Nitrates remain elevated, can you help ?

mikegronholz

mikegronholz

Member
My nitrates have been above 0 since day 1. Normally hovering around the 35-45 range. I have 250# LR and 125# LS in the 75g. The sand infront of the rock is at 5" deep and the sand in the passageway behing the rock is at about 2". I also have 40# LS in the 20g sump. I am preparing for a large water change this weekend (about 20-25g of distilled). I have done 2 water changes since setup at about 12-15g each time.
I have NEVER had nitrite show up, ammonia hovers at .25 (so does my tap, if not higher - I need a different test), ph is back to 8.4 and Alk is at 240ish. I have 2 300gph power heads and 2 200gph power head in the tank as well as a Mag5 returning from the sump exiting at the top in 2 locations. The sump has the skimmer, UV and Fluval 404 in it.
 
melbournefl

melbournefl

Member
According to Robert Metelsky, author of Simplified Reefkeeping, there is such a thing as too much live rock/sand. He is quite emphatic about this point in fact. I have not even set up my tank yet and I have not had the salt experience of many of the people here but I thought I'd throw this into the mix anyway. He suggests that a maximum of 1.75 pounds of live rock and/or sand per gallon is optimal and that any more could indeed lead to an increase of nitrates over time.
Just passing this along,
Paul
 
jayster

jayster

Member
I hope you guys dont mind me jumping in but my much smaller tank also has elevated trates (20-40) and I am just wondering if I should be concerned. My tank set up is below. Tank has been up two months.The seaclone 100 runs 12 hours a day. Magnum 350 canister w/ charcoal 24/7 except when I feed. I Amonia at 0.0 trites just barely detectable ph 8.2. SG at 1.023
15% water changes on 9/18, 10% on 9/26, 10/5 and 10/17
I feed a few small pinches of flake three times a day and a small amount of FD krill or frozen mysis 5x week. Also pour in a half capfull of photoplankton 2x week for the feather duster.
Could it be over feeding? The little guys definately chow most of what I throw in. I continue with the pinches until I see some hitting the floor but the Brittlestar usually cleans that up immediately. I turn off my filters for 10 minutes when I feed.
I had a moderate brown diatome blume but that seems to have passed. Only a little green hairs on the live rock.
Lighting is a 15w 50/50 actinic flourescent 18" tube.
Any input on whether I should be concerned about sustained trates (20-40) would be great.:)
 
finland

finland

Member
Jayster, I think you feed a little on the heavy side. Once a day feeding is plenty IMO. I would also suggest running the skimmer 24/7. Helps remove waste which could eventually turn into trates.
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
jayster
I'm with Finland
Sounds like overfeeding to me.
Remember - food get's eaten and fish produce wastes.
It's not just the uneaten food that contributes to nitrates.
It's any waste.
Converting nitrates to nitrogen gas with mature deep sandbed is one way.
Water changes are another.
Light feeding is still yet another.
Skimming works well for some.
Macro algae works well too.
Using good quality freshwater is yet another factor.
Most often - I believe it's a combination of the above - in various combo's - that lead to lower nitrates.
Zero being the test kit Nirvana we strive for.
 
mikegronholz

mikegronholz

Member
What I have is in the sig I didn't attach. I feed two pinches of "morsels" a day; once at about 7am and once about 5pm. What the fish don't get, the cleanup get pretty quick. I hand feed my stars (if they are visible) 2 halves of shrimp pellets.
I know my water movement is lacking and I ordered 2 Rio 1400 from SWF.com to add to the water flow issie. I get a ton of flow behind the rock, but very little in front.
 
njdiver

njdiver

Member
I set-up a sumpugium on my tank about 2 months ago, with some grape culerpa in there and have been VERY pleased with the nitrate levels. Really seems like a nice easy way to go. Its also fun to look into that sump tank now and see all sorts of little bugs and critters running around.
Anyhow, it may be one option to consider.
_Scott
 
jayster

jayster

Member
good advice people, thanks. Does green hair algae count as macro algae? I am starting to get some on the LR.
BTW, the only thing I see floating in the tank are little fish poops. I think these guys may have it too good. Time for a slim down!
 
ntvflgirl

ntvflgirl

Member
Did anyone catch that he would be using distilled water? I'm new as well, and won't presume to know a whole lot about it, but I was told not to use distilled because it could have been treated with copper. Also, Mike, how in the heck did you get 250 pounds of lr, and 170 pounds of ls in a 75 gallon??!! I think that was the right numbers. I'd like to see a pic if you have it. And did you finish a complete cycling?
 
mikegronholz

mikegronholz

Member
The tank cycled in like 4-5 days. The rock came straight from on to the other. Distilled water is water that is boiled to steam then the steam is captured and cooled so it turns back in to water.
Here is a pic from last weekend...
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
If the ammonia has been hovering, at any level, I sinc et eh beginning, I would venture to say that it has not even completed it's cycle. And doing water changes before this, IMO, only sets you back a step again, YOur ammonia should peak and fall, then your nitrites, then your nitrates will(but not back to 0).
If the tank has never done at least teh ammonia and nitrite(and you are sure it has not, b/c you were testing daily) then IT NEVER CYCLED completely.If you wer enot testing every dya, then you cannot know these facts eitehr way, But again, and you do know it did not do this, then you do know for afact that it still has to finish cycling.
HTH
 
mikegronholz

mikegronholz

Member
Amm. rose little bit to about 1.0, then fell real quick back to .25. The nitrates have NEVER moved. As a sideline, my tap water tests out at .25 as well. I tested some distilled... .25. I'm thinking the amm. test I have isn't giving me very good readings.
 
mikegronholz

mikegronholz

Member
Bought a new test and after the water change, here are the results:
pH: 8.2
Alk: 15dH (268)
nitirtes: 0
nitrates: 0
ammonia: 0-.2 (somwhere in between - more towards the 0 side)
It is amazing what different test can read !!!
The fish all swim with all of their fins wide open and they breathe normal.
 
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