high nitrAte

[drtito]

its bin about 2 weeks since I did a 50% water change,mostly from the substrat. When I did the change the nitrAte was good,one week later it was stable, but now its high.
nitrIIte 0ppm
Ammonia 0ppm
I have TWO ph test kits
ph test 1 8.0
ph test 2 7.8
nitrAAte 80 ppm

I have C.C. with a under gravel filter. I think (there I go thinking again)this is the problem,so I am going to remove the C.C. and under gravel filter and get some sand. 200lbs of blacksand for a 3.25 inch sand bed maybe add some plants.

Heres my ? . Will 3 inches be enough to help lower nitrAAte? OR is there another way to help lower nitrAAte.

 

[michaeltx]

no you are in a danger zone at 3.5 inches you need to go closer to 6 inches for a DSB so there is an area at the bottom of no oxygen so a bacteria can grow there that will turn nitrates into nitrogen gas * I think its nitrogen gas* that will slowly escape.
you will see a lowering in nitrates once you get rid of the CC and underground filter anyway it trapping detirous that is slowly breaking down causeing the nitrates to go up.
do you have a sump or refugium setup if so a macro alage will help cheato is one of the most popular for this application .
Mike

 

[florida joe]

My friend with all do respect you seem to be all over the place. What is in your tank now live stock and corals if any how long has it been set up what kind of tank do you want to maintain IMO you need to go back to square one

 

[drtito]

I have a 150 I think. its 72 inchs by 18 inchs about 20inches tall. I had a 55 B4 for a long time but moved up. I have coral in tank then and now. got about 3 med size fish and 9 tiny damels and a clean up crew. I have about 50 to 75 pounds of live rock and base rock. the 150 bin running for about 3 years now. No real big problems except for the nitrAAte.
So 6 inches is a must I did not expect to buy that much sand all at once can I do it in parts like adding 100 lbs at a time?
thanks for the super quick repsonse.

 

[aztec reef]

yes you can do it in parts, eitherway its a challenge cause you have to get rid of the undergravelfilter first and just use a deepsandbed for Nitrate control and also you wanna have lots of water movement. at least 18x overturn.
add sand slowly and run carbon if you have a hang on back filter(for the cloudiness).

 

[drtito]

do you have a sump or refugium setup if so a macro alage will help cheato is one of the most popular for this application .
no I do NOT sump or refugim. I know I dont want a sump. Everyone I talked to in my area even older folks told me not too. As for a refugim Ill try it once I get a chance. space behind the tank is an issue.

 

[metweezer]

IMO you don't need a deep sand bed. Get rid of the CC and UGF (I didn't know people were still using those). 2" is probably enough of LS. You probably have a 125 gal. (72x18x21). How is your tank set up? Do you have corals? LR? What kind of filtration are you going to use to replace the UGF? You have come to the right place

You will get your questions answered here

 

[drtito]

I have 3 double HOB A.C. filters run em 24/7 , I change the filters every monday.

. So 2 to 3 inches of livesand will be fine then. This is great

soon I will be rid of NITRATE its bin a thorn in my side since I got my test kit. Time to pull it out.
This helps alot guys thanks for all the great info Ill try to put it to use this weekend.

 

[aztec reef]

here's the problem..
A dsb is designed to cultivate anaerobic bacteria in the bottom layers of sand, converting nitrate to nitrogen gas to remove toxic nitrates.
a deepsandbed will receive poor circulation(low oxygen) in lower areas making it a sanctuary to beneficial anaerobic bacteria. .
The problem with a sandbed of 2-3" is that the fauna creatures burrow and overturn the top 2 to 3 inches of sand in search of nourishment, which allows water circulation much deeper making your whole 2-3"dsb aerobic instead of anaerobic..
That means that the 2-3" dsb will become a nitrate factory.
that's why dsb's are recomended at at least 5" deep for best results of denitrificacion process..and grain size counts too. super-fine being the best.

