Help! Nitrate phosphate problem

[Sergie]

I just checked my parameters today:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 60!!
Phoshpate: .25
SG: 1.024

I do about an 11% water change every Monday but am planning an emergency water change at 25% tomorrow. Mixing water tonight. I don't feed every day. What could cause such high nitrates?

 

[carey]

How big is your tank? Is 11% substantial enough based on tank size?

 

[Purevil21]

I typically change 10% weekly on my tanks. It has worked well thus far. What are you using for a test kit? If it is API liquid, I am 90% sure it is your chemicals.

 

[hackteck]

is nitrates being at 60 going to harm any live stock?

 

[Purevil21]

Can hurt inverts, that level won't kill fish, but it certainly isn't good. What is your bio load and how big is the tank?

 

[Sergie]

It's a 46 gallon.
I use API liquid. What do you mean by chemicals? I don't dose my tank with anything but my salt mix.
I can't remember what the acceptable levels of nitrates and phosphates were but I thought it was the fewer the better. 60 seemed high. All my inverts are fine and my snails are fine but I don't want to wait till Monday to find out.
How can I keep my nitrates lower? Bigger water changes?

 

[Purevil21]

Lol, I am 90% sure the test is off. API doesn't print the manufacture dates for their chemicals, so you never know how old they are. My last API kit said my Nitrates were 100, in reality they were 5. I have the LFS test it then bought a new test kit.

 

[Purevil21]

I really, really doubt your nitrates are that high when you are doing PWC and not feeding every day.

 

[Sergie]

Discussed bioload in a different thread:
2 clownfish
2 damsels
Firefish goby
Green clown goby
Bicolor blenny
Coral beauty

Discussed trying to take my damsels out.

 

[Purevil21]

Thats not the issue. Recheck the water at the LFS and see what they come up with.

 

[yetee]

are you using RO water? I ask because some of the dechlorinaters can give a false high reading of nitrate, I vaguely remember reading it on a bottle a long time ago.

 

[carey]

Nitrates can and do build up. happens all the time in my fw tanks. I've been lucky with trates sw wise but I also think 10% is too low of a pwc. I keep at 0 nitrates from doing larger water changes I believe. In my 55g i will do 15g easy, sometimes more.

 

[Purevil21]

I did look at the pictures of the tank, you have quite a bit of hair algae, tap water will feed that stuff. It also makes me believe the 60 has to be false, the algae would consume the nitrates, so yes they may be high but the algae is consuming them.

 

[Purevil21]

You can always do more, but I have never had an issue with 10% weekly. I usually went slightly over, I did 10 gallons on a 65 with a 10 gallon sump.

 

[Sergie]

I'll have to do that. I just bought that reef kit. Shucks. I've been using RO for the past 4 water changes. So I've put in 20 gallons of RO and I'm changing out 10 tomorrow and 5 again on Monday.

 

[carey]

It will take awhile to get it all outta your system, I'm just now a few months later seeing improvement. I used regular treated tap water for the first 2 months and my phosphates have slowly come down and finally at 0 nitrates.

 

[Sergie]

That's an older picture. I've gotten rid of all the hair algae. Now it's coralline purple, green that's turning purple, and a recent discovery: bubble algae that I've been removing and treating rocks. Nevertheless I'm still battling some form of algae.

 

[Purevil21]

Yeah, the tap will eventually get out of the system.

 

[Sergie]

I wish I could upload a newer picture from my phone. I took some three days ago that looked really good. I'll take some water to the LFS and also check levels after the PWC tomorrow. I the readings are the same I'll know my test kits are off.

 

[Sergie]

I'll do my PWC tomorrow and post results after an hour or two. Probably won't make it to the LFS till Monday so I can't compare till then.