Losing my Mind?!?!?!?!

[coolguy818]

Is there a scientific or logical answer to this?
Why I can not for the life of me lower my Nitrates?????????
Everything else is perfect:
Temp - 77.4 - 78.9
PH - 8.2
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dKH - 10
Calcium - 460
Phosphates - 0
Salinity - 1.025 - 1.026
Tank Specs:
29g
25 lbs or LR
40 lbs of Carib-Sea Aragonite Sand
2 Maxi-Jet 1200 PH - 295 GPH x2 = 590 GPH
1 Rio Mini 200 - 50 GPH
1 Skilter FIlter - 55 GPH
I do not run a Skimmer
Total of 695 GPH of Flow = 24 x turnover
Lighting:
1x175w MH 14k Bulb Retrofit
Now before I give you the stock list, I know that I'm gonna get chewed out for it. Because of increased Bio-Load. To contradict that, I do 10% water changes every friday, RO/DI water, Red Sea RO Sea Salt, with a PH and a heater going overnight. So yes I do mix my own Saltwater.
Feeding Schedule:
Daily Spirulina and Mysis for the fish
Every 3 days Mixed Coral Food and Cyclopleeze for the Corals.
Per my LFS guidance I have put a Poly Filter inside my Skilter to help soak up some of the Nitrates. That was put in yesterday.
Tank has been up for about 3 months.
Now the Dreaded Stock List:
FISH
1 True Percula Clown - 1 inch
1 Blue Hippo Tang (juvi) - 1.5 inch
1 Yellow Tang (juvi) - 1.75 inch
1 Dwarf Flame Angel - 1.25 inch
1 Royal Gramma - 1.5 inch
1 3 Stripe Damsel - 1.5 inch
1 Sand Sifter Goby - 1 inch
INVERTS
1 Coral Banded Shrimp
1 Cleaner Shrimp
2 Peppermint Shrimp
2 Camelback Shrimp
2 Emerald Crabs
15 Assorted Hermit Crabs
10 Nessarius Snails
12 Astrea Snails
CORALS
1 Green Closed Brain - thriving
1 Red Open Brain - thriving
1 Green Hammer
2 Headed Frogspawn
6 Ricordia Mushrooms (Orange/Purple/Green)
1 3" Sun Coral - thriving
10 Headed Fuzzy Mushroom patch
5 Yellow Polyps
One big Ball of 75+ Assorted Zoos.
1 Frag of Super Green Zoos - still a baby.
I have Great Coraline growth of Pink, Purple and White.
After Everyone has flames me on the Fish list. Besides the Bio-Load that I have put on the tank. What other Sources of Nitrates can there be?????????
I will have pics on Monday.

 

[reefreak29]

I think u already know the answer. u have more fish in your 29 then i have in my 90. theres no way to lower nitrates with that bioload regardless what your lfs might have told u . the tangs alone need at least a 125 gal. tank thats 6 ft long

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by Coolguy818
After Everyone has flames me on the Fish list. Besides the Bio-Load that I have put on the tank. What other Sources of Nitrates can there be?????????
none. just the live stock and the food they consume and waste they produce. your stock list is the source of the nitrates. I'm not going to waste typing to flame. but the answer is your stocking practices. period. if you ask enough people some one may make up an answer other than that but if you want the truth I'm pretty sure you realize the answer. honestly I am amazed your nitrates are that low.

 

[coolguy818]

I already knew the answer to the question before I asked it. But I still had hope of maybe it could be something else.

 

[reefreak29]

i think we have all done it at one point , what are u going to do with the fish?

 

[rbaldino]

If you get rid of the tangs, you might be able to get away with keeping the fish you have left. I'd probably still get rid of the angel, though, too. The clown, gramma, damsel and goby could all live happily in the tank at that point. You should really consider getting a skimmer, too.

 

[ophiura]

There is only ONE source of nitrates. The food going in to support the bioload of the tank.
You have to understand how the cycle works. If you do, the answer is totally clear. In order to reduce the nitrates, you have to reduce the food in, and so you have to reduce the bioload. The tangs, IMO, must go first.

 

[coolguy818]

What do you think of the Feeding Regiment?
The Blue Hippo Tang has been sick, for a while. I can't get it out. Hides in the rickwork.

 

[ophiura]

I think you are feeding the fish. The problem is you have too many fish. THis is not a case where you can cut back on feeding.
You simply have too many fish for that tank.

 

[coolguy818]

I'm fully aware of that....... But that wasn't the question.
Is the feeding regiment good or not?

 

[ophiura]

I would increase the diversity as it is insufficient for the diversity of fish you keep.
However, IMO it will not help the nitrates. And it will not help long term with the health of the fish. One way or another, the fish will suffer. You are clearly seeing the intial warning signs of a problem.
The question, blunt though it is, is will you address it while the fish still have a chance to live elsewhere, or will you wait for them to die.
Because that is the point, IMO, you are at.

 

[claire7275]

Cool guy, I have the same problem in my 90g, but my tank only has 1 clown, 1 Scooter Blenny and 1 Purple Queen Anthia (mislead by the lfs) a Sea Hare to get rid of hair algae that came with the lr, 10 hermits and 10 snails. All other parameters are great, except nitrates.
I think my problem stems from using lr from an established tank that wasn't very well taken care of. I put carbon in the sump, bought a protein skimmer and only feed once a day. I do weekly 10% water changes and can't seem to get the trates down. I hope someone out there will respond with other ways of bring them down.
Good Luck with yours!!!
Claire

 

[petjunkie]

Small weekly changes won't affect much, to lower it is better to do a couple large versus several small. I would do 25-30% changes every three or four days and see if that helps.

 

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by Claire7275
I think my problem stems from using lr from an established tank that wasn't very well taken care of.
Claire
Whats your theory behind this? If it were from an "established tank" and poorly taken care of all the [excessive] die off that would occur from the conditions should have happened along time ago. Once die off is no longer a factor for producing nitrates there is no other reason liverock can/should cause nitrate. If your refering to an ability to process nitrates I dont think the anaerobic bacteria in the low oxygen crannies of the rock that process nitrates really care about the water quality/condition of the tank nor am I even sure that nitrate processing is a significant benefit of liverock to begin with (could be wrong but how much anaerobic areas required for nitrate processing can liverock have

. I would think its mostly for ammonia processing which nitrates are the end result of...but that wouldn't cause elevated nitrates in a low bioload tank like yours).
I would expect that theory to be more likely with fresh liverock, liverock used to cycle a tank or well taken care of liverock out of water too long or used in a cycling tank. Not much should die from established like rock in poor conditions put into better conditions. If its covered in nuasance algae from neglect that should actually reduce nitrates.