in tank nitrate eater

[mle421]

is there anything i can put in my tank plant or coral that will help lower nitrates? cheato? or will that just overtake my tank?

 

[JPloman]

Not that I know of. Doyou have a skimmer? That is the only thing I know that will really help the nitrate levels.

 

[mle421]

no. i just have a hob filter w/carbon and floss. but i do 3 water changes a week (between 10 and 20%) and my nitrate is rarely below 20. Is this becasue i have such a small tank? cause i would hate to upgrade to a larger tank (which i plan on doing in a month) only to find i'm still doing water changes that often, but 20% of my 30 gallon tank would be 6 gallons not the easy 2 gallon water changes i do now with my 10gal tank. my nitrates are never this high in my freshwater tank.

 

[thelovablebum]

a DSB and live rock is a good why to keep nitrate down

a protein skimmer will help to

 

[mle421]

i have a 3inch sand bed and 10lbs of live rock from liverocks.com

 

[mle421]

how much would a decent protien skimmer cost for a 30gallon tank?

 

[born2chill]

A very good skimmer for your tank would be a cpr backpak. I would get one from captivereefs.com with the maxijet1200 pump. It will cost you $129 and you'll get a 6% discount by using the code aquariumadvice at checkout.

 

[lando]

45-60lbs of LR should help reduce NO3 in a 30gal tank.

 

[mle421]

whats a maxijet1200 pump? is it an attached powerhead? dont let my "aquarium advice freak" status fool you, i'm still a newbie, just started in saltwater in january, so all the names of equipment are lost on me.

 

[lando]

whats a maxijet1200 pump?

It is simply a powerhead. Maxi-Jet is the name (made by Marineland) and 1200 is the model. I believe it pumps 290gal/hr.

 

[mle421]

so do i need a protien skimmer? or would two 30 gal HOB filters and 45 lbs of live rock be enough?

 

[Hara]

Just one thing I will mention. You said you are doing water changes, are you also changing out the floss and other media when you do the changes?

 

[lando]

A protien skimmer is always recommended. With enough LR and a good skimmer, your filtering needs will be met. IMO, a skimmer is an important part of keeping water quality high.