No Nitrates?

[reefnut]

Is there such a thing in a mature system as 0 Nitrates?

 

[joerdie]

i guess... its very rare though. im normally happy if i can stay in the 10-15ppm range. you might want to take a sample to the lfs to double check.

 

[reefnut]

I don't have 0 Nitrates... I wish . I was just wondering if it was possible.

 

[beaslbob]

Yes it is possible. I have 0.0 in my macro algae tank. I also don't have any livestock in it also

 

[reefnut]

I'm talking about a running system. I'm happy if mine stays below 10ppm. I agree Kip, when I see 0 nitrate I start to wonder what's up.

 

[michelle13]

I have had zero nitrate for about 6 months. I thought my kit was bad so I had three different stores test it, all of them concurred it was zero! Hopefully it will stay that way!

 

[overanalyzer]

My five generally posts a 0 wihtin three days of a water change - of course I have only one clown goby and a wonderfully diverse sand bed.
My 20 stays between 0 and 5 - but starts climbing the longer I go without a water change. I only have 2 clowns in that tank ....
I run carbon and regularly change it - I think that helps. Now on Large systems it seems like people who have 0 trates are the ones with huge refugiums and a very light bioload!

 

[broncofish]

My reads zero...but that means nothing they are still there just not enough to register. I figured it out though, fo every anemone, bubble coral, and fish I have I have 6.7 cleanup crew members(snails, conch, crab etc..) and for evry one of those I have hundreds of bugs, and worms etc....

 

[reefnut]

I wonder if this is an area that we (me) screw up is overstocking our reefs.

 

[reefnut]

broncofish, how heavily stocked is your tank? Not counting corals.

 

[broncofish]

It was just 1 perc, 1 scooter blenny, and 1 firefish in a 29g. I have added 2 skunks(thought I was going to remove the perc...but he has joined the skunk gang...it's funny) so I imagine my trates will go up. This tank has been up and running in some form or another for 4yrs

 

[aileena]

after a year and a half my 29 made it too about 0 trates...I had two clowns, a jawfish, a chromis, 2 cleaner shrimp and lots of snails crabs hermits and corals

 

[broncofish]

Maybe thats the key...get a 29g. My 29 is great, my 90 was usually always 0-5, but my 55g was uncontrolable, 10-15

 

[reefnut]

I was going to ask if the 29g was the magic . I don't understand though. I have 2- Tomatoes, scooter, lawnmower, six line & blue damsel with a decent cleanup crew and still run around 5-10.

 

[broncofish]

I all can say is when I added the bubble I knew it was a regular spot fed so I bought more snails, and a blue leg, did the same when I got the anemone. I also have a LOT of xenia in my tank, It's my ubderstanding they gooble up some of those trates.

 

[reefnut]

Well another problem I may be having is I do not have a DSB...

 

[broncofish]

Originally posted by ReefNut
Well another problem I may be having is I do not have a DSB...
I did not want to ask because of the debate that could follow...but I have a 4" dsb, and my refugiums have 6-8" dsb

 

[junbug1970]

I've had my tank for a month now. For about 3.5 weeks amonia was at .25 and nitrite and nitrate was at 0. few days ago i checked my amonia at .25, nitrite 0 and nitrate at 5

 

[reefnut]

O-No... Not another DSB debate . Really though, that was a decision I made but I do not discourage DSBs.