High Nitrates

[richl]

I have a 125 FOWLR up 19 months. My water parameters are good (8.3 PH, 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 1.025 SG and 78 degrees tem) except for Nitrates which run 40-80. Are these levels a danger to my fish and how can I lower them? My fish are all fairly small and include 2 Heniochus Butterflys, 2 Ocellaris clownfish, 1 Klein's Butterfly, 1 tiny Yellow Tang, 4 Green Chromis and 1 Flame Angel. I have 80-100 lbs live rock, Fluval FX5 cannister filter which I religiously clean out every Sunday, a Submariner 9 watt UV, two Coralia 3 and one Coralia 2 powerheads and another powerhead that sweeps the surface. I only change about 10 gallons every week when I do the filter clean out, but it's every week and I use RO water. I live in a highrise apartment, so I can only store about 15 gallons of water. I've tried a couple of products like Algone and De-Nitrate with limited success. I try not to overfeed, but probably do a bit. Anything I can do to get the nitrates down?

 

[richl]

forgot to mention I have cuc 4 shrimp, 1 brittle star, a few snails, emerald crabs, 1 long bristle worm, etc

 

[shrimpy brains]

IMO, your nitrate readings are fine for a fish only tank. If you really want to lower them, larger w/c's or a refugium might help.

 

[beaslbob]

Originally Posted by RichL
http:///forum/post/3210355
...
Anything I can do to get the nitrates down?

yes. Add more nitrate consumers like macro algaes. In a refugium to protect the macros from the fish and cleaner crews. A simple partition so your tank has a fish side and small macro side with a light to light up the macros will do fine.
btw 40-80ppm nitrates in a fish tank is fairly normal and ok for your fish.
my .02

 

[cranberry]

I would try to lower that. Some of my scorps would not like that at all.... some wouldn't care. But regardless, it's kind of telling you you need to rev up your maintenance schedule. That's only one measurable value that isn't so great, which could also mean there are plenty of others that aren't within a nice range as well.

 

[richl]

I don't have any macroalgae in my tank. I've been reading that Chaeto or Shaving Brush plants might help since they take in nitrates. How much do I need for a 125 gal tank? Will my fish eat them? If so, I'm thinking about adding an "in-tank" refugium. I saw two in a magazine. One was 7"x4"x7" and the other was 12"x6"x8". Does anyone use these and does this plan make sense? Also, I bought a 18 gal rubbermaid tote so I can do larger water changes.
Thanks

 

[pete159]

what exactly do you have in your canister filter?
I do not think it comes with media so you had to buy your own.
i would suggest the following be put in it. Leave 1 stage of foam that it came with for first stage filtering. After that i would use eheim pro substrate and kent matrix in the rest of the canister. the eheim is much better then other bio media and the matrix will help with your nitrates, however remember that matrix is also a form of bio media and takes time for the bacteria to build up, so never wash it or the eheim substrate out with anything but tank water and olny if it looks like its getting dirty with detritus.

 

[erifish3]

My nitrates in my 100g were at over 120ppm and I brought it down to about 60-80 by doing (2) 50% water changes in 2 weeks, then 20% weekly changes for 4-6 weeks. I've added cheato to my sump and I'm back to doing 25% water changes every two weeks.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by erifish3
http:///forum/post/3212343
My nitrates in my 100g were at over 120ppm and I brought it down to about 60-80 by doing (2) 50% water changes in 2 weeks, then 20% weekly changes for 4-6 weeks. I've added cheato to my sump and I'm back to doing 25% water changes every two weeks.
This has always been the basic method of lowering nitrates and (IMO) still the best. I know there are some fish that are may be bothered by nitrates; but I really don't think most fish are harmed with nitrates at, say,<60. I do agree with the folks who suggest letting nitrates climb indicates a real possibility of additional water quality problems---possibly some we don't even know about yet.

 

[peter1215]

I do a biweekly 15-20&#37; water change in my 210dt and managed to keep nitrates around 10-15ppm. I use chemipure elite im my sump. Im not a big fan of using canister filters on my DT unless its temporary to run additional carbon etc... only use cf on my QT. A good skimmer also helps.

 

[richl]

I don't have a sump. I live in a highrise apartment and can't have any possibility of leaks, so I minimize anything that might require plumbing. The only plumbing I have is the two hoses going in and out of the cannister. I have an in-tank UV and I was thinking about an in-tank skimmer, but I don't want to take us too much tank space. Is it safe to use a sump when other people live below you? What's the best and safest way for an apartment dweller? Thanks