How to keep Nitrates down? (Sump)

[spanko]

Just gonna throw it out here. Seems to be too much stress on the part of the original poster here having a reading of 20 for nitrate.
Slowly step back and evaluate what you are doing and why.
Are you feeding too much, is it all being eaten or is some falling to the rockwork and sand.
Are your husbandry habits enough to keep you system clean of accumulations of detritus? Sponges, socks, floss cleaned on a regular basis. Rockwork blown off with a turkey baster at water change time to allow the detritus to be removed from the water column by the filtrations and water change.
Is your water change schedule enough to keep the nitrates lowered to the value you wish them to be?

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3137108
I like Chemi-Pure too and have used it in all my tanks for years. BTY: the "Elite" version just adds ferric hydroxide, a phosphate remover. It works well, but the FH is exhausted long before the Chemi-Pure. If you need a phosphate (or silicate) remover its cheaper and more efficient to run them separately.
I know, but it just seems to keep our tank a little cleaner. We're obsessive with water changes and keeping everything clean as well. For the extra $1.50 a container, I figure, why not? How long do you leave yours in for? We do 8-9 weeks tops and some people think we should do longer. We had 2 in our 40G and would replace them about three weeks apart from one another.

 

[geckoxp]

Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3137113
Just gonna throw it out here. Seems to be too much stress on the part of the original poster here having a reading of 20 for nitrate.
Slowly step back and evaluate what you are doing and why.
Are you feeding too much, is it all being eaten or is some falling to the rockwork and sand.
Are your husbandry habits enough to keep you system clean of accumulations of detritus? Sponges, socks, floss cleaned on a regular basis. Rockwork blown off with a turkey baster at water change time to allow the detritus to be removed from the water column by the filtrations and water change.
Is your water change schedule enough to keep the nitrates lowered to the value you wish them to be?

A few changes I made were to remove the sock in the sump...I rinse down the overflow sponges and the sponge from the main sump to the return once a week.
I have been doing a 20G water change every Saturday as well.
Now what I believe will help the most here is to cut back on feeding by half. I was giving the fish 2 cubes twice a day and now I am doing 1 cube twice a day...I currently have a yellow tang, hippo tang, six line wrasse, bicolor blenny, 2 percs, a royal gramma and coral banded shrimp with a couple emerald crabs, 4 turbo snails and some hermits. I may be still feeding way to much...not sure. Maybe I should do just a half cube each feeding? I use a algae clip 3xs a week, taking out what is left over the next morning so it doesnt sit..
Any input if I am feeding enough or too much would be great with the fish I have...sorry still a noob here taking in as much advice as possible.

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by GeckoXp
http:///forum/post/3137592
A few changes I made were to remove the sock in the sump...I rinse down the overflow sponges and the sponge from the main sump to the return once a week.
I have been doing a 20G water change every Saturday as well.
Now what I believe will help the most here is to cut back on feeding by half. I was giving the fish 2 cubes twice a day and now I am doing 1 cube twice a day...I currently have a yellow tang, hippo tang, six line wrasse, bicolor blenny, 2 percs, a royal gramma and coral banded shrimp with a couple emerald crabs, 4 turbo snails and some hermits. I may be still feeding way to much...not sure. Maybe I should do just a half cube each feeding? I use a algae clip 3xs a week, taking out what is left over the next morning so it doesnt sit..
Any input if I am feeding enough or too much would be great with the fish I have...sorry still a noob here taking in as much advice as possible.
Okay, first problem I have is that your fish list has changed since you first posted this. ???

