Help me reduce nitrates! Please!

robvia

robvia

Member
My nitrates are running about 40ppm. Good that I don't have ammonia and nitrite, but way to high. I'm looking for some ideas on how to get that down. I have a wet/dry, which most people call a nitrate trap. I have a canister filter(fluval 303) and a skimmer (Seaclone 150). I've had the tank since the first of the year. It's 90 gallons. I have maybe 40 Lbs of LR and 80 Lbs of CC bed. I have been using Algone nitrate remover in the canister filter. I didn't start using that until the nitrates were already high. I was considering taking the bio-balls out, but I don't know if I have enough rock to do that. I don't want to get another cycle. I have added some plants, but I can't really setup a refuge. I was thinking of putting some macro algea in hanging boxes in my tank. I recently got an RO/DI filter and have been changing water like crazy. It seems I just can't change enough. I read about some denitraficators, but don't know if they really work. Please help!
Thanks,
Rob
 
robvia

robvia

Member
Recently I have been changing 10 gallons almost twice a week. Over the last month I have done as large as 20 gallon change. Mostly 10 at a time. Never more than 1 week apart. The nitrates don't change at all. With the equipment I have, larger than 10 gallon changes get pretty difficult for me. I understand the difference of four 5 gallon changes vs. one 20 gallon change. I would like to do 20 gallon changes, but I just don't have enough buckets and storage in my RO/DI. I have 5 fish, crabs, shrimps, snails, mushrooms, leather, feather duster, zoos.
 
rossim

rossim

Member
Is it possible that the water you are using to do the water changes has nitrates in it? Don't think it would, but not sure where else to look. Anyone else???
 
robvia

robvia

Member
I am only using RO/DI water now. The TDS meter reads 0 or 1. My tap water reads about 60. A 50 % water change is not a real possability at this point. Changing 10 gallons every couple days is getting very old. Does anyone have experience with different nitrate sponges? I know there are serveral different ones, but does anyone recommend any of them? At what point will the nitrates start to kill my soft corals? Polyps, zoos, leather?
 
alejandro

alejandro

Member
Get rid of the cc inmediatly replace it for sand the cc have to be vacuum at least every week change the cc for sand help you a little bit with you nitrate problem.
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
How often do you clean the Canister filter, wash the sponges and lose any "biomedia" in it the first week...
Then wash1/4 of your bio balls from the wet dry each week after that ...
Then clean the canister again...
Continue with the 25% WC per month or 5 gallons a week...
In 6 weeks post your readings...:yes:
 
mpls man

mpls man

Active Member
alejandro, chech out the thread i started, RESULTS OF FILTER SOCK, i have this filter sock in my sump and love it , i had bio ball prev and went to the sock , all my levels went down to 0. i have cc for a bottom also, how new is ur tank?
 
condork12

condork12

Member
when you do water changes take the water from the surface because that is where most nitrates thrive. and that is where you will remove the most. If you can figure out a way so that your skimmer gets the water before the wetdry. that will almost depleat all of your nitrates.
 
robvia

robvia

Member
After more study by me, I realize that a sand bed is better than CC. I would like to change it someday, but I don't know when that will happen. I think I can have a nice tank with CC.
The canister gets cleaned every 2-3 weeks, but will get cleaned every week until I get the nitrates under control. The sponges in different places get cleaned more than once a week.
The bio balls have never been cleaned. But that will start this weekend also.
Large water changes are needed if the goal is to reduce nitrates. Changing 5% 4 times doesn't remove as much waste as 20% 1 time. Once the level is low I think the 5% will work well. I'm working on getting a 30 gallon mixing tank, so if that works out, I will be in good shape to do 5% or 20%.
I have a tube with a ball valve that goes about 5-6 inches down into the water. The water depth is 24 inches. I would think this would be good for skimming off the top at change time.
Having the skimmer before the bio-balls is not really an option. I am going to move it around so that I think it will be more efficient, but it will still be after the bio-balls. How much waste would you say is removed in one trip through the bio-balls? 5% or more like 95%. I have no idea.
I did read the thread on the filter sock. And I did read it before I read your reply. Kind of funny. Not really sure how I could make that work with what I have. How much was it? Where did you get it? I'll try and look for one.
Thanks for having some practical suggestions for me to try.
 
thedogofwa

thedogofwa

Member
how big is your tank? if you're doing as many water changes as you say, it's either
a very large tank,
nitrates are being produced so fast you can't dent it with those amounts
or your test kit is bogus. Have you tried another? what kind are you using BTW?
 
robvia

robvia

Member
Tank is 90 gallons.
Something is producing nitrates.
Not a current picture, but best I hve right now.
I have new paper test and it reads about 40ppm. I also have older drop test. Red Sea I think. It reads a little lower 20-30, but that is still too high.
 
euphoria

euphoria

Active Member
I am kind of in the same situation as you. My trates were always zero and recently, after adding some corals, has jumped slowly to 15-20PPM.
I did a few water changes of 10% but that didn't help.
LFS told me to just get rid of the bioballs and buy a better and bigger protein skimmer than the one I have (came w/ my wet/dry and is a generic, cheap skimmer). He said that the protein skimmer will remove most junk before it even gets a chance to be converted to ammonia --> nitrites --> nitrates. Since a strong skimmer will remove most junk, then there won't be much need for the bioballs to do all that conversion of trites to trates.
So that's my plan. I am going to order a better skimmer, do a few 20% water changes 2-3 days apart, and use some nitrate removers (never used them before) and hopefully it'll work.
I think fluval 303 for a 90 gallon is not big enough, you should have gone w/ the 404.
 
xxvietxjustinxx

xxvietxjustinxx

Member
Your wet and dry isn't a problem or it hasn't been for me because i've had my tank with a wet and dry for two years and there hasn't been any problems. I don't even change the floss/bioballs and it's still fine. Same goes with the CC. To add to that; i haven't changed water in over 6 months and my nitrates are 0. What I recommend you to do is to change your skimmer. Seaclone is junk; I've had it before and I know that it isn't gonna do well. Go with somthing like Euro-reef and add more LR. You should have at least a 1pound per gallon. Putting some money into a quality skimmer will get you VERY far.
 
robvia

robvia

Member
The 303 came with the tank as it has been freshwater for the last 20 years.
My skimmer removes quit a bit of junk. I know seaclones get knocked here. I really need something to compare it to. I also need to get some things moved around to make it more efficient. It's in kind of a bad spot, but my space is very tight.
I have some help comming as Dustin of DustinsReef dot com has moved to town.
I think you are right that removing ammonia before it starts the cycle is the best solution. I'll get it worked out soon.
 
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