What is a good nitrate level? - Page 2 - Aquarium Advice

austinsdad · 11-01-2006, 12:18 PM

Mine stay between 0 and 5 also. Using a fuge with miracle mud,small amount of sand, LR, & mangroves. Now for the kicker.... I turn my skimmer about 3-5 days a month!! Oh yeah, include the 1.5 lbs per gallon in the 155g tank, 3 1/2" sand base, 2 medium tangs, 5 b/g chromis, 1 carpenter wrasse, 2 shrimp gobies, pair of large clowns, 1 b/w chromis (yeah, right. he acts more like a damsel), midas blenny, forktail blenny - maybe I got a small bioload???

Anyway, zero is not mythical.

SeeDemTails · 11-01-2006, 12:42 PM

O is the only number for all my tanks.

I dont find no3 to be a problem as long as I change my media every two weeks.

Finatic · 11-01-2006, 12:43 PM

Maybe not mythical, but I am trying my darndest and I can't get to 0. I may have to add a fuge to do so.

5ppm seems to work well for me, aside from the slight algae that grows on the glass that I need to clean every week or so, no big deal.

I think people need to realize that the target should be 0 NO3, but it is not the end of the world if you don't get there. Everyone's tank is different, no matter how you try to emulate others on this board. Some will get to 0ppm and others will stay b/w 5 - 10 doing the exact same thing the other guys do. No matter how you try to eliminate them, there are so many variables between tanks that all you can do is get to the best you can for your critters. As long as there is not an unhealthy level for what your tank is supposed to be, i.e. FOWLR no anemone or FOWLR with anemone, etc. Go for it, have a good time and quit stressing.

austinsdad · 11-01-2006, 12:53 PM

I also feed every other day...sometimes 3 days in between. I might go for stretches where I feed daily for 3 or 4 in a row, but for the most part not every day for sure.

Scoot · 11-01-2006, 01:56 PM

I try to keep mine at 10, it does approach 20 at times right before a PWC, but my condy doesn't seem to care. Its tripled in size and recovered from having most of its tentacles ripped off.

All of my softies are growing non-stop too. I do have a BTA that isn't doing great, but it has come back a long ways from near-death. It could be NO3 is a factor with that, or other things.

I would like to see zero NO3, of course, like anyone else would, which is why I'm playing around with a coil denitrator (just an experiment).

11-01-2006, 12:18 PM	#11
austinsdad Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Clinton, Maryland Posts: 4,166 Images: 12	Mine stay between 0 and 5 also. Using a fuge with miracle mud,small amount of sand, LR, & mangroves. Now for the kicker.... I turn my skimmer about 3-5 days a month!! Oh yeah, include the 1.5 lbs per gallon in the 155g tank, 3 1/2" sand base, 2 medium tangs, 5 b/g chromis, 1 carpenter wrasse, 2 shrimp gobies, pair of large clowns, 1 b/w chromis (yeah, right. he acts more like a damsel), midas blenny, forktail blenny - maybe I got a small bioload??? Anyway, zero is not mythical. __________________ -Ray- "Life may not be the party we hoped for but while we are here we might as well dance!"

11-01-2006, 12:53 PM	#14
austinsdad Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Clinton, Maryland Posts: 4,166 Images: 12	I also feed every other day...sometimes 3 days in between. I might go for stretches where I feed daily for 3 or 4 in a row, but for the most part not every day for sure. __________________ -Ray- "Life may not be the party we hoped for but while we are here we might as well dance!"

11-01-2006, 01:56 PM	#15
Scoot Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Nebraska Posts: 668 Images: 12	I try to keep mine at 10, it does approach 20 at times right before a PWC, but my condy doesn't seem to care. Its tripled in size and recovered from having most of its tentacles ripped off. All of my softies are growing non-stop too. I do have a BTA that isn't doing great, but it has come back a long ways from near-death. It could be NO3 is a factor with that, or other things. I would like to see zero NO3, of course, like anyone else would, which is why I'm playing around with a coil denitrator (just an experiment). __________________ 180G build thread 180G All-glass with dual megaflows in a custom stand AquaC EV-180 skimmer 250 pounds LR 160 pounds aragonite Custom acrylic sump from GlassCages.com 2xPCX-40 return pumps 2x250MH 14K, 2x175MH 14K - PFO lighting, 2x65W PC No-name 36W UV Water General 125GPH RO/DI Filstar XP3

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11-01-2006, 12:42 PM	#12
SeeDemTails Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Daytona Beach FL Posts: 436 Images: 4	O is the only number for all my tanks. I dont find no3 to be a problem as long as I change my media every two weeks.

11-01-2006, 12:43 PM	#13
Finatic Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 160 Images: 4	Maybe not mythical, but I am trying my darndest and I can't get to 0. I may have to add a fuge to do so. 5ppm seems to work well for me, aside from the slight algae that grows on the glass that I need to clean every week or so, no big deal. I think people need to realize that the target should be 0 NO3, but it is not the end of the world if you don't get there. Everyone's tank is different, no matter how you try to emulate others on this board. Some will get to 0ppm and others will stay b/w 5 - 10 doing the exact same thing the other guys do. No matter how you try to eliminate them, there are so many variables between tanks that all you can do is get to the best you can for your critters. As long as there is not an unhealthy level for what your tank is supposed to be, i.e. FOWLR no anemone or FOWLR with anemone, etc. Go for it, have a good time and quit stressing.