Bio Wheel question

[bushwacker]

I am currently running a dual bio wheel filter system and have heard that bio wheels will keep your nitrates high. Is this true? I have never been able to get my nitrates bellow 20 and they are normally between 30-40. I have been doing weekly 10% change and biweekly 20% changes.
55 gal
330 dual bio wheel penguin filter
Prism deluxe protein skimmer
2” LS bed
80lb LR
UV sterilizer
Fish:
Yellow tang
2 3 strip damsels
2 yellow tail damsels
2 jewel damsels
1 maroon gold clown
Inverts:
10 turbo snails
10 blue leg hermits
1 scarlet hermit
1 orange linka star
1 brittle star
2 cleaner shrimp
5 other small snails don’t remember what they are called
1 porcelain crap
2 cleaner clams

 

[acekjd83]

biowheels tend to have higher nitrate levels because they are very fertile substrates for the bacteria that break down the ammonia and 'trites, so they efficiently convert them to nitrates, usually faster than they can be skimmed or turned into nitrogen gas by anaerobes... you may try adding some more live sand to increase the area that is free from oxygen. this anaerobic environment is necessary for certain bacteria that use nitrates as a final electron acceptor (instead of oxygen), and they will help neutralize some 'trates by turning them into nitrogen gas.

 

[bushwacker]

That would be difficult with all the LR I have. Would it help if I just removed the bio wheels?

 

[acekjd83]

they're actually doing their job... what's happening is that they are converting extremely toxic ammonia into somewhat toxic nitrates. they're just doing it so efficiently that all wastes are just immediately eaten and converted to nitrate. i've got two bio-wheels on my 50g, and they keep my ammonia and trites at 0 no matter what happens, and my DSB and skimmer remove the trates.
if you have a sump, you can just make a deep sand chamber instead of pouring more sand into your display tank...

 

[reefnut]

I would remove them... but only one at a time with about 4-week between them. Test your ammonia and nitrites during this time to make sure you do not get a spike... if so water changes would help. With 80lbs of LR I don't think you will but it depends on how much of the bio-load the wheels are currently processing.

 

[seavolcano]

The more fish and life forms you have the more Nitrate will be produced, the more fish you want the more arobic micro based filters you will need" O2+ enviroment", and you gotta use some kind of denitrification filter "O2 depleted environment" that houses anerobic bactria types to brake down the Nitrate to prevent constant water changes, water changes are always needed because of trace element depletion and unwanted trace element addtion aka bugs that like the lights LOL, it adds up over time

, but investing in a plenium or denitrification filter will actually save money in the long run. High levels of Nitrate prevent fish and corals from producing new cell growth and disrupt their blood chemistery.