Need help getting Nitrates down

[fred794]

I have always had problems with the nitrate levels in my tank. They are curently a whopping 75!!! From reading the forums I have found some things that I am doing wrong that might be causing the problem. I am currently replacing the crushed coral sand bed with live sand, installed a maxi-jet 1200 power head, and started getting water from the LFS (was using tap water). Besides doing frequent water changes with the new water what else can I do to get the nitrates down.
Also how should I set up my fluval?
My goal is to get the nitrates to 0 so I can set up a reef tank.
Current set up:
36gal
fluval 204 filter
maxi-jet 1200
4 fish
25 lbs of live rock (plan on adding more)
Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks
-Fred

 

[xnikki118x]

I don't know anything about the fluval but I'm sure someone on here could help.
I don't advocate using chemicals to fix problems with parameters, but because I really believe your nitrates are due to the crushed coral substrate (mine were always high when I had it too--CC is crap!) I'm going to recommend AmQuel+. It'll get them down in no time. Just dose it according to the instructions and you'll be fine.
Never underestimate the power of routine water changes, though. That's the best way to keep your parameters in check. Good luck!
PS. When adding the sand, add it as close to the bottom as you can to minimize cloudiness. I know some people who learned this the hard way.

 

[reefforbrains]

there seems to be quite a split amongst us when it comes to theories, but seeing is believing and fluvals just seem like what could be called functional but certainly not optimal for your 0 nitrate goal. Not implying you are/would neglect proper cleaning/maint on your unit but they just never impress me when it comes to long term reliability when it comes down to counting on it to stablize your reef for the long haul. JMO
more live rock to proccess your bio before they turn to amonia and a good skimmer. I always tend to get long winded when voicing my opinion, but I would be interested to hear from the masses from the folks that went againt all the rules and simply ditched thier fluvals in favor of a larger amount of rock and a decent skimmer. I have seen firsthand plenty of folks with breathtaking reef setups with no sumps, filters or anything at all except a trusty skimmer and some nice flow.
might be a good thread to hear from folks doing it old school with no refugiums, no sumps, no canisters.....nothing but skimmers and Ph's. sorry for the long response. :thinking:

 

[promisetbg]

Ditch the fluval, add the sand, more rock,do a large water change with RO/DI, add a skimmer if possible. If you cannot afford a skimmer at this time, treat the tank like a nano and do wc's weekly. Add another powerhead.