nitrates rising

[vsnsofadrgn]

my nitrates were at a steady 20ppm (had problems in past) and i got the poly filters to try and drop that down, i was on the right rack but i got a yellow clown goby and he wasnt eating so as suggested i fed every day for a few days to make sure he was eating, well now i know hes ok, hes been seimming and hes still alive, so that tells me something, but now that ive been adding the flake my nitrates are rising, theyre at 40 now. i do weekly water changes. i just did one the other day. i have pepermint shrimp and snails now and i dont want them to die. im going to do another water change, but im wondering if theres anything else i can do. the poly filter is already a light brown. how do i make sure the goby is eating without adding the flake, as im sure thats the culprit, it was steady before i started feeding with that again.....

 

[DragonForce]

I like to do 20-25% changes every other day and stop feeding for a few days or so till they come down to 0. I get stressed when they are even slightly detectable.

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

well at this point i was happy at 20, but was trying to get them down to zero, since im looking into getting some corals in a month or so. i get stressed out also and ive been doing everything i can to keep this at bay.

 

[DragonForce]

You really need to feed less. I feed 2-3 times a week maximum. Also you may want to throw the grape calerpra into your display since you don't have a sump like me. I have found this to be very helpful and have it in my 37 gal reef and 6 gal mantis tank, you do risk the chance of having it go sexual but if you keep it trimmed back and keep an eye on it you will be fine. Try and get another 10 lbs of LR for that tank as well.

 

[melosu58]

Even though its not 0 ,20 ppm on nitrates is not a killer. I believe with weekly PWC and feeding every other day you should be OK.

 

[MadManMac]

You can always build a simple denitrator. I use one on my 175 and I feed much more often than most, but my Nitrate, multiple kits, always tests at 0. Not to mention that it is an all natural solution with no chemicals. It does take a very little bit of maintenance once you have it going. http://aquaripure.com/ this site is a commercial builder of them, but you can learn the chemistry and physics behind them and esily build your own. Mine cost about $15, since I had most of the stuff already lying around.

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

i have 10 lbs of lr curing, but it wont be finished for about another 3 weeks. ive gone back to feeding every other day, and ive stopped using the flake. i just hope the goby gets some food. its at 40, and i dont want it to get worse. im going to do a water change.

 

[cordodor]

You can always build a simple denitrator. I use one on my 175 and I feed much more often than most, but my Nitrate, multiple kits, always tests at 0. Not to mention that it is an all natural solution with no chemicals. It does take a very little bit of maintenance once you have it going. http://aquaripure.com/ this site is a commercial builder of them, but you can learn the chemistry and physics behind them and esily build your own. Mine cost about $15, since I had most of the stuff already lying around.

I dont suppose you'd be interested in making a how-to for building one, would ya?

 

[drillsar]

I would be interested in that to simple denitrator diy?

 

[Guest]

Back in 2003, I created one and it does work... I did not introduce a food source though and after about 5 or 6 months I figure, it gave up or the bacteria died? don't know... Now looking at it, you could add a sponge in the center. Stick a knife down about half way into the sponge and insert airline tubing into it to be the feed tube and add another hole out the top secure for feeding... worth another try I guess.. anyway, here is my post from back then...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=2362

 

[Brenden]

I had read up on these a while back when someone mentioned they had one made from a pickle jar. I also read about making one with a 5 gallon bucket and filling it with sand. The bucket setup does not use the coiled tubing and has fast current over the sand surface in the bucket to keep debris from settling. The sand controls the flow of the water to the bottom of the bucket which is then returned to the sump. Hey timbo you want to draw up some specs on the size I need to make mine?

 

[Guest]

Maybe the size of a bath tub? Kidding... I looking at the site that was mentioned by MadManMac, It seems that they use the method I mentioned in my post.. According to Moe, you could technically place a block of foam in the bottom of a sump and let water flow around and not through it.. with a small slit in the center to feed the sucrose.. The bacteria would utilize it for fuel and thus reduce nitrates..

