nitrate problem

[djplace]

Hey all. I'm Steve and new to this forum. i have a 65g set up that i wanna do a reef tank. i have had it set up since jan and have cycled the tank. my problem is i cant seem to keep my nitrates down. i get them down with water changes but i dont want to do a 50% all the time. i read that many people have thier nitrates at 0 but i have never gotten mine that low. i am usually at about 20. they have spiked again due to some a fish dying. i had a lion fish and a dogface puffer a snowflake eel and a wrasse that i dont know what kind but pretty as hell. anyways they wrasse died and now my nitrates are reading about 80 again. how can i get them down and keep them down. thanks for the help i will get pics up as soon as i can.

 

[trouble93]

How much live rock live sand? What and how much do you feed?

 

[trouble93]

Originally Posted by djplace
http:///forum/post/3035585
Hey all. I'm Steve and new to this forum. i have a 65g set up that i wanna do a reef tank. i have had it set up since jan and have cycled the tank. my problem is i cant seem to keep my nitrates down. i get them down with water changes but i dont want to do a 50% all the time. i read that many people have thier nitrates at 0 but i have never gotten mine that low. i am usually at about 20. they have spiked again due to some a fish dying. i had a lion fish and a dogface puffer a snowflake eel and a wrasse that i dont know what kind but pretty as hell. anyways they wrasse died and now my nitrates are reading about 80 again. how can i get them down and keep them down. thanks for the help i will get pics up as soon as i can.
I take it by the fish you have this is a fish only tank, so it would be hard to add a CUC. You may have to do a large water change. 20ppm Nitrate in a fish only tank is not that high, but for the overall health it's best to keep trates as low as posible. At 80 ppm your fish will stress even with a 50% water change it will only cut your trates in half. So do the change wait a few days and do another in the mean time cut back on your feeding. Welcome aboard.

 

[djplace]

i have about60 pounds of LR and about40 pounds of sand. i have heard that is enough but how much should i have

 

[gypsana]

You are going to have to get rid of those fish if you still have then, they are not reef safe.You have enough live rock but if you want more add it before you start adding corals. What filtration and equipment are you running right now and what lighting are you using currently?

 

[deejeff442]

you have some big poopers in that little tank thats why.
the fish you have are safe with corals just not inverts.
so you could have a reef with out the inverts.
do you have a sump?
if not get one as big as you can and fill it with more rock .
that will up your filtration for those fish,they are not fish that need swimming space but need alot of filtration.

 

[zshain012]

get a refugium and put mass amounts of macro in it. sometimes puffers don't bother cuc as long as you feed them enough.

 

[gypsana]

According to SWF's listings (and all other sites I have read) these fish are not reef safe except for the Blackfoot and Fu Man Chu lionfish.

 

[djplace]

i got rid of my puffer and lionfish. the only thing i kept was the snowflake eel. i have a 10 gallon sump with a protien skimmer not sure what kind my lfs said it would be enough. also i currently have two sets of 36 inch 39w t5 lighting and plan on getting a third. today i did a 50% water change and added some live bacteria. the only reason i got the puffer and lion fish are cuz the wife wanted them i pretty much new i shouldnt keep them but i wanted to make her happy so i tried. now i just want to do coral with some inverts. my eel has never bothered any of my snails i used to have or my crabs. so i wanna go with some inverts a couple of smaller fish and then coral. thanks for all the help. ill keep ya posted on whats going on.

 

[djplace]

here are a couple of photos i took

 

[deejeff442]

apparently you didnt read my post .
corals safe inverts not.
the stores also say you can have some tangs in a 65 gallon tank.
add with caution .
puffers ,eels,and lions DONT EAT CORALS.
what would you call a tank with fish and corals without inverts? still a reef.
to poster now ,what do you have left in the tank then?