gplundberg
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2013
- Messages
- 101
So just an RO unit will work
An RO unit will not cure your high nitrate problem, but it will eliminate the nitrates introduced from your water.
You need to check your feeding schedule and amounts (and what you feed), your water change schedule (maybe it's not enough being pulled out, or often enough or both), and anything else that finds it's way into the tank..
do you have live rock/sand in the tank? 5 gallons for a 36 gallon tank really isn't all that much. I do 5 a week on my 20 (which only has 15 in it due to the displacement of rock and sand).
I would switch to 3x week feeding (I do Monday, Wednesday and Friday), too. More food == more poop == higher nitrates.
I was vodka/vinegar dosing for 3 weeks then switched to Red Sea NoPoX which has worked beautifully. No bacterial blooms and yeay no nitrate.