What Cna I Use to Absorb Nitrates?

[PrettyFishies]

My nitrates just won't come down. I've done several water changes and nothing. They are reading over 160PPM. i have corals an inverts with LR right now, but they seem unaffected.

Is there a product I can use to quickly remove nitrates?

 

[hdultra]

How much water are you changing.

 

[PrettyFishies]

The last change was 55 gal and my tank is 125 gal plus the 30 gal sump (20 in there)

 

[Brad.Sedore]

i bet your test kit is boned... my messed up on me last week and i was reading 160PPM took water to the LFS and they read >10ppm

what test kit are you using

 

[PrettyFishies]

I just bought mine and they say theirs is new. They tested a new 2 week old cycles tank and it cane out <5 ppm

 

[Brad.Sedore]

weird are you sure your preforming the test correctly even a slight angle on one of the bottles would throw you off huge

 

[rush]

Get the Seachem nitrite/nitrate test kit or the selfert.

If your nitrates are indeed that high you need to find the source. You can do all the water changes you want but if you dont find the source they will remain high.

Try some macro algae in your sump, this will help.

But with nitrates that high I would try another test kit.

 

[austinsdad]

I thought you were going to confirm the 160 reading first???? - which I still don't believe is correct.

 

[cmor1701d]

Are you using RODI water for the partial water changes?
Have you tested your change water for nitrates and phosphates before you do the pwc?

It does seem that either the test kit is off or your method of testing is not per the instructions. What test kit are you using? Does it have an expiration date on it?

 

[rush]

160, do test kits even go that high?

my seachem goes up to 50 I believe, which is extremely high, the highest I have seen is like 40-45.

You definitely want it under 10, under 5 is preferable and 0 is your goal

 

[austinsdad]

Good point Rush!.

More support for the test being flawed Prettyfishies.

 

[rush]

If nitrate was indeed at 160 everything would be obliterated and you would have so much algae you would not know what to do with it!

 

[PrettyFishies]

I tested my water prior to the change and the kit showed 0. It's API.

I have Cheato algae in the refugium

I followed the directions to a T. I've used the kit before, so I'm confident in my method.

My next theory is to stir up the sand bed (which is only 10 days old) and siphon out the crap with the next water change tomorrow.

It's possible the system was high in nitrates before I moved it to my house.

 

[rush]

Oh you used someone else sand bed?


That is the #1 rule, if you use someone elses sand bed, you must rinse it out first before you re use it. Or this is what happens, high nitrates.

I would take it all down and restart or the problem will never go away

 

[PrettyFishies]

No, I ditched their bed and started with fresh sand.

Are API's bad kits? I'm going to get a Salifert today.

 

[rush]

Then your sand bank should not have much in there and barely be alive after 10 days.

you have corals in a 10 day old tank?

Did I miss something here lol

 

[Brad.Sedore]

so let me just recap. you did a basicly 40% water change... and your trates didnt drop?

Im still saying flawed test, take some water to someone else with a test kit and get them to test 160ppm is just obscene. the time needed to reach that in an unstocked tank would be ridiculous

 

[PrettyFishies]

Let's back up:

The tank was purchased from someone else who had it up and running 8 yrs. I moved it and kept most of the water, ditched the sand in the DT and refugium and added freshly rinsed carib sea aragonite reef special.

The tank had soft corals, brittle stars, a coral banded and 4 fish. The fish all died within 2 hours of acclimation. The corals are doing great and spreading in some cases. The shrimp molted.

So, it all doesn't make sense. But i'll be getting the new test kit soon and see what it says.

 

[Brad.Sedore]

if your trates were 160ppm that shrimp would be long dead

 

[PrettyFishies]

if your trates were 160ppm that shrimp would be long dead

I agree!