Nitrates off the chart!! Please help!

[pyro]

I'd say do some frequent heavy water changes, but until you get your new tank setup and cycled, I'd just buy a big clump of Macro algae and throw in the tank somewhere. I hide mine in the sump and have 0 trates. It might not look appleasing, but between that and water changes, you could easily keep them down until you setup your next tank.
Do a search on the board for Macro Algaes, Macros, ect, an example of one type would be calpura (spelling is off, can't rememeber, sorry).
Good Luck, let us know how it turns out.

 

[fishphreak]

Thank you, I will do a search.
I plan on doing massive water changes between now and Thursday or Friday. Then I hope my levels are low enough to add some macro. At this point I don't even care how it looks as long as it keeps my babies alive until my 75 is up.
I pretty much decided on what I will be putting in the sump when it is ready. I guess it sorta like a refugium too.
I will have my skimmer, thermometer, Pinpoint ph moniter, and a heater if I need one. But I also plan to have LR and LS along with some macro algae. I will most likely put the 2x55w PC lights that are on my 29 on the sump for 75.
It probably isn't as beneficial as have a sump and a seperate refugium but I just don't have the space for both.
Thank you so much for all the help,
Jessica

 

[pyro]

I have my heater and return pump in my 10g sump/fuge for my 30g. It's a little too small, but it does the work and keeps me ontop of water topoffs (gotta get that auto-top off system going).
It doesn't matter what your trates reading is when you put macros in - they aren't sensitive to high levels, they probably will actually do better in high nitrate levels.

 

[fishphreak]

maybe I can get some tomorrow. I have to go back to the LFS to get some more salt and RO water so hopefully I can pick some up then.
yeah I can't wait for the auto top off. I just found out today that i will need another pump but its a mag 5 for $80 so that shouldn't be too bad.
Just 2 more months to go
Off to do the water change.
Thanks again,
Jessica

 

[fishphreak]

I did a 50% water change last night and my trates are down to 80ppm. I know a 50% water change isn't good but I thought that my nitrates being that high was worse than the 50% water change.
Nothing looks bad or stressed.
I am not going to be able to make it to the LFS today so I will have to wait until tomorrow or thursday to do another water change and get some macro.
Jessica

 

[pyro]

I doubt you'll need a mag 5 for a top-off... You could probably get away with a simple $15 powerhead.

 

[fishphreak]

maybe I was wrong...my fiance knows more about the equipment that I do. The mag 5 is for water changes. If I understood him correctly the mag 5 will pump the new salt water into the tank and the other pump will pull the water out of the tank. Something about it does it through the pipes for the overflow so it would be possible to do a water change without effecting that water level in the tank. Then I can use the same pump to pump in top off water except for when I am doing the water change.
I don't really understand the mechanics well enough to explain it but that is the way I understood it.
Jessica