do you have? How often and how much do you feed? How often do you do water changes? Without knowing any of this, my guess would be that you're either overstocked, feed to much, have insufficient filtration, or some combination of those things.

[x1crt]

i have a sump a remora skimmer.
i have a yellow tang hippo tang and a six line wrasse.
i feed daily.

[x1crt]

and im gunna start to do weekly 10% water changes to try to get them down...

is that a good idea?

[otrlynn]

Hmm, were you doing water changes before? I think that weekly 10% water changes are a good practice to maintain a tank that already has good parameters. If it were my tank, I think I'd be doing at least 20% weekly water changes until I got the nitrates down. Are you running some type of filter that could be contributing to the high nitrates?

[kajung2k]

I'd personally do a 30% water change, but that's just me. Also are you using a salt mix? If so what kind? Another thing to remember is to use RO water, not tap water, because nitrates and other stuff can be in the water.

Good luck!

[Bruno3047]

You should definitely look into a sulfur denitrate reactor. If you can manage to get one up and running properly, you'll never have to do another water change to bring down your nitrates.

[Sk8r]

Filters are the usual cause of such readings: sponges, filters, etc, trap gunk and let nitrate build. Live rock/sand let nitrate dissolve to nitrogen gas harmlessly.

[IslandCrow]

Water changes are pretty much a must for keeping your nitrates down. Truthfully, I wouldn't do anything drastic, but 10 weekly is a good idea. 20% weekly until you get the nitrates down isn't a bad idea either. You feed daily, but how much? Is there still food floating around after 5 minutes? A couple other good points were brought up about filters and purified water. If filters (sponges, carbon, etc.) are not cleaned regularly, they can start accumulating detritus that will break down into nitrates. Non-purified water can also be a source. Sulfur denitrators and the like are nice, but they shouldn't be necessary. I think you need to make sure you have your basic husbandry down first. If you answer these and my other questions, we should be able to help you further.

[fasturtle30]

hey Sk8r i have sponge over my wet dry filtration system !!! u say they trapp gunk an build nitrates . Since i have a mature tank and LR/S/skimmer SHOULD I REMOVE THE SPONGES TO HELP NITRATES DOWN? now i have 10-15 ppm and my tank is doing ok tou ????

[marioensf]

I think your skimmer, the remora is way too small for the volume, 155 gal must have a skimmer capable of such amount of water.
Remora skimmers are great for small systems.
In the mean time water changes.

[Michael]

good advice from the guys there, cant add to it, except as to say are you sure they are 80 and not 8, some kits times the reading by 10 if the vial is look at wrongly

[x1crt]

Originally posted by IslandCrow
Water changes are pretty much a must for keeping your nitrates down. Truthfully, I wouldn't do anything drastic, but 10 weekly is a good idea. 20% weekly until you get the nitrates down isn't a bad idea either. You feed daily, but how much? Is there still food floating around after 5 minutes? A couple other good points were brought up about filters and purified water. If filters (sponges, carbon, etc.) are not cleaned regularly, they can start accumulating detritus that will break down into nitrates. Non-purified water can also be a source. Sulfur denitrators and the like are nice, but they shouldn't be necessary. I think you need to make sure you have your basic husbandry down first. If you answer these and my other questions, we should be able to help you further.

i feed daily but i dont let extra food in my tank,but i do but green marine algea at 12:00 and let it be in my tank till night.also on the skimmer i put these filter pads on the return put to make the splash not so loud.and i put them around the inside top of my sump,will that build my nitrates?
a remora skimmer is to small for a 155 tank?

[seapug]

yes, remove those pads or clean them daily. If you've never cleaned them and rarely do water changes, you have the probable source of your nitrate right there.

[IslandCrow]

You'll definitely want to clean those filter pads from time to time. I'd say at least monthly. You're probably fine with your feeding, but I'm not sure what type of algae you're talking about. Are you talking about nori (dried seaweed) for your herbivores?

[x1crt]

its natural dried seaweed,ocean nutrition
for all species.

also i had another question my sand is white but sometimes all mix it up to get it white again then next morning in some spots it starts to turn a little brown.
what does that mean?-is that bad?

