What do I need to lower my nitrates?

[brent595]

All my water parameters look good, but my nitrates are extremely high?
They were about 50mg/l tonight, and I did about a 25% water change and they are still around 25mg/l.
I will list my setup below and someone help me out and let me know what I need. I've got the money to get what I need, I just don't know exactly what I need? I know probably a wet/dry or a skimmer or both would probably be a good start.
Setup:
75 Gallon
(2) Whisper 60 Hang on Back filters
(2) Rio 800 PH's
350W Heater
220W VHO
75lbs Argonite
75lbs LR
Contents:
Regal Tang
2 sally lightfoots
2 emerald crabs
1 CBS
5 Peppermints
2 Orange Linkia
1 Blue Linkia
1 Purple Nudibranch
2 Condi Anemones
2 sponges
2 feather dusters
10 Astreas
10 Scarlet Hermits
10 Blue Leg Hermits
Platygyra
Green Star Polyps
Water:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 25 (right now)
PH 8.1
KH 13
CA 480
Help me!

 

[stacyt]

You need to determine the source of your nitrates. How long has the tank been setup? How much/often are you feeding? Maybe do another water change, maybe 10%, and cut back your feedings.

 

[searcher]

A wet dry won't really help with nitrates. It may even increase nitrates. A protein skimmer should help however.

 

[reefnut]

Water changes to get it down, skimmer and macro algae to keep it down...

 

[fshhub]

25 is not bad at all
but, to lower them I would recomend
Water changes
more powerheads, and a bit of advice, get different ones
more sand(4 to 6 inch bed of fine grained sand)
more LR
a skimmer
AND take of the whisper filter

 

[broomer5]

What nitrate test kit are you using Brent ?
What's your freshwater source ?
You only have that 1 fish in the 75 ?
What's your feeding routine ? What foods ?

 

[reef fool]

If possible, set up a macro algae refugium. A 10 gallon tank would be fine on a 75. 15 or 20 is always better. The best way of controlling nitrates naturally! Mine have been 0ppm for 6 months in my system.
You should also figure out where the excess nitrates are coming from (overfeeding,topoff water, etc...)
With only one fish, your biolaod shouldn't be to high, unless you are overfeeding. Is the Hippo tang showing any signs of stress with the high trates?
Just another thought, when you say aragonite, do you mean crushed coral? If so, that could be the cause right there! If not vacuumed properly and regularly or if it is disturbed (stirred up) by tank inhabitants, it can definitely become a nitrate bed.

 

[brent595]

Thanks for the help.
I just use de-clorinated tap water for changes.
I use a Tetra Nitrate Test Kit
The argonite (sp?) I think it is sand. It is very fine grain and I mixed a 50lbs bag and 25 lbs of black. Is crushed coral also real fine? I didn't know enough when I got it to read the bag and find out exactly what it was. Can you tell if I post a pic?

The Hippo is the only fish in the tank, and he doesn't act like the trates are bothering him at all. I guess I'm just trying to stay ahead of the game before something gets out of control.
I feed him a frozen cube of mega marine algea in the morning, and flakes in the evening. And keep some seaweed selects in the clip all the time. Would the seaweed in there all the time be raising the trates?

 

[reef fool]

That aragonite sand is fine. CC is more coarse and is also called aragonite. No worries there.
I would say you are overfeeding with only one fish. I did the same thing at first. They always seem hungry, so we tend to feed too much to try to keep them happy. IMHO a cube of frozen is way too much food for one fish and to top it off, flake in the afternoon is even too much more.
I would suggest a piece of seaweed in the AM and either flake of frozen food in the pm, before lights out. Not both. And not too much. A good rule of thumb that I was told is to remember that a fish's stomach is only about the size of his eye. You may also want to alternate some mysis or brine shrimp in there in place of the mega marine from time to time.