nitrate

[artur]

Hi everybody.I have one question.Maybe You guys can help me.My 90 gal. reef tank is 4 months old.I have also a clown,naso,couple shrimps,crabs,anemone.Everybody doing great,corals too.My parameters are O.K.Nitrite-o,amonia-0,alkalinity2.9,calcium-around 5000, PH-8.4.I do 35.gal.water changes every 3 weeks.I know it is maybe normal but my nitrate seems go higher.I know that the save is below 40.I am in 20 so it is still save.What is the best way to lover it?Water change You all say,but that dont do a lot to me.Any other methods?I never used a vacum to clean the grawel.Maybe that is the reason?But 20 is still save,right?Please let me know.Thank You all.Great forums.You help me a lot in past.Thanks!!!!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Where are you getting your source water? Have you measured it for nitrates before you mix in the salt, and after? If not, then I'd start there.

Do you have a skimmer on the tank?

And yes... vacuuming the upper section of the gravel will help. You say gravel... do you mean sand, or actually gravel/crushed coral? Gravel or crushed coral will trap a lot of uneaten food and fish poop and allow it to decay in your tank. That will also elevate your nitrates.

 

[artur]

I know many of You will say it is wrong,but i use tap water with condicioner but i really did not have any problems.Only now that nitrate.My corals looks great. But 20 is still not that bad Right?I did not check that water like You asked before mixing salt for nitrate.But when i started 4 months ago it was 0.So i think that is not an issue.I have crushed coral and You said that is not to good.I have a good skimmer made by my LFS.Seems to work good.Maybe i start to use that vacum. Thanks Kurt!!!If sombody wants say something please do.Thank You!!!

 

[melosu58]

How about a refugium? Do you have one or plan on one. My problem with tap is that you wont see something right away. I`ve known people that use tap and there tank would be OK and then all of a sudden the tank would crash. Was it because of tap. I`m not sure but it just happened too many times for me to see.

 

[artur]

Thank,Melosu for replay.By honest with You I am not really sure what refugium is.I read a lot on that forum about it but still not sure what is it and what is the reason for it.Im still new to that hobby.I had saltwater tank for 5 years but did not know much about it.Everything was wrong.So i found good store,read some books and from 4 months started new 90 gal.I still learn a lot.Do you really think that tap water is so dangerous Melosu?What should i do?What si the right way?Buy that R.O osmosis thing?Please replay if You can!!!!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

...I did not check that water like You asked before mixing salt for nitrate.But when i started 4 months ago it was 0.So i think that is not an issue....

That is the same situation I had when I started - I used tap to start with because it tested 0.0 ppm. But 4 months later it tested 5-10ppm. Tap water is not consistent and just because it test good one month (or day!) doesn't mean it'll test good the next. That's the only reason I asked, because many times people look everywhere for a nitrate source except their source water. At least you tested for it, so that's good.

I'm not going to get into the tap vs. RO/DI water debate because I think there are just to many variables. But I will say that using DI water in my tank never makes me wonder if something that's going on in my tank is due to my source water, because it's consistent from batch to batch.

20ppm for corals is not bad... relative to say 200ppm! But compared to most folks that keep corals, I don't think it's good either. For comparison, my nitrates bounce around 1.0ppm. I'd be pulling my hair out if they ever even got close to 5 ppm.

 

[Dennis210]

Nitrates. Four month old 90 gallon - stocked - and running with 20 on nitrates. Think about what a water change does. If you take out half the volume of water in your tank, and replace it with new saltwater with zero nitrates you will still be left with a nitrate level of 10 ppm. So if you are doing just 10 - 20 gallon water changes using tap water with any nitrates in it at all - you are not really lowering your nitrates much each time.

Try this please. Since nitrates are merely the end of the first part of the nitrogen cycle it means your tank must be "maturing and working properly to that degree. We need to look at the section of the cycle that happens deep within a sand bed or inside the liverock. Do you employ a sand bed? If so how deep is it and what kind of substate is it? How many pounds of live rock do you have in the system? If you run a cannister filter have you ever thought of using a nitrate reucing media? What kind of turnover rate does your tank have? Answering these questions can give a clue as to which direction to lead you in. Also if your calcium is really 5000 you sir have a problem.

I would recomend not adding anymore livestock to the system for awhile.
Monitor your feeding - use a test tube and look at what you are putting into the tank. Also with nitrate levels in the 20 ppm your skimmer should be producing a dark smelly skimmate - is it?

 

[artur]

Now I am really scared Kurt!!!I do not know much about those RO/DO<is that right>tools.Can You explain to me.Where should i look for them?What brand?Do You know any diffrent ways <exept water change >to lower nitrate?Thanks again!!!!!

 

[artur]

Replay to Dennis210.Bed-crushed coral.1.5-2 inch.100 p.live rock.Trickle filter.2 pomps.1-900 g/h filter.second 1290g,h circulation.Like You sad skimmer produce dark smelly skimmate.Thanks for replay!!!

 

[melosu58]

Do you really think that tap water is so dangerous Melosu?What should i do?What si the right way?Buy that R.O osmosis thing?Please replay if You can!!!!

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Chemistry and the Aquarium