Nitrate

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tackett91

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
37
Any advice on keeping nitrate level down. Was stable for a minute but now not so much....
 
Feed less and do more water changes. Change/replace/clean the mechanical portion of the filter media (less wastes to break down).
 
I have a sump setup. No mechanical filter. Figured my skimmer,bioballs, and my filter pads would do the trick.
 
I must have wandered into the SW forum...anywho...
Any live rock in your setup? The bioballs would facilitate the nitrogen cycle but not complete it. LR would help.
Also, you should consider the use of filter socks or other easy to clean mechanical filtration for the collection and removal of physical waste.
 
I have 90lbs of live rock in a 75g and I have a filter sock over the overflow tube.
 
I believe filter socks are considered mechanical filters.
Anyone feel free to correct me on this...perhaps you should gradually reduce the amount of bioballs in the sump. The LR should be the main biological filter.
 
Nitrates can only be removed by water changes or algae growth, like in a refugium or algae turf scrubber.
In terms of preventing nitrates before they make it through the nitrate cycle, protein skimmers will remove before being processed by bacteria, filter socks can help catch gunk and will remove if changed out often.
 
I change mine weekly. Others change them out more often. But it shouldn't be more than a week. I gather up the dirty ones and throw them threw the wash after flipping them inside out to keep the stock rotating.
 
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