My nitrates will not go down

[Stlrockguy]

They just seem to be getting higher. I even did a 25% water change. I need help please

 

[Dav3]

How often have you been doing water changes? Age of tank? How often, how much, and what food do you feed? What kind of filtration do you run?

 

[jeffaquarius]

Most of all what are your tank inhabitants.

 

[Stlrockguy]

This is my set up. Was up and running for around 3 years before I bought it. I've had it for 5 weeks. I have an eshoppe protein skimmer rated for up to 100 gallons. An hob aqua tech rated for 40-60 gallons. All I have in it is bags of carbon and phosphate pads. I have a koralia 750 power head about 50# of live rock 1 1/2 inch sandbed. I give them just a pinch of ocean nutrition prime reef flakes food or one cube of ocean nutrition formula one frozen food. Every other day. I have a mono and damsel in a 55 gallon along with about a dozen red/blue leg hermits a few snail and an emerald crab. Plus 2 frags. Been doing 10% water changes. All my other levels are perfect except nitrates

 

[Stlrockguy]

Once a week on water changes. Bumped it to 25% today and until the nitrate problem is solved

 

[bill302]

Wow, does not seem right....With what you are saying are you sure the test was correct...Take a sample to your lfs most of them test free and compare...Test the water you use for water changes before you add it and see what you get....

 

[Stlrockguy]

I tested the water. No nitrates in it. I've been taken my water to the fish store to have it tested twice a week for 5 weeks until I bought the same test kit they use today. I've watched them do it every time and read the instructions before I did it. Went exactly by the instructions. Even double tested

 

[54seaweed]

try doing 2 back to back 50% WC to drop nitrates this will help get them back in a safe range but you may still need a third 50% wc in next day or so
1 small 25% wc per week just wont cut it to bring down nitrates in a timely fashion when they get that high
what brought your nitrates up are you over feeding
or maybe stirring up sand or moving rocks around a lot

 

[Stlrockguy]

When I moved the tank it stirred up a lot of stuff and when I cleaned all the algae out of the tank

 

[Stlrockguy]

Back to back. Like two days in a row

 

[54seaweed]

thats what I was thinking, go with what I suggested it will get you back on track saftley

 

[Stlrockguy]

Ok that sounds like a plan. I also plan on keeping some macro algae in my tank also

 

[Dav3]

Is your skimmer installed and working correctly?

 

[Stlrockguy]

It pulls a lot of stuff out. So I'm guessing it is

 

[Dav3]

Couple things. Probably need more rock. Certainly need more flow. With your double size skimmer it should be skimming quite a bit if set up correctly. How often do you replace your carbon and pads? Do you clean the hob filter?

 

[jeffaquarius]

Are you using the original substrate and was it disturbed like putting them in another container and placing them back to the tank when you moved it to your place? If so then that is the problem. You should have replaced the substrate with a new one.

 

[Stlrockguy]

Yea I found out after the fact that I should have at least cleaned the sand. But that was 5 weeks ago. It did drop back down to 10ppm today

 

[54seaweed]

did you do the 2 big wc

 

[jeffaquarius]

Yea I found out after the fact that I should have at least cleaned the sand. But that was 5 weeks ago. It did drop back down to 10ppm today

That 10 is temporary cause it will go up again. You will have a hell keeping it low by replacing water more often than usual.

 

[Stlrockguy]

It normally stays at 10. I've had it to zero a couple times but it always goes back to 10