can't seem to get nitrates down pls. help

[bubba1]

hello all, this is my first post,i started my first sw tank aprox.8 months ago, i cycled it
with 21 lbs. of live rock,and 30lbs. of agronite sand and 3 damsels. i didnt put anything else
in it for about 3 months,just did my water changes every 2 weeks,and checked my water
weekly. now i've added 25 more lbs. of rock for a total of 46lbs.
my system:29 gal. tank, filter:amiricle sl-5 hangon wet/dry trickle,withbuilt in protein skimmer,rated for upto 55gls. 2 maxi-jet powerheads in tank for circulation 1 maxi 600,and 1 maxi 400. lights: current dual satalite 30" pc's 2x65 watts total 130 watts.
all my readings ph,amonia, nitrites,etc ok. except for nitrates,just can't seem to keep them
down below 80 ppm(mg/L),i've tride moving rock around for better circulation,less feedings,etc. im about stumped

,i don't know what else to do please help :help:
fish: mated pair of true perculas approx. male 2",and female 2.5",1" yellow tang,3 snail,and
approx.8 to12 crabs give or take some came on live rock. i know tang is not a good idea, but he or she is small right now,and my kids 8 and 10 years old got it for me for
father's day , so i just can't get rid of it right now,i hope you all understand, when he gets to be about 3" i'll take him to my local fs.and trade him for something., thank you all very much pls. reply.

 

[ccws]

I am also a newb, but bio balls can cause elevated nitrates. That could be the cause.

 

[fallinmor]

get prime and do a 50% water change once a week for 3 weeks, it will starve your bacteria a little but they will grow back. also get a container of biozyme and put that in you'r filter, if u have bioballs put it on them. go to you'r lfs and get the carbon and ceramic bioballs it will help get all the impurities out of the water. i had the same problem because some of my lr cured in my tank and everything was toxic for a long time killed all my fish except for my hi-fin goby and my inverts were fine even the starfish and urchin. you could also do a 20% water change in the middle of a week at least 4 days before the 50%.

 

[snailheave]

get rid of bio-balls and replace them with live rock rubbles. check your water source, make sure it's nitrate-free. if possible, get a piece of macroalgae (chaeto) and stick it near the return.

 

[bubba1]

im slowly taking out my bio-balls,im using distilled water,dont the lr pieces have to be totally
submerged?

 

[snailheave]

yes. and i am not familar with whether distilled water contains nitrates or not. test the distilled water.
you should try the macroalgae method i mentioned. right now you don't have any means of taking the nitrates out of the system except performing water changes. that can be quite time-consuming, expensive, and frustrating.

 

[laddy]

How much do you feed your perculas, how often, and what do you feed them? It sounds like if all your equipment

 

[bubba1]

thank all for the help ,yes i checked my water source no nitrates present zero ppm/l, ive been feeding my fish every other day now,i alternate between frozen mix of mysis,and brine shrimp, and osi flake food ,and for tang i put nori in clip once a week,small 3"x3" piece,also noticed lots of bubbles now since my lights stared to on for more time there every where seem to be coming from
liverock, sand bed,everywhere. but i have no bubbles coming from filter return just weird?
if you could explain how the macroalgea will help me and exactly where to put it, im not to
imformed on this area of expertice thanks

 

[eclipseagent]

I would do a Full water change..
Not 100% new water, but change with the current water..
***unauthorized like deleted.***
Gives a good explination on how to do a full change without effecting too much.

 

[bubba1]

hey all ive been working on removing my bio-balls ,my nitrares have come down from 160 +ppm to approx.30 ppm.ive been taking them out slowley over a period of 3 weeks, i still have about half to go hopefully i'll have 0 ppm

.i bought one emerald crab,man that thing loves green bubble algea

within 3 days he has almost completeley wiped it out ,thanks to all ,for all the suggestion and help its really appresiated
this site is awesome thans again
pete

 

[r22wink]

everything that i have read and talked about w/ people. Bio Balls dont effect nitrates because dirt cant stick to them, water run over them, nothing sticks. so that should trap dirt and effect nitrate levels.

