trying to lower nitrates

[joe 09]

i know a lot of people have posted this plbm.i bought some chaetomorpha ,2 soft ball size, and put them in a fine mesh bag in my sump.have a light on it for 10 + hrs,will this help.my specs. are 175 bow,amiracle 400 wet/dry,aqua c urchin proskimmer,dolphin 2000 pump.my nitrates run about 40 to 50ppm.i do a 12% water change every week.thanks in advance.

 

[lion_crazz]

It should help. I do not know how they will do in the mesh bag, but my chaeto has done great at lowering my nitrates. I have chopped the original clump in half three or four times since purchasing it because it grows so much.

 

[vito525]

I have sand, rock and a bunch of macro in my refugium, nitrates and phosphates to zero within 2 weeks. Why the mesh bag??

 

[oceana]

he used a bag I assume because he said its in his sump and does not want it being sucked up in the pumps. thats my guess anyhow.
sounds like its time for some cheep dividers like i use. makes for an instant sump fuge. the flow in my center cube is very slow just like you want. works great

 

[joe 09]

i put the plants in the bag to keep it out of the pump.i will use
the tank separator,and loose the bags.thanks for the replys.

 

[hun25]

Joe09' What size tank is that you used for your sump?

 

[oceana]

thats a pic of one of my sumps and it a 20 long

 

[joe 09]

the sump is part of the americal 400 wet/dry filter.it is 12x12 in.

 

[birdy]

Joe- keep your lights on the sump 24/7,
First thing, is this a Fish only tank or a reef tank? if it is a fish only then those nitrate levels are acceptable unless you are having problems with algae, if it is a reef then you may want to consider turning your wet/dry into a refugium.
A few other things to discuss:
1. are you using RO/DI water for top offs and water changes? If so have you tested the TDS of that water to be sure it is pure?
2. How many fish do you have in your tank?
3. What and how often do you feed. Be very specific.
4. Some people think bioballs contribute to high nitrate levels, you may want to try washing 1/4th of those balls every water change to get some of the crud out of there.

 

[joe 09]

the tank is fish only,and 5 mos. old.i do not have a ro/di yet.the fish are passer angel,lemark angel,yel tang,fox face,swallow tail,sail fin tang, coral bea,luna wrasse.3 bl/gn chomis,3 fire gobies,2 eng. gobies,1 clown.i feed them every other day,mysis &ocean nutrition 2,about a table spoon.

 

[bigarn]

So what kind of water do you use for changes and top-offs?

 

[diablo]

you can also try the natural method i use it and nitrates are 0 all the time
i would replace the bio balls with lr rubble make shure there is plenty in there it is a nat. filtration.
second would be considering changing the wet dry into a refuge.
third would be to sell the wet dry to someone and make a $60 refuge
the third choice is what i did
sorry the pic is alittle dirty

 

[joe 09]

i use de-clor tap water and let it sit for 3 or 4days.

 

[bigarn]

Originally Posted by joe 09
i use de-clor tap water and let it sit for 3 or 4days.
Switch to RO water .... you can get gallon jugs of it at most supermarkets.

 

[birdy]

I agree that you should use RO water that will help, but if you are running a FO tank, then nitrates are not as big of a worry, unless you are having algae problems or your Nitrates are Really high, most FO tanks run with nitrates around 50.

 

[judyab]

hey sorry to butt in, what type lights are you'll using on the fuge?thanks

 

[joe 09]

the tank is fo,so i will just live with it.the light is a energy saving 23 watt,100watt output warm white light.

 

[kdfrosty]

Oceana-
What size tank is that taht you are using for your fuge (pictured above)? Where did you get the dividers? If online, a link is appreciated. You can email me.

 

[lion_crazz]

I did not see these two things posted so I thought I would post them.
First off, test your tap water for nitrates and see if they contain nitrates. If they have high nitrates, you will never fix your problem. Anything past 10 ppm I would say is high. Even in Philadelphia, they do not go past 5-7ppm. If they are high in your area, RO water is a must.
Secondly, 12% water changes will not bring down your nitrates to where you want them. Small ones help keep them down, not bring them down. Do one to two large weekly water changes(30%-40%), followed up by smaller changes weekly (10%-12% is fine). That format will bring them down, not continuous small ones to start. It has to be big ones at least the first few times in order to fix your problem.
Good luck, and the chaeto will certainly help you.

 

[joe 09]

i will do a large water change,i est.with all the rock and sand my tank holds about 160 gal.i tested my tap water and the nitrate is about 5ppm with a salifert test kit.thanks to everybody for all the help.