I think you could do this as well with one of the five gallon buckets you have from the salt... The lid is air tight... You could utilize the same idea I have with a sponge about 12X12 instead of the bio balls, or use both and use a small pump to get the water through all the tubing.. The point of the whole thing is to get all the oxygen out of the water by the time it reaches the sponge and bacteria. Then the effluent drips into the overflow system so it can really get oxygenated... I think it would work great... more thoughts to come... still pondering...

 

[Brenden]

Seems like the sponge idea would still allow oxygen to be in the water. Wonder if I got a 8' piece of 4" PVC filled it with bioballs capped both ends and drilled a drain on one end and a input on the other? Hung it horizontally under my stand. Think it would have the same results? Would the long pipe with slow flow eliminate oxygen?

 

[oyf709]

if ur nitrate really getting too high such as 50 or above, do a 40-50% water change per week till the nitrate get down then do 10-20% water change every week see if ur nittrate is under control. High nitrate usually don't kill fish directly but they do made the fish lsoing their immune ability and lead to diseases.

 

[Guest]

Actually the sponge acts as a DSB would.. The purpose of the tubing is that the water is deprived of all the oxygen by the time it reaches the internal parts i.e. the sponge, bio-balls, etc...You can use LR Rubble if you wish.. anything the bacteria can colonize..

Your theory on the horizontal deal is correct.. you could even use a siphon method instead of a pump and achieve even better "no oxygen" results. All you would nee is the tube for feeding it, and a control valve at the end be able to count drips and get the flow right.. If the flow is too fast, you have no more than a wet/dry, and if the flow is too slow, you have a hydrogen sulfide bomb...

That is why they are so tricky to get right..

 

[Guest]

I apologize vsnsofadrgn, I pretty much hijacked this thread...

I am with the suggestions of doing the Partial Water Changes until you get the NO3 down to a acceptable level... There really is no other quick way to do it..

What we are talking about in the DIY De-Nitrator would take at least 6 to 8 weeks to start working.. I don't believe you have that long to wait...

 

[MadManMac]

Sorry if I am the one that sent this thread into a tailspin. I agree with the water change idea, but I have always avoided such large pwc because no matter how close the parameters are it always shocks the hell out of my system.

As for feeding the De-nitrator, I added a very small tube with a Hep-Lok (I think that is what it is called). That is the piece of an IV tubing that a nurse will inject medicine into to add it to the main line. This tube drops straight into the bottom of the unit where the tubing ends and lets me add 5ml of Vodka every so often. I figure if I like to drink my bacteria will too.

 

[tecwzrd]

Vsnsofadrgn, do you use ro\di water? Have you tested your water source for no3? Do you vacuum the sand bed when doing your pwc? Have you tried Marine Cuisine frozen instead of flake, I’ve found these are more readily eaten and leaves little to waste. Gobies in particular prefer live food but most will readily eat frozen.

Per the Poly-Filter website using if for no3 reduction is limited with SW due to it leaching back out. Also if it’s turning brown then it probably needs to be replaced.

about.com has DIY Denitrator Plans but finding the source of your no3 is better than trying to treat the end result IMO.

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

theres no hijacking, any info is appreciated, and my nitrates were form the flake food, its back down to 20 . and in about a month im getting the remora pro, im so excited

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

ive been buying distilled water from walmart. i used to vacume the sandbed but now its pretty clean due to the narrsious snails. i use formula one frozen soaked in garlic, i do use real garlic, is that a problem? i just started using poly filters, too. its only been a week or so and its already a light brown. i also have what i think is some ha, but only in one spot, that doesnt get much flow, but im curing lr with my other ph, so when its finished, ill put it back in mt. and as mentioned im getting the remora pro, from what i read, this is the best right? i would really like to get some corals so im trying to get a hold of this.