 

[r22wink]

everything that i have read and talked about w/ people. Bio Balls dont effect nitrates because dirt cant stick to them, water run over them, nothing sticks. so that should trap dirt and effect nitrate levels.

 

[bubba1]

then why has my nitrates dropped to almost zero[actual about 2.0ppm/l]since removing my bio-balls ,i think the bio's do affect nitrates in a bad way.they do actualy catch dirt and debris a whole lot ,i use to have to clean them once a month in a bucket with salt water.all i know is that after removing them i went from160 plus to under 5.on my nitrates

,thanks everybody for such great advice i really apreciated all comments wow what a great forum.
thanks again, pete

 

[aquapro_1]

Keep in mind you need something to filter the water. If bio-balls aren't your fav, than you need to get a new filtration system set up. All you are doing now is circulationing water. Try washing the balls evry 2 weeks. Could be you are overloading your system.

 

[promisetbg]

Originally Posted by aquapro_1
Keep in mind you need something to filter the water. If bio-balls aren't your fav, than you need to get a new filtration system set up. All you are doing now is circulationing water. Try washing the balls evry 2 weeks. Could be you are overloading your system.
His LR and substrate are now his filtration.
You are doing fine,keep it up Bubba.
The bubbles you are seeing are probably coming from your substrate.As your substrate begins to work for you this will happen.
If you can make a slow flow area in your sump into a refugium,that will help.Add chaetomorpha and go to HD...buy a clip on light socket...the kind with a reflector.Remove the reflector and look for this bulb.{it has it's own reflector}It is a 75 wt. 38 par bulb that uses 19 wts.It is cool to the touch.It is great for growing the chaeto...I run mine oppposite daytime to keep PH up.
I also heard they make a 90 wt version of this bulb now as well.
EDIT:Oh I see that you have a hang-on ...hmmm well you can still add the chaeto,but you need to find a clip on or some type of light with a bulb at or near 6500 K.This will probably be too big for your application.Getting the right color bulb is most important to grow the macro...it does'nt like actinic at all.

 

[aquapro_1]

You stated he doesn't need anything but rl & sand...THEN tell him to put a refuim in his sump????? :notsure:

 

[promisetbg]

Refugium will help feed off nitrates and phosphates.A refugium,LR and LS are much better than bio-balls.

 

[bubba1]

Originally Posted by aquapro_1
Keep in mind you need something to filter the water. If bio-balls aren't your fav, than you need to get a new filtration system set up. All you are doing now is circulationing water. Try washing the balls evry 2 weeks. Could be you are overloading your system.

I HAVE 46 LBS. OF LIVE ROCK THAT IS WHATS FILTERING MY WATER,ALSO HAVE A PROTEIN SKIMMER,AND A 3 INCH SAND BED.PLUS ATLEAST TWICE A MONTH I HAVE CARBON CARTRIDGES IN MY WHISPER 60,THAT I USE FOR WATER CIRCULATION.

 

[otto13]

I cant tell you how good macro algae is for nitrate removal. I have two tanks with no liverock, no filter and no nitrates. I either keep a powerhead or a bubbler with tons of chaeto and other macro algaes. Chaeto is my nitrate eater and the others are more for show. I will do a 25 percent water change about every six to eight weeks just to get rid of some of the debris.
FOR GOD'S SAKE.... Dont take this as a recommendation to get rid of your filters, skimmers and liverock.
I just wanted to express how much chaeto can help with your system.

 

[qreef]

Originally Posted by otto13
I cant tell you how good macro algae is for nitrate removal. I have two tanks with no liverock, no filter and no nitrates. I either keep a powerhead or a bubbler with tons of chaeto and other macro algaes. Chaeto is my nitrate eater and the others are more for show. I will do a 25 percent water change about every six to eight weeks just to get rid of some of the debris.
FOR GOD'S SAKE.... Dont take this as a recommendation to get rid of your filters, skimmers and liverock.
I just wanted to express how much chaeto can help with your system.
Dude if you have no livestock then you dont have nitrates....duh