 

[gtdarock]

Wow, I never knew that/ My sandbed is about 3 inches, and my Nitrates has always been high. I just recently got rid of my bio-balls and added live rock. I'm getting some cheato this week for my refugium and waiting for my Bermuda skimmer to come this week. So should I add more sand-? Make it 6 inches-?

 

[afboundguy]

Do you run a skimmer? That would help removing waste products before they can get turned into nitrate. As for a refugium if you don't have a sump you can get a CPR HOB refugium or something similar. They also make combination skimmer and refugium HOB systems for around $350-$400 and you could kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

 

[spanko]

I always though that a DSB was greater than 3.5" and a SSB is less than 1.5".

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by metweezer
http:///forum/post/2623369
IMO you don't need a deep sand bed. Get rid of the CC and UGF (I didn't know people were still using those). 2" is probably enough of LS. You probably have a 125 gal. (72x18x21). How is your tank set up? Do you have corals? LR? What kind of filtration are you going to use to replace the UGF? You have come to the right place

You will get your questions answered here

I still use an UG filter with PHs in my small (55) retro tank (along with a good skimmer and 2 huge HOT filters) no LR. Lots of different color skeletal coral (natural color, not dyed). These filters can still do a great job with ammonia & nitrite, but not nitrate. Fenner agrees with this statement in his book. I know a few neat tricks that keep the area under the filter plates clean; eliminating the need to annually tear the tank down. There are, of course, better ways; but some of this old stuff still works very well. Two big PHs pulling water thru all that sand provides excellent bio-filter surface. Except for the skimmer, this tank is almost exactly like my first successful SW tank, 30+ years ago...beautiful, healthy,and a lot of fun.(But, no tangs)

 

[metweezer]

From what I have heard Fenner is updating The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. I wonder if he is going to mention UGF's. Hey whatever works for you is fine but new technology has taken the hobby in a different direction.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by metweezer
http:///forum/post/2624572
From what I have heard Fenner is updating The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. I wonder if he is going to mention UGF's. Hey whatever works for you is fine but new technology has taken the hobby in a different direction.
That's for sure! LR is an incredible advance and I use it in my 2 larger tanks. I think reef tanks would be impossible without it. I just like the looks of my small tank and its fun to "remember:" stuff; and invent ways to improve.

 

[drtito]

I got A skimmer HOB. As for the sand I switched the order from 100 lbs of black sand to 200 lbs of live black sand, I will need more to get to reach a 5 inch sand bed min. Thanks for setting me stright on the depth of sand I needed. This hobby is addicting....

GOD I LOVE IT !!!

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by DrTITO
http:///forum/post/2627321
I got A skimmer HOB. As for the sand I switched the order from 100 lbs of black sand to 200 lbs of live black sand, I will need more to get to reach a 5 inch sand bed min. Thanks for setting me stright on the depth of sand I needed. This hobby is addicting....

GOD I LOVE IT !!!

Love the enthusiasm! Have you taken a 3rd

[hr]
on your house yet; that's one of the main symptoms of the addiction? On the plus side, because of the calming and soothing side-effects; all SW hobbiest expenditures are tax- deductible as a medical expense! ( Better add, "not really", or someone will blame me when the audit notice comes.)

 

[drtito]

The TAX BREAK would have been great.......wishful thinking.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by DrTITO
http:///forum/post/2627685
The TAX BREAK would have been great.......wishful thinking.

My Doc will sure say that this hobby keeps my stress level well down; improving my over-all health, my kids well-being, even my dog's temperament.The alternative would be very expensive mental health care & drugs.I'm going to try the deduction; if they deny it---nothing lost.

 

[nubiegurl]

Just looked in on this discussion that had taken place and wanted to ask a couple of more questions. My tank is just shy of a month old. I have a 24 gal Nano. My sand bed is around 2 1/2 " with around 28lbs. of live rock. My readings were all fine and I thought my tank had cycled but lately (after adding a few small corals and a couple of fish) I am seeing my nitrates ranging 10-20. I have been doing 10-15% water changes but they don't seem to go back down. Is my tank in trouble???? Did I rush things ?