Nitrates

[Jcj0033]

So I have super high nitrates I can't seem to figure out what's causing them. I have a 80 gallon reef tank with a refugium and a protein skimmer. I did a 25 gallon water change a couple of days ago and my nitrates are still between 60-80. How long should I wait before doing another water change. I began using purigen and I have stopped feeding so things can settle down. Do any of you guys know what else I can do an when will it be safe to do anther water change

 

[Dav3]

Are you doing water changes with rodi water?

And you already have an existing thread. No need to open another.

 

[Jcj0033]

Yes I do water changes bi weekly

 

[Dav3]

Yes I do water changes bi weekly

With rodi or tap water?

 

[Jcj0033]

I use rodi or saltwater from my local fishstore

 

[Dav3]

Then up your water changes to twice a week or more till you get nitrates under control.

 

[Jcj0033]

Yeah I'm just looking for a quick fix to get them to an acceptable level I'm at 80 and loosing corals. What about vodka dosing

 

[MarinaClown]

Yeah I'm just looking for a quick fix to get them to an acceptable level I'm at 80 and loosing corals. What about vodka dosing

Have you done any back to back water changes on consecutive days? It has worked better reducing nitrates in my experience than waiting a day or two. When my nitrates go up I do 10-15 percent water changes two days in a row and that helps a lot.

 

[Jcj0033]

Wow really i was always told to wait a few days after doing a large water change.

 

[Dav3]

Who told you that? Your lfs?

 

[Jcj0033]

Yup lol, they said to wait about 4 days after a large water change to do another one. They said it will shock your corals. In did a 30 percent water change a couple of days ago

 

[Dav3]

As long as temp and salinity of tank water and makeup water match there won't be any issues. The bigger concern here is getting the nitrates out of the water.

What skimmer do you have on the tank? And how much flow do you have? If you have dead spots food and waste will accumulate in the dead spots and not get pulled out by skimmer.

 

[Jcj0033]

I have an reef octopus and I did have a dead spot in the fuge that I recently put a pump on so I can get some flow going, it build up alot of dead material that was probably getting sucked into the display.

 

[MarinaClown]

If my nitrates were as high as yours I would do 10 -15 gallon water changes 3 days in a row and go from there. 60-80 ppm is way too high my friend. Have you been cleaning your filtration on a regular basis? Neglected filtration maintenance contributes to bad water quality. Rinsing filter media bags weekly and cleaning a protein skimmer from inside out every 8 weeks including disassembling the pump helps a lot.

 

[Jcj0033]

Yeah well I'm scrambling now because I have a company that comes and cleans my tank everyother week and they are supposed to be testing my water and when I saw my corals bleaching i knew something was wrong

 

[Dav3]

Time to fire that company. Have they even been showing up? If not you should get your money back.

 

[Jcj0033]

Well they have been showing up because when I come home the tank is always clean but if they are doing their job with proper water changes and maintenance I can't imagine them being this high

 

[TheTodd]

I would ask them what they think. I would not trust anyone with my tank maintenance unless they knew how to troubleshoot. I would also ask for a sample of the water they are using and see how that tests. I assume they are doing partial water changes when they come and clean?

 

[Jcj0033]

Yeah they do 10 gallons every other week

 

[Dav3]

Without sufficient filtration and water changes, over feeding can cause nitrates to go up. As has been said on here many times: "you must take out what you put in"

Filtration and maintenance must match or exceed your feeding routine.