Lowering Nitrates with sugar?

[AlexRoerden]

Hello. I started up a 150g fowlr tank about 8 moths ago. But I’ve always had a problem with nitrates. The tap water I use is 30ppm in nitrate. So I know the nitrates will never be lower than that, what is an acceptable range for my nitrates to get to before I have to do something about it. I’ve been doing research and found that adding sugar or vodka can lover the nitrates in my tank. I also have a refugium with chaeto but the chaeto floats to the top and dies out and dies. Any thoughts or ideas on what to do

[Sniperhank]

My suggestion is to get a ro/di and to make sure you are going in with 0 nitrates.
I tried to chase nitrates in my last tank with water coming in with nitrates. Never caught it and was out a load of money during the time I tried to do so. Ro/di is the cheap and proper solution.

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Originally Posted by AlexRoerden

Hello. I started up a 150g fowlr tank about 8 moths ago. But I’ve always had a problem with nitrates. The tap water I use is 30ppm in nitrate. So I know the nitrates will never be lower than that, what is an acceptable range for my nitrates to get to before I have to do something about it. I’ve been doing research and found that adding sugar or vodka can lover the nitrates in my tank. I also have a refugium with chaeto but the chaeto floats to the top and dies out and dies. Any thoughts or ideas on what to do

With NO3 levels like that your chaeto should not be withering away, if anything quite the opposite. Chaeto does naturally float, so there’s no concern there. Light and flow will provide chaeto with what it needs to thrive and in turn will lower your NO3 and PO4 levels.

That said, what fuge light are you using, and also what are your PO4 levels testing at?

Speaking from experience, my Biocube 32 pulls about a softball size of dark green chaeto every 2 weeks and keeps my NO3 levels undetectable to where I need to dose 1ml of NO3 daily.

[jolielanders]

Originally Posted by Flaxon-Waxon

With NO3 levels like that your chaeto should not be withering away, if anything quite the opposite. Chaeto does naturally float, so there’s no concern there. Light and flow will provide chaeto with what it needs to thrive and in turn will lower your NO3 and PO4 levels.

That said, what fuge light are you using, and also what are your PO4 levels testing at?

Speaking from experience, my Biocube 32 pulls about a softball size of dark green chaeto every 2 weeks and keeps my NO3 levels undetectable to where I need to dose 1ml of NO3 daily.

Thank you for all your advice.