Cant get my Nitrates down. Help!

regina filange

regina filange

Member
Hi!
I have a 12 gal aquapod. It's 4 months old.
Things have been great until this point.
No matter what I do, I can't get the Nitrates down. According to my testkit it's +250!
I only have 2 fish and a great clean up crew. I have several corals. They all seem to be doing ok cept the Zoo's and Royal Gramma.
I've done 2 water changes in the last week and even used extra Prime (which is to remove nitrates? ha!). Still no change on my test.
What can I do? All other water parameters are great.
Please... any help?
EDIT: Just FYI... I also have a 3 part filter, part sponge, cheato, chemi-pure, floss, carbon, ceramic ring media and bio balls. No skimmer but generally do water changes weekly. I also have about 1.5 deep live sand bed and 16 lbs of live rock.
 
subielover

subielover

Active Member
What do you have in the back chambers? How often do you feed? What do you feed? How often do you perform water changes? How much do you change at a time? What kind of water are you using? Could you please post all parameters that you test for? What is wrong with the royal gramma? Has anything died recently?
Lots of questions, but if you answer them all it should give people a lot more info to help you.
 
regina filange

regina filange

Member
Just FYI... I also have a 3 part filter, part sponge, cheato, chemi-pure, floss, carbon, ceramic ring media and bio balls. No skimmer but generally do water changes weekly.(1.5 gals). I also have about 1.5 deep live sand bed and 16 lbs of live rock.
Actually... I no longer have a royal gramma. Can't keep one to save my life But have no probs with my Firefish or Yellow watchman Goby.
I feed flake in a tiny amounts each day. I filter feed about every 3 days. I use Kents Zooplankton or Coral Frenzy (which everything in the tank LOVES).
My serpant star acts like it's starving all the time, so every few days I feed it a tiny peice of raw shrimp. Which it devours whole! Sometimes I wonder if I don't feed enough?
I don't use RO water, but do use Distilled water.
Yes, I did lose the Royal Gramma but the Serpant Star got it before I knew it died.
I clean ALL the filter media each week and do a 1.5 gallon water change as well. I've done 2 this week with no change.
I test for -
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Ph = 8.2
Calcium = 400-450
Po4 = 0.1
No3 = 50-250
Salinity - 1.026 (i realize this is a bit high. just discovered it when I got a refractometer vs my old hydrometer)
How many water changes can I do without dangering my corals/fish? How much how often?
 
subielover

subielover

Active Member
As long as the fresh water matches the parameters of the dt, you could do water changes everyday. I usually do weekly 2.5 gallon changes but I am overly cautious. Sounds like you are feeding too much. Every other day is fine. Also I would recommend making your own food. Flake food and especially bottled zooplankton are very messy and really will pollute the tank.
So my recommendations would be to start feeding every other day. Start making your own food, it is not hard at all, and much cheaper to boot. For the time being, I would stop dosing zooplankton. Start doing bigger water changes until you get the nitrates down. I would probably do 3-4 gallons a week.
Another thing is, are you sure your test kit is accurate. 250 is high enough that you corals would probably wither away. What kind of kit are you using?
 
regina filange

regina filange

Member
Ok. I'll cut down on the food. Will have to find out how to make my own.
I use the Red Sea test kit. On the No3 the low range is 50 and high range is 250.
I WAS using the Aqurium Pharmicuticals Test kit, but it was saying my Nitrates were at 0. Clearly wrong.
 
C

calvertbill

Guest
I'd get a skimmer. I've got an Oceanic made for my 14 nano but I'm sure there are others if you prefer.
 
regina filange

regina filange

Member
The test kit I have ranges from 50 to 250. So the nitrates can be anywhere in between the two. All I know is it's a dangerous level I can't seem to get it down.
With all the water changes I've in the last week, I'd swear I've replaced all 12 gallons. Even Prime won't work. Is there anything else I can do? I don't want to lose anything.
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Ok first... take a deep breath... next... remove the filter floss this week... next week remove the sponges... the week after that remove.. a few bioballs... and keep doing that till they're gone... then slowly remove the biorings... chemipure is carbon... you only need one... make sure your chaeto is lit.. run a bag of rowaphos to keep phosphates down too...
The sponges, filterfloss, biorings, bioballs are.. (I'm willing to put money on this) trapping crud, sludge, particles and causing nitrates&phosphates to stay in the tank no matter how much water you change.
Liverock and flow are way superior to biorings and bioballs..
also replace the rowaphos in the bag monthly (the container you buy will last your 12gallon over a year) and the chemipure probably every 2-3 months.
 
regina filange

regina filange

Member
If I removed most everything like you say... and fill a couple chambers with live rock, does it have to be lit?
I have a ball of chaeto floating in the back corner of my tank so it gets light, not in the chamber, as it's not lit.
I've done so many water changes, and still no change in my nitrate levels.
My corals appear to be doing great tho.
 
nordy

nordy

Active Member
I have to agree with subielover-one, or both, of your test kits is not giving you reliable readings. I had a nitrate spike (30-40) in my 55gal a couple of weeks ago and I thought I ws going to lose some corals. After water changes and some TLC, they came back and recovered. Point is, if your nitrate levels really were as high as your test kit says, your corals definitley would not be thriving-they would be dying!
Get a new decent test kit and have your lfs do a test as well.
I also have an aquapod 12 and the original filter media does indeed trap debris which can contribute to high nitrate readings. I still use the original media, but I clean it thoroughly every week as well as do 3-4 gal water changes a week. I love the Aquapod-I get so many comments from residents who come into my office, everybody loves it, especially the kids, and it is doing great.
 
jpa0741

jpa0741

Member
Originally Posted by Regina Filange
http:///forum/post/2878723
If I removed most everything like you say... and fill a couple chambers with live rock, does it have to be lit?
I have a ball of chaeto floating in the back corner of my tank so it gets light, not in the chamber, as it's not lit.
I've done so many water changes, and still no change in my nitrate levels.
My corals appear to be doing great tho.
As stated have your LFS check your nitrates. If you are doing that many water changes you would have to see a change. I would be willing to bet you tests are bad. Also stop using prime it does nothing for trates. The is for amon. and trites.
 
subielover

subielover

Active Member
I wouldn't do that. I had lr in my back chambers and really the only thing that it did was collect detritus and other garbage. To answer your question, the only reason to put a light back there is to grow macro-algae(chaeto, calupera, etc.)
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
IMO the back chambers on an all in one tank should contain:
Filter floss where the tank water enters the back chambers. Changed out at least twice per week.
Chemi Pure Elite bag changed out every 5-6 months
Purigen bag changed out every 5-6 months
Skimmer
Heater
Chaetomorph with a light over it
Return pump
ATO floats.
Have not used Rowaphos, Rotary seems to swear by it, so will not comment on that.
 
ajer

ajer

Member
Get a SeaChem test kit...If your Nitrate is that high, your inverts in your CUC would be LONG dead...Your test kit is messed up probably.
 
regina filange

regina filange

Member
Thanks for all your advice everyone! I'll make all the changes I can.
I really want to place a light over the chaeto in one of the back chambers but it all seems so complicated. I did read up on one of the other "diaries" and saw a light setup. But I'm not that mechanically inclined. I worry about placing electricity over water. lol..
Is there such thing as a VERY EASY way to safely place light over the water???
 
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