[x1crt]

Originally posted by seapug
yes, remove those pads or clean them daily. If you've never cleaned them and rarely do water changes, you have the probable source of your nitrate right there.

if i do remove those pads for my sump and skimmer my fish tanks gunna be sooo loud,i dont want it loud because its in my room.
so should i remove those pads or clean them daily?

[seapug]

that's up to you. Personally, I'd remove the pads AND the bioballs, remove the drain line from the trickle filter lid and stick it directly in the sump so it empties below the water line. That should make it quieter. The combination of the filter pads, bioballs and no water changes is recipe for nitrate hell.

[x1crt]

i have no bioballs in my sump,all it came with was a filter pad that the return line goes through.is there suppose to be to the sump then a little filter pad.

this is the sump i have but this one isnt mine.
i have the pads on top of the sump so its quiter

[marioensf]

Originally posted by x1crt
i feed daily but i dont let extra food in my tank,but i do but green marine algea at 12:00 and let it be in my tank till night.also on the skimmer i put these filter pads on the return put to make the splash not so loud.and i put them around the inside top of my sump,will that build my nitrates?
a remora skimmer is to small for a 155 tank?

Your skimmer is too small for 155 gallons + sump volume !!
To prevent the splash noise, try attaching a piece of plexi to the output so it works kind of a slide instead of a waterfall but you will need to replace the skimmer for something rated around 180-200
Foam or pad filters do tend to be nitrate condos if you do not clean them in a regular basis.

[x1crt]

Originally posted by seapug
that's up to you. Personally, I'd remove the pads AND the bioballs, remove the drain line from the trickle filter lid and stick it directly in the sump so it empties below the water line. That should make it quieter. The combination of the filter pads, bioballs and no water changes is recipe for nitrate hell.

[marioensf]

In that chamber normally there's a foam, just remove it, on top of the grill you may put some media, such as carbon, chemipure or other in a fine mesh bag. The foam block comes standard in that sump I have the smaller one (not using it) and noticed the foam insert. If you do not clean it often it sure is a nitrate construction site.
To prevent most stuff to go into the sump, people tend to use filter socks but then again they must be cleaned in a very regular basis.

[x1crt]

Originally posted by marioensf
In that chamber normally there's a foam, just remove it, on top of the grill you may put some media, such as carbon, chemipure or other in a fine mesh bag. The foam block comes standard in that sump I have the smaller one (not using it) and noticed the foam insert. If you do not clean it often it sure is a nitrate construction site.
To prevent most stuff to go into the sump, people tend to use filter socks but then again they must be cleaned in a very regular basis.

when i bought the sump brand new it never came with a foam block, in that black champer theres nothing there,is that bad?
should i try to get a white block tray to put my media? in the mean time what should i put there?

[IslandCrow]

You don't need any filtration there. If you really need to keep the foam filters you do have, try cleaning/replacing them weekly. I keep a polyfilter in my sump that I replace weekly. It gets a good amount of gunk on it, but I think the weekly changes (I used to clean it, but I eventually decided it was easier to just replace) seem to keep it from causing any problems.

I have to agree that your skimmer is not meant for a tank your size. It's better than nothing, but until you can get something better, you may want to up the water changes. I'd do 10-15% weekly as a minimum. I wouldn't go more than 20% weekly, though.

If you already answered this, I apologize, but how much live rock do you have in your tank. The general rule of thumb is 1 lb per gallon, so you should have in the vicinity of 155 pounds.

[x1crt]

Originally posted by IslandCrow
You don't need any filtration there. If you really need to keep the foam filters you do have, try cleaning/replacing them weekly. I keep a polyfilter in my sump that I replace weekly. It gets a good amount of gunk on it, but I think the weekly changes (I used to clean it, but I eventually decided it was easier to just replace) seem to keep it from causing any problems.

I have to agree that your skimmer is not meant for a tank your size. It's better than nothing, but until you can get something better, you may want to up the water changes. I'd do 10-15% weekly as a minimum. I wouldn't go more than 20% weekly, though.

If you already answered this, I apologize, but how much live rock do you have in your tank. The general rule of thumb is 1 lb per gallon, so you should have in the vicinity of 155 pounds.

im not sure how much lr i have,but ill put a picture up soon. if i need to put carbon somewhere or something else where should i put it?