High Nitrates...need help!!!

[kalani]

Hi everyone. This is my first time posting on this forum. I've had my tank cycling for about a month and a half. I have about 10 fish in my 55g and I do a water change about once a week. I can't seem to lower my nitrates. The test kit shows 20ppm everytime. Someone said that over time, nitrates will disapear, is that true? Your input is greatly appreciated.

Aloha from Hawaii

newbie

 

[indy]

Welcome to AA.

Need a few more pieces of information to give you a good answer. What kind of filtration are you using? Is there a protein skimmer? What kind/depth of substrate? What type of fish are in the tank? What else is in the tank? (rock etc) What are your other water tests like? What is the nitrate of your replacement water?

Having said that, with 10 fish in a 55gal, your system is very overstocked and you will likely never see nitrates lower than 20. And only the weekly water changes are keeping them that low. Your aquarium is *likely* done cycling, but only testing the other water parameters will let you know for sure. Depending on your filtration setup, nitrates will probably never dissapear on their own. With a good refugium and/or a protein skimmer you can get nitrate to 0. But it seems to be the most difficult waste to get rid of, and raises in proportion to bioload and feeding. Ammonia and nitrite both should be 0 on a cycled aquarium, with only rare rises above 0.

gl

 

[Atari]

Ammonia and nitrate both should be 0 on a cycled aquarium, with only rare rises above 0.

Typo? Should be ammonia and nitrite.

 

[kalani]

I have just setup a Amiracle wet/dry sump and a skimmer attached inside the sump. I'm also running a Emperor 400 and a undergravel filter as well. The fish I have are...

3 yellowtail Damsels
2 False Perculas
2 Convict Tangs
1 Naso Tang
1 Golden Trevally
1 Magenta Dottyback
1 Clown Trigger

All juveniles by the way. Nothing huge that would produce hughe waste.


Whats weird is My Amonia and Nitrites are 0 and my pH is 8.0. I also use filtered ocean water from a local aquarium here in Hawaii. Oh and by the way I forgot to add the hermit crabs and a coral banded shrimp in the list of creatures I have in the tank. Is that too much for a 55g?

 

[CBRGuy]

Wow you are way over stocked. Just having the tangs and the percs in there seems like too much to mee. I don't know how you can keep all of the fish together Triggers plus damsels. but it looks like another problem you have is the UGF. What are you running in the emperor. Are you using the bio wheels?

 

[kalani]

[quote Are you using the bio wheels?[/quote] Yes the bio-wheels are pretty much established. Maybe I should thow back the fish I caught and keep the more nicer ones. I just figured having the hermits and the shrimp would help clean up the left overs up.

 

[Mermaid]

1 Naso Tang

could be wrong but I thought naso's needed at least 100+ gallons. just because they are juvies now, doesn't mean it won't grow to about 10+in when adult. i guess its cool if you are planning on getting a bigger tank later down the road, but otherwise you might need to refigure your tank set up. AA has a great fish caluclator, for how many fish you can have per gallons of tank. check it out, your fish will be glad you did.

good luck,
Mermaid

 

[kalani]

I have a SeaClear 125g acrylic i'm gonna setup later. But for now my wife loves the 55g with all those fish. The Naso is rated for a larger system, I guess when he gets big i'll have to donate him to the LFS. Same for the Golden Trevally, he will get really huge. 8)

 

[indy]

ya was a typo. Fixed now.

Any wet/dry style filter will produce a lot of nitrate unless you keep up on the cleanings. The UG will produce tons of nitrate. It sucks everything down below the sandbed where nothing can get to it, so it just rots.

As for the fish, the tangs need a bigger tank. Nothing smaller than a 70. Even when small they need more swimming room than a 55 will give them. Even tho' the fish are not yet adult size, unless they're < 1/2" you're very overstocked

 

[kalani]

I just donated 2 of my yellowtail damsels, the dottyback and convict tangs to the LFS and picked up 1 small blue tang. I hope that will help. Thanks everyone for the advice.

 

[austinsdad]

I also think the trigger will eat your shrimp before long. The clown trigger must be small now if that hasn't happened yet. Also, if overstocking is still the problem, your blue tang may end up being the ich magnet and causing even more problems because of poorer water quality.
I'd also recommend the fish calculator and making further donations before its too late.

 

[kalani]

The funny thing is my shrimp had lost two of its claws and after it molted, I saw my trigger with its claw in its mouth swimming around. I thought that was funny at first but i guess not for the shrimp. The water quality is very good and so far the UV light that I have has been keeping the ick away. At first my trigger was infested with ick now its all gone. I hope my tang doesnt get icked.lol