RO/tap/nitrate question

[alyssia]

I have been battling high nitrates lately and started doing my topoff/water changes with RO. I was going to buy a RO filter when I realized: I test my tap water for nitrates and it always tests 0. I know tap can fluctuate but every time I have tested it has been 0. So how is RO water going to help me lower my nitrates? Am I missing something? I REALLY need to get my nitrates down, I am losing inverts. :help:

 

[badoleross]

I had a similar problem and decided it was the bioballs in my sump causing my nitrate issues.

 

[xrayman]

RO water alone will not lower your nitrates the purpose of ro water is to take out impurities that come in tap water.I would try to identify problem causing nitrates to be high IMO.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by BadOleRoss
I had a similar problem and decided it was the bioballs in my sump causing my nitrate issues.

I don't have bioballs.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by xrayman
RO water alone will not lower your nitrates the purpose of ro water is to take out impurities that come in tap water.I would try to identify problem causing nitrates to be high IMO.

I'm confused then. When you complain of high nitrates why is the first thing everyone asks is if you use tap? Then, if you do use tap, they say to use RO.

 

[olga]

As Xrayman said: RO water not going to lower nitrates. My tap water have zero nitrates too, but high on phosphates. If you have a MH lighting or more, and using tap water (high level of phospahates alaways in tap water, at least in UK) it will cause the problem for micro algae growth for them to feed on.
If you have refigium: put some macro algae there, like different kinds of caulerpa (lots of it!) or even in the tank, they should reduce nutrates levels eventually.

 

[xrayman]

I would guess because all of the impurities that can be in tap water can lead to other problems what i have always heard.You said that you have been fighting higher nirtates lately when did you switch to ro?What have you done different have you increased your feeding?have you added more fish?Just trying to understand what you have done for your nitrates to change IMO don't think RO water alone will lower nitrates.I would suggest water changes.IMO

 

[alyssia]

Okay here is my setup:
75 gallon reef
90+ lbs of LR
50 lbs LS
coralife super skimmer
HOB filter
3 gallon HOB fuge with chaeto
1 yellow tang
1 kole tang
2 false percs
1 flame angel
1 sixline wrasse and 1 blackcap basslet
I feed every other day
I have always used tap, nitrates always tested between 10-20 until about 2 months ago, since then they have been steadily climbing and are now at 80. In the past two weeks I have lost 2 cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermints and 2 porcelain crabs. The fish are all acting fine. I started using RO about a month ago, I have been doing 20 percent water changes every week but the trates are still climbing.

 

[unleashed]

along with water changes check your amonia and nitrate levels in your fresh salt water batch b4 adding it to your tank some salt mixes are inconsitant when it comes to the mixture having higher phosphate nitrate and amonia levels.salts such as IO or IO reef crystals.every one says use ro water to help eliminate these properties in there display tanks but if its already in the salt mix we are kinda defeting the purpose of using Ro water to begin with.I used tap water only treated with prime (dechlorinater) for over 3 1/2 yrs never had problems with pest algaes such as hair algae I have always praticed 25% water changes weekly(i feed heavy) one week after starting to use RO/DI water guess what i got in my reef something I couldnt grow if I tried and yes i tried stocking my tank with LR covered with it (it died) the one thing I had changed when switching to RO/Di water was the use of prime in my tank water mix.I now use the prime in my RO water and no more hair or nuisence algaes.for a reef tank I do say ro water but for Fowlr and FO tanks dechlorinating water (if you have a good clean water supply)will be just as good.IMO and my experiences.bottom line is I spent 250 bucks on a ro/di unit just to get what i wasnt getting before(hair algae)but if your going to be using ro water it is much more financially fesable to purchase your own unit Vs buy it by the gallan

 

[alyssia]

So, basically, if I am buying a RO unit strictly to lower my nitrates than it's pointless?

 

[olga]

Originally Posted by alyssia
Okay here is my setup:
75 gallon reef
90+ lbs of LR
50 lbs LS
coralife super skimmer
HOB filter
3 gallon HOB fuge with chaeto
1 yellow tang
1 kole tang
2 false percs
1 flame angel
1 sixline wrasse and 1 blackcap basslet
I feed every other day
I have always used tap, nitrates always tested between 10-20 until about 2 months ago, since then they have been steadily climbing and are now at 80. In the past two weeks I have lost 2 cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermints and 2 porcelain crabs. The fish are all acting fine. I started using RO about a month ago, I have been doing 20 percent water changes every week but the trates are still climbing.
Alyssia. This is very strange! According to what you wrote: nitrates was lower when you was using tap water, and then gone high when you started to use RO. :notsure:
I have the same problem also, when I switched from tap to RO..not as high as yours though. I was blaming my high nitrates because I was putting ick treatment into the water. But I did not for last 3 days and nitrates its still high (3 hours ago it was 20)
Anybody here any idea what causing it?

 

[alyssia]

bump

 

[birdy]

Most of the time nitrates come from the food you feed and the poop from the fish, if you have no way of processing nitrates in your tank then they will just continue to grow.
If you are feeding frozen foods then try to rinse them in RO water before you feed, that can help a lot. I only feed my reefs 3 times a week, but none of my fish need a lot of feedings and have plenty to graze on from the LR.
The only way to remove nitrates from a closed system is: water changes (and even these cannot really keep up with the nitrate build up at some point), a algae scrubber (a refugium with macro algae, as the algae grows you remove it and that removes the nitrates), or a DSB , the DSB processes the nitrates, LR also processes nitrates but not as well as the others.
As far as using RO water, there are a lot of other things in tap water other than nitrates that I wouldn't put in my tanks, but if it works for you then, you should be fine. Most cities do have nitrates in the water that is why it is one of the first questions asked when someone has a nitrate problem.

 

[alyssia]

How deep do you think my sandbed should be?

 

[alyssia]

Oh yeah, am I overstocked? If so, this will contribute to the nitrate problem won't it?

 

[turningtim]

JMO But it sounds like you have a trate factory somwhere. Are there any dead spots in the tank where waste can collect? How about the sump anything collecting in there? How much flow do you have through the tank?
I don't know how big your tangs are but I've read that they are big waste producers.
As far as the RO water, I always felt that it was good to use simply for a base line and removes some questions if something goes wrong. Have you tested the water by itself? Or after mixing? Probably nothing there but it wouldn't hurt to check.
50lbs of sand may be a little light, but if you go DSB 4"+ this will not instantly fix the problem. It will take time for the anerobic bact to grow.
I don't think thats the problem. Somewhere you have nastiness collecting and its more than your WCs can keep up with.
JMO
HTH
Tim

 

[alyssia]

My turnover is 20x but I am still going to add another PH behind my LR because I do think I have dead spots back there.I don't have a sump.
What are WC's? :notsure: IDK if I've seen that used on here before.
Thanks for the help.

 

[turningtim]

Water Changes (WC). Is your skimmer pulling lots O stuff? What about the hob are the pads clean and the filter itself? Not a bad idea placing a PH behind the rock work.
HTH
Tim

 

[alyssia]

Water changes-duh!

yes, my skimmer is pulling alot of skimmate. The cup is filling up about every two days and it used to take about a week.
I change the pads on my HOB filter every two weeks.
Has anyone ever tried nitrate sponge in their filter?

 

[birdy]

See what happens if you take out the sponges, sometimes those just collect junk and contribute to nitrates.