anyone use kent nitrate sponge? i cant get my nitrates down!!

thisistodd

Member
well my nitrates have been up at or above 40 ppm for a while. i cleaned out my bioballs realy good, and cleaned the entire tank. i did a big water change, and bought a product called algone that is supposed to reduce nitrates. it has done nothing so far. i really need to get this under control. should i try that kent nitrate sponge filter media?? also, does carbon help in nitrate reduction? should i add some LS if my sandbed is only a couple inches deep?? thanks for any assistance!
 

thisistodd

Member
before everyone asks i have a 50 gallon with about 40 lbs of LR ( i took out some in search of a predator) 40 lbs of LS, and a royal gramma, a yellow wrasse, 4 little green chromis, a LMB, and a percula clown and a bangaii cardinal. also have about 20 crabs and 20 snails. tank has been running for 8 months
 

montidanae

Member
how old is your tank? you have a high bioload, do you ahve a simmer? if so what kind? what other sources of filtration do you ahve? i would remove the bioballs totaly, do you have a refugium? if not i woudl sue the wet/dry as one.
 
T

tizzo

Guest
You have a 50 gallon with 9 fish?? I can think of one sure fire way to get your nitrates down... Do you realize how much poop that is?? Wow. I have a 90 with only 5 fish, I think you need to downsize...(the fish, not the tank, LOL):)
 

thisistodd

Member
yeah i guess its a bit much, i plan on getting a bigger tank. i have a seaclear tank with the wet/dry built in and i have the skimmer that comes with that. nothing special at all, but it gets some nasty looking stuff out of there. can i just get a certain type of plant and put it in the display?? im not worried about appearance right now.
 

montidanae

Member
how old is your tank? your low on LR also, but some base rock will turn live over time, as long as you have HIGH quality live rock with it.
 

nero

Member
I would recommend doing frequent and small water changes(10%), like every other day maybe? and skimping down on feeding time. maybe you could feed every other day for a week or two, or at least cut the food by 50%. this method really works for me. it seems to make the nitrates drop at least 5ppm per day. HTH :)
 
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