Cleaning too much ????

[blaine3119]

I have a 55 gallon that I am having nitrate problems with, they stay around 40 ppm.
I do a 10 gallon water change every week and also clean the 2 sponge filters on both power heads, clean all the media in the FluVal 404 with the water I drained from the tank and clean the alge off the tank walls except the back of the tank which I do not touch, and clean the protein skimmer. Is this too much cleaning, I am new and trying to figure everything out. Thinking maybe I am getting rid of too much good bacteria. Salinity 1.023, PH 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0. Fish 2 Clowns, 3 damsels, 2 turbo snails, 2 hermit crabs, 1 CBS. THanks for any help.

 

[mopar9012]

ive never heard of cleaning and that making your nitrates go up. normally is you DONT clean they will go up. maybe the water changes your doing is bad water...

 

[blaine3119]

Originally Posted by mopar9012
ive never heard of cleaning and that making your nitrates go up. normally is you DONT clean they will go up. maybe the water changes your doing is bad water...
I have tested the RO water that I buy and it tests O Nitrates

 

[omgsaltwat]

Originally Posted by mopar9012
ive never heard of cleaning and that making your nitrates go up. normally is you DONT clean they will go up. maybe the water changes your doing is bad water...

I agree...

 

[chief26]

are you over feeding? i heard that overfeeding will cause high nitrates. i am having the same problem. i think i am overfeeding cause my tomato clown wants to eat all the time.