100ppm nitrates .09ppm phosphates. What to do?

[Miami Reef]

So you killed all of your live rock how long did you let the tank cycle for

As soon as I handled the ammonia spike I added fish to build up the nitrifying bacteria.

I use NSW for my water changes so I’m going to get about 90% changed out tomorrow.

 

[jose hernandez]

How long has the tank cycled 4

 

[jose hernandez]

in the past ive used all dead rock and just left it alone for a couple of months i used microbacter 7 and thats it

 

[Screwgunner]

You bleach your rock to get rid of all the dead stuff off your live rock. It is faster than cooking the rock but bleach kills everything cooking does not. I suggest 100 percent water change. I bleached my dead rock in 20 gallons of water and two gallons of bleach for two weeks . Took rock out set it on the back porch for a few days put it back in trash can with fresh water if i smelled like bleach change water until you don't fill with salt water heater powerhead large cocktail shrimp in 4 months change all water . Now you have cycled rock. With no nitrates. Saves money using a 32 gallon trash can than changing 300 gallons.or in your case maybe two trash cans.

 

[ScottB]

Is there any product that quickly removed nitrates?

Unlike phosphates, nitrates don't bind to the rock but remain in the water. So a large water change will remove them.

 

[Rmckoy]

I’m having a similar situation but a lot different

my rocks have been used in setups for almost 20 years through a few different setups .
im battling red flatworms , and phosphates I can’t stabilize .
one day they are testing at 0.03 the next they are above 0.1
Running rowa pho’s and carbon
I believe the rocks are leaching phosphates making it almost impossible to control .
is soaking , cooking or fw soaking them beneficial ?

 

[DangerDave]

I’m having a similar situation but a lot different

my rocks have been used in setups for almost 20 years through a few different setups .
im battling red flatworms , and phosphates I can’t stabilize .
one day they are testing at 0.03 the next they are above 0.1
Running rowa pho’s and carbon
I believe the rocks are leaching phosphates making it almost impossible to control .
is soaking , cooking or fw soaking them beneficial ?

I’m at (I believe) what is the tail end of what you describe. Read about lanthanum chloride. I dose into my skimmer body for particulate removal.

 

[Rmckoy]

I’m at (I believe) what is the tail end of what you describe. Read about lanthanum chloride. I dose into my skimmer body for particulate removal.

Interesting ....

how much do you dose and what have you noticed ?

 

[DangerDave]

Interesting ....

how much do you dose and what have you noticed ?

I’ve been able reduce my phosphates slowly to my target range. I dilute it with RO, and dose slowly throughly the day. The amounts would be based on your tank and levels. There are a bunch of great threads here about it. Good luck!

 

[Rmckoy]

I’ve been able reduce my phosphates slowly to my target range. I dilute it with RO, and dose slowly throughly the day. The amounts would be based on your tank and levels. There are a bunch of great threads here about it. Good luck!

I was just reading one . About dripping into the skimmer .

I wonder here to get it from .
is it dry and mixed with rodi water , and dripped / dosed as a liquid solution ?

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Killjoy. Don't be so calm and rational. Can't you just let us go in there swinging sledgehammers like we were born to do? I hear 100 nitrates and it is howitzer time! OK. Sarcasm rant over. Good questions.

I compare my nitrates in Kool aid red

 

[DangerDave]

I was just reading one . About dripping into the skimmer .

I wonder here to get it from .
is it dry and mixed with rodi water , and dripped / dosed as a liquid solution ?

I’ve been using phosphate-e, it’s a liquid.

 

[ReefRusty]

Are you reading the test kit right? salifert if you read from the side view and divide by 10 as its magnified x10 and or if you read it from the top view down it will read what it states..

 

[reefinnewb]

On a 10 day post cycled tank, just do water changes until nitrates are where you want them. Keep P04 detectable.

You killed all bacteria on that rock as soon as it touched bleach. This is going to act just like a brand new tank. Take it slow, let the bacteria build up again and stay the course of letting the tank mature. Add some seeded LR or live sand to help get some bio diversity. No reason to start carbon dosing or anything. There's a good chance it's gonna go through the ugly stage all over again.

 

[kwirky]

I went a similar route, bleaching dead dry rock from local sellers in a big rubbermaid bin outdoors, following the process BRStv followed. It looks like you're attempting the same process, but it's unclear whether you've followed through with the frequent freshwater changes which need to follow.

If you don't have any live stock yet, and you're still getting nitrate and phosphate off your rock, I'd recommend not bothering with saltwater yet. Make big repeated 100% water changes with dechlorinated freshwater until you don't see nitrates any more. Don't waste saltwater washing the dead matter from rock you've killed off. Keep the lights off, and use freshwater so you can change it far more frequently and far more cheaply. Repeat 100% changes until you are sure the bleach is gone, as wel as the residual nitrates and phosphates initially trapped as dead matter in the porous rock.

If you do have livestock, can you transfer it to a little temporary 40 gallon breeder system, while you wash off the rock more thoroughly? It can become your coral quarantine down the road, too.

Also, from experience, dead rock is more difficult to start with than live rock. Pest algaes can be problematic much faster, without the competition. Once your rock is rinsed of it's residual nutrients, low nutrients will probably be more of a problem than high nutrients, due to a constant battle with pest algae, like I've been battling since I started the tank. So long as one's not losing livestock, it's more ethical though, compared to supporting the destruction of habitat to source liverock, plus the carbon footprint of shipping rock before it dies off. It's not an ethical product when the barrier reef is receding so fast.