??? Which list is accurate? I really think that you need a goby. IMO I'd get a cleaner shrimp as well, I don't think CBS do as great of a job cleaning.
Secondly, are your fish mainly babies or full grown? I still think you're feeding too much. I'd do 1 cube a day. There are a couple frozen foods out there for tangs that will benefit them as well as the other fish in your tank, I think that would help with your over feeding issue. IMO it's better to under feed, than over.
Can we get an accurate list of your fish and CUC?
Keep us up to date on what happens with cutting back the food.
Good luck

 

[geckoxp]

Originally Posted by BTLDreef
http:///forum/post/3137678
Okay, first problem I have is that your fish list has changed since you first posted this. ??? %% ??? Which list is accurate? I really think that you need a goby. IMO I'd get a cleaner shrimp as well, I don't think CBS do as great of a job cleaning.
Secondly, are your fish mainly babies or full grown? I still think you're feeding too much. I'd do 1 cube a day. There are a couple frozen foods out there for tangs that will benefit them as well as the other fish in your tank, I think that would help with your over feeding issue. IMO it's better to under feed, than over.
Can we get an accurate list of your fish and CUC?
Keep us up to date on what happens with cutting back the food.
Good luck
Yes the list has changed with what I have....I am dealing with an ich problem at the moment so I have lost the firefish and flame angel. Here is what I have:
Blue Hippo
Yellow Tang
Royal Gramma
2 Percs
Six line wrasse
Diamond goby
Bicolor Blenny
I have 4 turbo snails, 2 emerald crabs, 10-15 hermits, coral banded shrimp and some sand sifting snails that I see occasionally..No algae issues at the moment and the sand is as white as can be so they are doing a good job.
I would love to add a couple peppermint shrimp to the tank but with the ich issue and the fact that I have the coral in there I am afraid its not the right time and that the coral will find them as food as they can? Its a $40-50 chance to take I guess from the LFS.
The percs are 3in, yellow tang is maybe say 4-5in, hippo is maybe 6in, diamond is a good 3in, gramma is 3, blenny is say 3 and the wrasse is maybe 2...so mostly good size to answer that Q

 

[btldreef]

IMO I don't think the peppermint shrimp is as great as some people claim they are, that being said, you can get them fairly cheap, SWF sells 5/$20. Your coral should not see them as food and the shrimp should, for the most part stay out of the coral.
I definitely think the main issue is over feeding still.
If you're fighting ich and nitrates, I definitely recommend a Cleaner Shrimp. He'll clean up excess food, not all, but it'll help and clean the fish. My Coral Beauty had a slight case of ich when I first got here and the cleaner shrimp cured that problem very fast.
Suggestion for this week: Before you do a water change, blow off the rocks with a turkey baster or syringe to clear excess food and fish waste and cut back on food. See how it goes.
Good luck.

 

[geckoxp]

Originally Posted by BTLDreef
http:///forum/post/3137821
Suggestion for this week: Before you do a water change, blow off the rocks with a turkey baster or syringe to clear excess food and fish waste and cut back on food. See how it goes.
Good luck.
I usually take my hand and blow off any excess sand that the goby kicks up and then do the water change to get rid of the crap I blow off on the sand...
Bc of the ich issue I have been doing a 20G water chang every week to try and help out the quality. I think I may reduce the #2 reef and fish food down to half a cube each day and for the rest use 1 cube of the mysis/bloodworms every other day...maybe cut that down to half?
What do you mean by SWF? Pardon the unknowing over here. Would a skunk shrimp work instead? I just want to make sure that they would cause no harm to the corals I have in the tank and the CBS that I have in there now would cause no harm to them.

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by GeckoXp
http:///forum/post/3137841
I usually take my hand and blow off any excess sand that the goby kicks up and then do the water change to get rid of the crap I blow off on the sand...
Bc of the ich issue I have been doing a 20G water chang every week to try and help out the quality. I think I may reduce the #2 reef and fish food down to half a cube each day and for the rest use 1 cube of the mysis/bloodworms every other day...maybe cut that down to half?
What do you mean by SWF? Pardon the unknowing over here. Would a skunk shrimp work instead? I just want to make sure that they would cause no harm to the corals I have in the tank and the CBS that I have in there now would cause no harm to them.
SWF = saltwaterfish.com
Your tank should be big enough for a CBS and a Skunk Cleaner. IMO, I'd go with a cleaner shrimp, I'm not a huge fan of peppermints.