75 gallon high nitrates need help!

[Cjsanders757]

I have high nitrates in my tank. Would doing 20 gallon pwc every 2-3 days help lower nitrates??

I have a skimmer and sump w/chaeto, caulerpa and saltwater fern plants.
Small live stock due to deaths culoMbian shark, a clown the other died an a diamond watchman goby. No algae on the display tank. Just the refugium probably because of my light bulb needs to be changed.

Any help would be helpful

 

[Mrfresh]

How high are ur nitrates.
What kind of coral are you keeping
All general tank par
Temp
Nit ect...

How much live rock
Sand tank or bare bottom?



Yes large water changes will help but if u don't know what's causing the nitrates the water changes won't fix the problem in definitely

 

[Bartmmackey]

Nitrates? not sure, Would you have the stats on your water. Im not the smartest guy here, but would like a tad more info.

PS. did you personally transition (prob not correct word) your culoMbian shark to salt. Is there an obvious reason to have then in a marine tank. Just asking'

 

[Cjsanders757]

Nitrates? not sure, Would you have the stats on your water. Im not the smartest guy here, but would like a tad more info.

PS. did you personally transition (prob not correct word) your culoMbian shark to salt. Is there an obvious reason to have then in a marine tank. Just asking'

He was already in a saltwater tank when I got him 2yrs ago. I had two but the other jumped out.

 

[Cjsanders757]

How high are ur nitrates.
What kind of coral are you keeping
All general tank par
Temp
Nit ect...

How much live rock
Sand tank or bare bottom?



Yes large water changes will help but if u don't know what's causing the nitrates the water changes won't fix the problem in definitely

Temp 80-82, no coral(due to lighting), 50-70lbs of rock, idk on sand, all parameters are good except nitrate is around 60-80(red on test kit) and last checked ph was about 7.8-8

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Everytime my nitrates creep up I clean the top layer of sand in my tank by vacuuming it. Seems to work for me.

 

[NanaReefer]

Disturbing your SB could be the cause of your high nitrates. Several large water changes will bring these numbers down unless your using tap water that is high in nitrates.


Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

 

[Mrfresh]

If ur going to mess with the sand bed be prepaid to do some big water changes.
You might stir up some nasty stuff

Personally I don't mess with it but some people do and don't have issues with it.

 

[Cjsanders757]

Tested water today. Nitrates at 80. I believe the problem is coming from refugium sand bend. Now at the point of just taking the substrate out and just leaving rocks and algae in there.

 

[powers2001]

If the nitrates aren't leaching out of the sand or rock, you're putting them in there with fish food or maybe some livestock died and is rotting somewhere. Those are high nitrates. There has to be a source. If you're not overfeeding, the skimmer and bacteria in the liverock will catchup and get ahead of the nitrates so to speak.

 

[Cjsanders757]

Checked my rock when I moved it around and cleaned no dead bodies. I cleaned te refugium of gha and cyano. The fern plant in the refuge is growing nicely my chaeto Ian growing at all.

 

[powers2001]

Try more water changes.