yet another nitrate question.....

[JmLee]

well since ive had my tank ( about 5 months now ) ive been battling high nitrates. So far the way ive dealt with this is water changes and like 3x more flow. I have a Maxima in there wich prob doesnt hurt and since im sumpless i just planted some macro algae directly in the tank. Well my Nitrates went from like 100 to about 50 - 60. but im still having trouble getting it lower. Well i think i might have found the culprit and i wanted to ask you guys what you guys think. I currently run a canister filter, and in that canister filter im running two floss pads..... now for everyone thats used floss pads i guess you would know how dirty it gets just within a few weeks. Do you guys think these two floss pads are the culprit for my high nitrates?. Should i just run carbon and phosgaurd in my canister and thats it?. I liked to run those filter pads because well i figured it caught free floating particals. Any input would be appreciated. THANKS!.

[Billybeau1]

What kind of substrate and how thick do you have it ?

[mg426]

Look at you r substrate like advised that will be one way of exporting nitrates AFTER they are made. More frequent cleaning / changing of filter media gets the crud out BEFORE it makes Nitrates. Try cleaning changing 2 times per week

[JmLee]

i have a 3 1/4 inch sand bed of live sand. And it is Caribsea aragonite live sand.

[mg426]

Thats sounds like the right stuff. mabe add another inch or two if you can. test your source water and make sure its clean. Eliminate all of the causes one at a time and you will figure it out, Most all of us have been through this.

[JmLee]

thats what a i pretty much did to come down to the conclusion of the filter pads. i use RO water and ive tested in the past and its zero for nitrates and 8.2 for PH

[cweder]

Your canister is definately a nitrate factory unless as stated before you are changing floss twice a week. Your live rock if you have enough should help with nitrates as well as your sand bed as it matures. Your best bet is to keep doing water changes with nitrate free salt water. As the tank matures with proper protein skimming and avoiding overstocking and overfeeding your nitrates should get to were you want them.

[JmLee]

thanks for the replies guys. But do you guys think i should just remove those floss pads? i mean.. there are plenty of people that run there reefs with no mechanical filtration.

[mg426]

That is your call. I run poly filters a lot. I also use filter media in my sump when I get things stirred up. but I keep a close eye on them and clean or change them often at least 2 times a week.My nitrates are < 1 PPM

[cweder]

As long as your protein skimmer is up to the task you should be fine without the floss. When you have alot of particulate matter floating in the tank or when scraping algae off the glass the floss would be good for polishing up the water. I would also use the floss or other filter pads to clean up the tank if you ever stir up alot of detritus, for example when blowing detritus off the live rock from time to time if this needs to be done. I don't like to run my micron filter bags for more than 24 hours to 48 hours max. I am relying more on my skimmer now and my trates were like yours just a couple months ago. Now they are 0.1-0.2. with agressive wet skimming a couple 25% water changes and I think my live rock is finally maturing enough to act as a denitrator.

[JmLee]

yeah my tank is only 5 months old so i think that also plays a big role in higher nitrates.

[melev]

Here's an article I wrote years ago, after battling nitrates myself:

Nitrates are a part of nature in the ocean, and correspondingly in our tanks. As waste breaks down in your aquarium, it cycles from ammonia to nitrite to nitrates. The first two are highly toxic to marine life, and we make it a point to make sure our tanks test zero for these. However, nitrates aren’t as bad, and sometimes are even a little beneficial.

Specifically, few organisms need nitrates. Both micro and macro algae love the stuff, while fish tolerate it. Invertebrates suffer if the levels are too high, but a little is required to keep clams happy. In our goal to match NSW as closely as possible, we strive to keep nitrates down to a minimum at 10 ppm or less.

First things first -- what is causing the nitrates in your tank? Bioballs, biowheels, filter pads, foam blocks & tubes, and under gravel filters all contribute to the production of nitrates. Overfeeding is another cause, and a lack of water changes will be another factor.

Nitrates are in the water column, not your substrate or rockwork. Frequent large water changes will quickly reduce the amounts of nitrates present in your system. I battled with nitrates for years, even when using Nitrate Sponge on a weekly basis. I’d change 5 gallons in my 29 gallon tank and see the nitrates drop from 80 to 60ppm, only to rise again. I’d cringe when I’d run a new test and see the fluid bright red before the timer was even set!

Once I removed the 3 year old under gravel filter & my Penguin Biowheel filter filled with bioballs, I was finally on track. I did three 10 gallon water changes in one week, or 33% at a time. Nitrates were down to 20ppm. I became more meticulous with my water changes, changing 7 - 10 gallons each time every two weeks.

Later on that year, I added a sump & refugium to that tank. The saying “Dilution is the Solution to Pollution� proved to be absolutely true. The macro algae in the refugium as well as the small sandbed helped denitrify my tank, and nitrates are ranging from 0 - 2ppm with a water change only being done every other month.

Last November I bought an existing 55 gallon tank filled with 7 fish, 120 lbs of live rock and crushed coral substrate. The previous owners never tested their water, and the nitrates were 200ppm or more. Through a series of major water changes in those first two weeks, nitrates were lowered without stressing the fish. The substrate was replaced with a DSB, and the canister filters with biowheels were removed as a sump was incorporated. Nitrates are down to 7ppm after three months, and only one fish was lost during that period (probably due to starvation… it never looked healthy).

If your tank is suffering from high nitrate levels, the success of your reef will depend on your being able to get this under control. Changing 100% of the water would be the ideal, but it may shock your corals, fish and invertebrates in the process. A more gradual way is recommended.

55 gal Reef Example: Make up 20 gals of fresh saltwater in a trashcan in front of your tank. Drain 10 gals of tank water into the 20 gals of new water, and let that mix. Pump 10 gals of that water back into your tank, and let the power heads mix that water up in your tank for a minute or so. Then repeat this three more times. Dispose of the now polluted 20 gals of water. Make up another 20 gals of fresh saltwater, and repeat this procedure. As long as your temperature and salinity match the tank, your inhabitants won’t be affected adversely, and with each rotation of water, the nitrates are being diluted and removed from your tank.

Simply pulling out all of the water in one massive water change puts stress on your entire tank. Doing small water changes consistently won’t bring nitrate levels down. At best, it will maintain them at their current levels. Using the example above, a tank that was at 80ppm would be around 30ppm after a couple of hours work and your population will be happy and unaffected. Once your nitrate levels drop, they are easily kept low with regular water changes, as well as the use of a DSB and macro algae.

Your tank will be healthier, your reef happier and the nitrate problem fixed!

[JmLee]

thanks for the info! how ever i am very routine with my water changes, Well actually in my general husbandry i am pretty strict. And i cannot run a sump and refug on my tank because it is in my room where my daughter me and my wife sleep and it would be to loud ( used to have one with a sump in the bed room ) so i am forced to go the HOB route. Thanks for the reply!. Oh and my sand bed unfortunetly isnt that deep about 3 1/4 inches how ever i do have halimeda and caulerpa growing my tank to help aid it.

[melev]

As long as you don't have anything adding them like biowheels, it is simply a matter of changing more water each session. Each 50% water change will drop them by half, so a few of those water changes back to back will bring them much lower. At that point you can go back to a normal water change schedule and they will stay down.

[JmLee]

sounds good. thanks for the advise.

[JmLee]

well i just removed all the filter pad and sponge blocks outa my canister, and did a partial water change!. Lets hope for the best.