Another cansister = nitrAtes question

ced935

ced935

Member
I'm loosing a constant fight against nitrates and after some reading I'm gathering that the majority of people here will say its due to my Fluval 404.
I've been doing 15% water changes every 2-3 days with no luck.
Here's my question: would it be better if I just disconnected the canister and used nothing at all (I have LR) or remove all of the media from the canister and use it to help my powerheads move water?
The way my stand is built, I can't even get a 10 gal tank underneath it to set up a fuge.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
The bad rep that canister filters get is due to people forgetting to clean them or not doing it often enough. How often do you get in there and change the media or clean detritus out?
If you have at least 1lb/gal of live rock and you aren't heavily stocked, yes, you could do either of the options you are discussing. I run an empty Magnum 350 on my African Cichlid tank and it works just fine.
If you do decide to go that route, remove about 25% of the media every 4-5 days to as to avoid a shock to your system.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
What is your substrate? I'm suspecting it's CC... that could be one of the causes of the high nitrates. How old is your system and what size tank?
 
ced935

ced935

Member
I guess I'm not cleaning it enough. I usually pull it apart and rinse everything out in my old water when I do water changes but like I said, it's not helping yet.
I have a 100gal that's been up since February. And you're right I'm using CC.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Well high nitrates an canister filters are not necessarily related.
Any number of thing such as what Spider suggested can be at fault. Do you have a good protein skimmer?
 
ced935

ced935

Member
Ok cool. I'd really like to keep the canister unless its harmful. So right now I'm going to swap out my CC to see if that helps.
Would you suggest LS or could I get away with playsand since I have about 50lbs of base rock and 70lbs of LR?
And I guess I need to add a skimmer to my shopping list too.
Thanks for your help
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
A calcerous substrate is preferable to sand. It helps buffer the water and maintain calcium levels in the tank.
Personally, I use nothing but aragonite. That works well for me.
Skimmers are an option of sorts, but many people that don't have them struggle with nitrates. Their job is to remove dissolved organics before they break down into waste products like nitrates, so you may see a dramatic drop in nitrates levels if you have a good skimmer. Since you have a canister, I'd look at the AquaC Remora hang on skimmer. Whatever you do, stay away from the Red Sea Prism and the CPR Backbak hang on skimmers.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
The CRP BakPak hang on skimmer is HORRIBLE! We still have it on our 55 and it's the loudest thing in our house. It does skim well, but the collection cup is small, micro bubbles are still a problem even though we have the bubble trap and preskimmer. In out opinion that skimmer is still a waste of money and we could have gotten a more quiet one for the same money. I believe the skimmer + attachments ended up costing close to $180. We are in the process of taking the 55 down and will not use that skimmer again when the tank is converted to a frag tank.
 
ced935

ced935

Member
I realy appreciate the help. The search is on for an AquaC now.
It's a good thing my wife shares this hobby with me. If not; I'd be in the doghouse by now.
 
rockman

rockman

Member
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2625297
The CRP BakPak hang on skimmer is HORRIBLE! We still have it on our 55 and it's the loudest thing in our house. It does skim well, but the collection cup is small, micro bubbles are still a problem even though we have the bubble trap and preskimmer. In out opinion that skimmer is still a waste of money and we could have gotten a more quiet one for the same money. I believe the skimmer + attachments ended up costing close to $180. We are in the process of taking the 55 down and will not use that skimmer again when the tank is converted to a frag tank.

I will make a note of that. however the red sea prism is one i have on one
of my tanks - its about 4 months old and so far has done a decent job
its a little touchy though.
Thanks Spidy
 
ced935

ced935

Member
Update:
I swapped out my CC with some LS that I got from a fellow hobbiest last night. And gave my canister another good cleaning... Today my nitrates are zero!
Thank you guys sooo much for your help
 
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