Still having troubles with stupid nitrate!!!

tidalwave2132

tidalwave2132

Member
Ok i did a 15 gallon water change on my 30 gallon tank and the nitrate levels are still running just below 90!!! I only use ro water never tap, i have two powerheads, a aquaclear filter thats rated for a 50 gallon tank, t5 ho lighting, i have two false clowns, 10 red leg crabs, 3 nassurius snails, and a sally crab. The crabs are taking care of the dead algae on my rocks which i have 25 lbs of rock. im also getting that brown stuff on my sand. Anyone have anything that can help me?!?!
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
50% water change is a bad thing to do, it could cause a mini cycle. In the future never do more than a 20 to 30% change at any one time.
How old is your tank? How old are the lights? How long are the lights on?
Can you wash your rocks off in some saltwater, to get rid of algae? That way your algae eaters can get a head start. Get some kind of sandsifter, what you have isn't enough to do the job to keep the sand clear.
Are you very sure your test kit is accurate? It is not impossible to get a bad test kit, can you double check using some other test kit? LFS may be able to help.
Nitrates are not that bad on fish, it is the inverts that can't handle it well. Ideal is 0, but it is not the end of the world to have high nitrates. Watch for overfeeding, that can cause problems.
For a couple of clowns, just two flacks each, daily for example. They eat stuff off the rock, they won't starve.
Do your water changes once a week, 10% or at the most 15%. Things should start to improve after a couple of weeks.
 
tidalwave2132

tidalwave2132

Member
i have had my tank for about 8 months and i just got the lighting system last month, and they are on from 2 pm to 11pm i dont keep the lights on when im not home. Weird thing is i have my own nitrate test and it shows around 50 but to double check i to it to my lfs and they tested close to 90 they said the water can get messed up and levels can change when you take it out and bring it to them.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Diamond goby is a really good one. Make sure your rocks are stable, they like to dig and rearrange the sand to suite themselves. They have lots of personality.
They get the sand in their mouth and drop it through their gills sifting it. Great to watch. Your sand will be absolutely clean in one or two days.
Like I said, wash your rock in saltwater, scrub them good..to give your algae eaters a head start. Do little water changes 10% a week or 15% every two weeks, and you should be fine.
Happy Reefing
 
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