nitrate issues.

camfish

camfish

Active Member
I don't have a huge problem, my trates are about 15, but in the future I am going to want corals...but for now I am just getting fish and etc. So I don't have a fuge, don't have a sump, do have a skimmer, and would kill myself if I had to get a dsb. My tank is 30 gallons. I am looking into Mangroves, but I am wondering if they will get too big... There is a place that usually sells pond and aquarium plants, near my area, also a lfs, doubt that they will have any, but it is worth a try I guess. I could always setup another small hob and put cheato in it, but I don't want to have to get special lighting for it, you know. How much light does cheato require, will it do it's job if it is placed in the main tank without movement? So am I overlooking anything? Is there any other way to reduce my trates without spending a fortune? Thanks for your help.
 
T

tizzo

Guest
Are you over feeding and when you do a water change, what do you do?
 
tropills

tropills

Member
Originally Posted by camfish
http:///forum/post/2632240
Is there any other way to reduce my trates without spending a fortune? Thanks for your help.
water changes, water changes , water changes, you can set-up a small HOB fuge with a HOB power filter, just need some type of light source for the cheato, which you can just get a real cheap clip on light from walmart.
 
camfish

camfish

Active Member
Well, the cycle has been done for a while and I have continued to ghost feed and my skimmer broke down for a while. I ran out of salt too, but have a bunch now, and so I did a water change that was slightly smaller than I intended (ran out of salt) and got them down to like 5. It has been almost a week and they are up to 15...so I am thinking that I need something to keep them down. Do you think that some mangroves and a small hob cheato filter will do some good?
 
nano reefer

nano reefer

Active Member
try using chaeto, mangroves tend to be overkill. Get one of those grated shower soap holders and put a clump in it, or go all out with a refugium.
 
camfish

camfish

Active Member
What do you mean by mongroves are overkill? I like the showergrater idea a lot, but doesn't the cheato need to "roll" in order to work?
 
namas05

namas05

Member
No cheato only needs light. And of course to be in the water.
And what I have heard is that mangroves will lower nitrates, but very minimally and only if you have a lot of them. Don't know this just heard this.
 
camfish

camfish

Active Member
I lied, i have a few more questions. Would a breeding box like this one be okay for the cheato, I have one and was curious. Two of the sides are slotted which allows flow, but I wasn't sure if that was enough. I was also curious what else would work.
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
Yes it would be. I saw a guy that used boxes like that to keep different types of macroalgae in his fuge.
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
they sell HOB refugiums. one of those would be perfect for you. that breeder thing will be in your viewing area..won't it?
namas is right about mangroves. they are not as effective as chaeto. they also grow extremely slow.
 
camfish

camfish

Active Member
CC? Is that an insult? jp I have argonite. I have 26 pounds of lr and I am going to probably get more in the future...I really don't mind it getting in my viewing are, either.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Originally Posted by camfish
http:///forum/post/2633406
CC? Is that an insult? jp I have argonite.
Definitely not an insult. I just see a lot of nitrate problems with new tanks that have CC as the substrate. My 55 gallon tank is a good example of that (taking it down this weekend).
 
drtito

drtito

Member
Originally Posted by tropills
http:///forum/post/2632269
water changes, water changes , water changes, you can set-up a small HOB fuge with a HOB power filter, just need some type of light source for the cheato, which you can just get a real cheap clip on light from walmart.
#3 tropills, I dont mean to queston you,but will this work,have you seen it work before. I would like to give it a shot,what kind of tiny bulb would you use for a tiny light lamp.
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2633411
Definitely not an insult. I just see a lot of nitrate problems with new tanks that have CC as the substrate. My 55 gallon tank is a good example of that (taking it down this weekend).
If you have a nitrate problem with a new tank it is not because of your CC
 
camfish

camfish

Active Member
CC does tend to cause a lot of trate problems, I know from experience too. How much chaeto do you think that I need?
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
I think Joe's point is that if you have a new tank then it hasn't been around long enough to develop all the problems with waste and such getting stuck in and uder the CC. If its a new tank with nitrate problems, then the problem is probably something else.
 
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