I think i may have found the source to some of my nitrates!

[crister13]

Ive been thinking about the low flow parts of my sump and the detritus buildup there, and this is what it looks like after taking the rocks out. Think this could be producing nitrates? It will give the macro algae about 4x the space to grow. Was this a good idea removing the rocks? I'm going to add 30 pounds to the dt pretty soon.

 

[Sniperhank]

Without proper cleaning, those rocks sure have built up a ton of garbage. I would say that yes, that is the cause of some of your nitrates. This is the same reason that crushed coral substrate is frowned upon. If you are going to have rocks and sand in your fuge, you will need to keep up on siphoning out the buildup of garbage. This can be cut down by installing a filter sock on the sump's intake line.

 

[crister13]

Thanks. I just took the socks out as they get clogged fast and have cause excess nitrates also. Thx for the reply. Won't the pods take care of the sand? Or wot it take care of itself once it becomes an established dsb?

 

[crister13]

Oh and btw the sand is sugar grain. It's oolite sand.

 

[Sniperhank]

They will be able to handle some of the buildup, but by removing that buildup during your weekly water change will help greatly. A CUC of any substance can help, but it won't resolve the issue. Catching the buildup in a filter sock is the first step IMO. This will simplify the process of you cleaning your sump.

I have only had my new sump up for a short period of time, and the amount of junk that is laying at the bottom of it because I don't have a filter sock on my intake line currently.

 

[crister13]

I have a couple breeding snails in there and a few nassarius and a ton of pods so I shouldn't have to clean up too much. Also, I read that if you don't change free socks everyday try do more harm than good g
So I took mine out. I've heard of a lot of experienced reefers not using filter socks or any mechanical filtration for that matter so I'm going to try it out and see how it worlds. Thanks for the help so far .

 

[Schism]

Any kind of detritus will rot and produce nitrates. Cleaning your sump is just as important as cleaning the display.

Something to think about tho is how your maintaining your system. If that is what is accumulating in your sump, then i guarantee your display contains the same amount of buildup in the rocks and sandbed contributing to the problem even more. Thing build up way faster than you may first imagine. If you feel your maintenance schedule is more than adequate then you could be overstocked aswell.

 

[crister13]

Thank you. I think the reason so much got built up there is because of the low flow area. In the display I have a lot of flow and am going to add more so it shouldn't be as bad. Thanks for the help!

 

[Schism]

Thank you. I think the reason so much got built up there is because of the low flow area. In the display I have a lot of flow and am going to add more so it shouldn't be as bad. Thanks for the help!

That will work, however just remember that some will collect and still need to be cleaned. Other than that i think your well on top of the problem now.

 

[crister13]

Also by the end of the summer I'm upgrading to a reef octopus skimmer