Nitrate Little High

F

funeral guy

New Member
after doing a more than half water change Thursday of last week, and using only bought ocean water the Nitrate levels in the tank are a little on the high side. the ph and nitrites and salt level are all in great standings based off everything I have read. But how do I bring down the Nitrate levels safely for the tank. I have about 2 to 2.5 inches of sand in the bottom that has been set up in tank for about 6 years and tons of live rock also in the tank for 6 years. Any suggestions would be very helpful thanks
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Adding a refugium to grow and harvest macro algae is one of the best/safest ways to help keep nutrient levels under control.
 
lmforbis

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
That is a lot high but test strips are about the worst way to measure anything. I’d suggest getting a good saltwater nitrate test, either Red Sea or salifert. Then you will have an accurate result and can work from there.
 
F

funeral guy

New Member
lmforbis said:
That is a lot high but test strips are about the worst way to measure anything. I’d suggest getting a good saltwater nitrate test, either Red Sea or salifert. Then you will have an accurate result and can work from there.
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Okay thank you for the information
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
you have nitrates because the nitrate consumers are not consuming the nitrates as they are being produced.

IMHO the best means of reducing nitrates is by adding nitrate consumers in the form of macro algaes. A refugium is just a protected area (usually a separate container/sump) to protect the macro algaes from the livestock the eats them. In one tank I just used a tank partition.

FWIW 160ppm is high but some nitrates can be a sign of a stable healthy system. Alages will consume ammonia first then nitrates second. So it is possible the algae (on the rocks for instance) is consuming ammonia breaking up a possible cycle/crash. If temporary, the ammonia will eventually be consumed by aerobic bacteria and the algae will switch to consuming nitrates.

my .02
 
F

funeral guy

New Member
beaslbob said:
you have nitrates because the nitrate consumers are not consuming the nitrates as they are being produced.

IMHO the best means of reducing nitrates is by adding nitrate consumers in the form of macro algaes. A refugium is just a protected area (usually a separate container/sump) to protect the macro algaes from the livestock the eats them. In one tank I just used a tank partition.

FWIW 160ppm is high but some nitrates can be a sign of a stable healthy system. Alages will consume ammonia first then nitrates second. So it is possible the algae (on the rocks for instance) is consuming ammonia breaking up a possible cycle/crash. If temporary, the ammonia will eventually be consumed by aerobic bacteria and the algae will switch to consuming nitrates.

my .02
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Everything seems to be doing fine since the water change the coral seems to be doing its thing, the feather duster has grown to double its original size, the anomies are doing well, and all the fish are very active. So I will watch and see if what your talking about starts to take place
 
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