Nitrate Help

[boges_au2006]

I know this has been asked a million times before probably but i cant get it down.
i have a few fish in there and they seem to be doing fine but my Nitrate is waaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to high its like 60 i think and it just wont go down no matter how many water changes i do. What do i do???
Both the nitrite and the ammonia are both 0 but nitrate wont go down.

Also i need to get my Ph up to. i dont have coral so it isnt a huge problem right now but its only like 7.2 how do i get this up?
Cheers

 

[Marc118]

How old is the tank, what kind of filter?

 

[boges_au2006]

umm i got the tank 2nd hand which had water in there already and fish. it was a bit filthy really. i have cleaned it all up and now its looking good. she had the tank for 12 months and i have had it for about 2-3 months now.

umm i have protein skimmer. couple of pumps for water movement and a Canister Filter. AHHHHHHH darn it. the canister filter is putting nitrates back in the water isnt it??

 

[Marc118]

Possibly. When was the last time you changed the media, and what is the media? Any bio balls or sponges?

 

[boges_au2006]

umm just trying to think whats in there. there is 4 levels. bio balls/ media/ these tube things and something else. maybe these need to be replaced then?? i had washed all these out beforehand but maybe the media is too old and just needs to be taken out?

 

[Marc118]

Bioballs are known for being nitrate factories. I would replace it with LR rubble.

 

[boges_au2006]

hmm really?? thats interesting. where do i get LR rubble?? just LFS?? do u just put it in the canister? so the bio balls. i also have these tube things which are similar. should i replace them with LR rubble to?? and the spongey filter media should i replace that with a new piece?
ps thanks for the help

 

[Marc118]

Yep just top by the LFS. Im not sure about the tube things.

 

[boges_au2006]

i might replace them as well. can i replace them all at once. or with this cause a spike in other levels? or should i jsut replace a few at a time?

 

[roka64]

The tube things, are they ceramic rings? I would also replace the bioballs with LR rubble. How many sponges are in the filter?
You can raise your pH by adjusting a ph to point upward and make more surface ripple. O2 exchange occurs at the surface. Also, what kind of lid do you have?

 

[tangster]

i might replace them as well. can i replace them all at once. or with this cause a spike in other levels? or should i jsut replace a few at a time?

I would do a 25% water change immediately--that will bring up your pH to 8.2 and remove the nitrate in the water

Get rid of the bioballs period--run it without them for now.

Add live rock to your tank---gradually--5lbs a week. The live rock contain the bacteria that control the ammonia and nitrogen in your tank.
Usually people start with just a tank and live rock--over a period of three to six weeks the tank will 'cycle' The live rock contain bacteria that multiply and break down the ammonia(on the live rock).
It is the live rock that is the true biological filtration system in your tank and what supports the reef.
Since your tank already has life--you don't want to add a whole lot of live rock at once--it will create a spike in ammonia and hurt the fish/invertebrates etc. Gradually adding will allow the bacteria time to build up and handle the complete bioload of your system.
Mechanical filtration is performed by your other filter--and bioball are not necessary for it to operate as a mechanical filter--this is why you don't need them. They get themselves clogged up with nitrates and fuel the tank that way.
Tangster

 

[Ziggy953]

PWCs and getting rid of your nitrate source is your best bet. Doing regular PWCs will help keep your nitrate levels much lower then where they are right now. I would get rid of the bio-balls as has been said...replace them with cured LR rubble. Also if you have any sponges or other media that can trap debrit you may want to consider getting rid of it too. 1.5-2 lbs of LR per gallon and a good skimmer is really all you need to filter a tank.

 

[lando]

I agree, the bioballs should go. However, do it slowly over the course of a few weeks. While they may be contributing to your NO3 issue, they are also serving as a biological filter for NH3 and NO2. You do not want to remove them all at once. You can slowly replace the bioballs with cured LR rubble or cured LR in the main to make up the biological filtration.

 

[boges_au2006]

hi is it true that bioballs convert ammonia and nitrite into nitrate?? if this is the case i dont have nitrite or ammonia in my tank?
it could be the sponge might have build up of solid waste maybe???

also what do people know about sea clone protein skimmers? any good?

 

[lando]

the sponge is another possibility, along with the bioballs. Bioballs do a great job at removing NH3 and NO2. However, they can trap detritus in the folds of the balls which will contribute to climbing NO3. I would look at getting rid of the sponge and the bioballs as an end goal.

if this is the case i dont have nitrite or ammonia in my tank?

It depends. In a properly cycled tank with appropriate bioload, you should not have ANY detectable NH3 and NO2. They are both very toxic to livestock. Do you test for them?

also what do people know about sea clone protein skimmers? any good?

A Seaclone skimmer is better then no skimmer at all. It is not the best out there for sure but will work. I used one on my first 38gal reef and it worked just fine. It does have a long break-in period and is touchy ofter water changes or top-offs. that said, with some attention, my skimmed like crazy. If you have the means to purchase or save up for a better skimmer then that would be advisible. If not, the Seaclone will work, just not as well.

 

[boges_au2006]

Thanks everyone.

I have a small pump the pushes water up to the surface creating a fair bit of surface ripple. i have a hood and also lids on my tank which i leave two lids on either end slightly open and also i sometimes leave the hood open to breathe as that light gets pretty hot in there.
should i take the lids off along the front completely??

I have 0 Nitrite And 0 Ammonia in my tank. i test for them often.

so all in all it is advised to slowly remove bio balls/ ceramic tubes and sponge and replace it all with cured LR rubble and also live rock in the main tank as well??

I only ask about the sea clone as i can get it for 240 instead of 350. (australian dollars)
i would need on similar size to the current (crappy) jebo as the hood and tank is built for it.

another quick one with the protein skimmer. anyone know anything about a AKS Refugium or something. dont know ow to spell it. sorry.

 

[lando]

I am not a fan of glass tops and generally run my tanks topless for a few reasons. It promotes better gas exchange, more stable Ph and it is easier for me to keep temps at appropriate levels.

I have 0 Nitrite And 0 Ammonia in my tank. i test for them often.

Good for you. It leaves little doubt your biological filtration is doing its job.

so all in all it is advised to slowly remove bio balls/ ceramic tubes and sponge and replace it all with cured LR rubble and also live rock in the main tank as well??

The more LR the better, IMHO. A good goal is 1.5-2lbs/gal for good biological filtration. You can certainly add ay LR rubble into the equation. It is important to keep any rubble in your sump completley submerged with water, as oppossed to the "trickle" of water over the bioballs. Check out my gallery for pics of my sump with rubble.

I only ask about the sea clone as i can get it for 240 instead of 350. (australian dollars)

Like I said, a Seaclone skimmer is better then no skimmer at all. It has its short comings but does work. Personally, I do not think they are deserving of the all of the bad raps they get. Not the best for sure, but will work. It is far better then any air-driven skimmer out there.

 

[boges_au2006]

ok thanks again lando. great help
here is a link to the refugium i am looking at for the same price as the sea clone? thoughts please : thanks.

sorry to be a bother but i wanna get this right.

http://www.aks.net.au/refugiums.html

 

[lando]

Both a skimmer and refug are great investments for the tank. If I had to prioritize one over the other, I would go for the skimmer first.

 

[MT79]

While I agree w/ Lando about prioritizing the skimmer over the fuge generally, in the case of a Seaclone I would recommend a fuge. Seaclone skimmers are low end pieces of equipment. They really do not do that great a job of skimming. In this case, I would personally get the fuge and save for a good skimmer.